The Rise And Fall of Britains North American Empire The Political Economy of Colonial America

It started and ended with a financial catastrophe. The Darien disaster of 1700 drove Scotland into union with England, but spawned the institutions which transformed Edinburgh into a global financial centre. The crash of 2008 wrecked the city's two largest and oldest banks – and its reputation. In the three intervening centuries, Edinburgh became a hothouse of financial innovation, prudent banking, reliable insurance and smart investing. The face of the city changed too as money transformed it from medieval squalor to Georgian elegance.

This book explores the economic factors that led to Britain forfeiting its North American colonies. Placing discussions within both a historical and political context, the development of the colonial economy is examined in relation to both slavery and the industrial revolution. In turn, changes to British tax policy post-1760 and the increased burden placed on American taxpayers are detailed, alongside the resentment and resistance to them. These factors, as well as nonimportation agreements and boycotts, are highlighted as the major motivations for the American Revolution.
This book aims to provide an accessible foundation to the economic and political issues central to Britain’s colonial activities in North America. It will be relevant to students and researchers interested in the political economy and economic history.

A groundbreaking, expansive new account of Reconstruction that fundamentally alters our view of this formative period in American history.