Republic of Debtors: Bankruptcy in the Age of American Independence
- 作者:Bruce H.,Mann
- 出版社:Baker & Taylor Books
- 出版日期:2009-04-15
- 語言:英文
- ISBN10:0674032411
- ISBN13:9780674032415
- 裝訂:平裝 / 344頁 / 2.5 x 14.6 x 22.9 cm / 普通級
From the wealthy merchant to the backwoods farmer, Mann tells the personal stories of men and women struggling to repay their debts and stay ahead of their creditors. He opens a window onto a society undergoing such fundamental changes as the growth of a commercial economy, the emergence of a consumer marketplace, and a revolution for independence. In addressing debt Americans debated complicated questions of commerce and agriculture, nationalism and federalism, dependence and independence, slavery and freedom. And when numerous prominent men--including the richest man in America and a justice of the Supreme Court--found themselves imprisoned for debt or forced to become fugitives from creditors, their fate altered the political dimensions of debtor relief, leading to the highly controversial Bankruptcy Act of 1800.
Whether a society forgives its debtors is not just a question of law or economics; it goes to the heart of what a society values. In chronicling attitudes toward debt and bankruptcy in early America, Mann explores the very character of American society.