The Economic Motivations Behind the American Revolution and its Impact on the US Economy

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The chapter explores the economic perspectives of American revolutionaries, revealing their desire to maintain profitable ventures like land ownership and slavery after breaking away from Britain. It discusses how frustrations over British government restrictions on profit-making opportunities led to the decision to revolt, with a focus on the historical context of post-French and Indian War actions and the motivations of figures like George Washington. The narrative moves on to the economic underpinnings of the US Constitution and the subsequent shift towards capitalism with the rise of the Industrial Revolution, particularly examining the impact of cotton production on the nation's economy leading up to and following the Civil War.

An age of invention and mass production, propelled by a new mechanism – the corporate research lab – leads to a surge in material wealth like the world has never seen. How does a new nation, the United States, overtake its parent as the leader of the surging capitalist order? And what does it all mean in the lives of ordinary people?

By John Biewen, with co-host Ellen McGirt. Interviews with Woody Holton, Robin Alario, Edward Baptist, and Brad DeLong. Story editor: Loretta Williams. Music by Michelle Osis, Lilli Haydn, Chris Westlake, Alex Symcox, and Goodnight, Lucas. Music consulting by Joe Augustine of Narrative Music. "Capitalism” is a production of the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University, in partnership with Imperative 21.