Throughout this course, I have learned so much about the history of American business, beginning with the early settlement of the Americas by European settlers through almost current-day. One book that I found especially interesting in this course, was our study of Rosenthal’s Accounting for Slavery. While I had studied slavery in past American history classes, this book truly added a new dimension to my understanding of the plantation system in the antebellum South. Specifically, the vast amount of charts and images Rosenthal includes in the book helped me truly understand the meticulous records plantation owners kept on their slaves’ productivity. Prior to this course, I never contemplated how the Southern plantation system may have been an early form of capitalist activity. Furthermore, I had never considered that the extensive network of managers on plantations may have set the stage for the managerial systems in factories during industrialization in the North. Studying these interpretations of the time period has made me really question my pre- existing notions about the emergence of capitalism in the United States.
I think the importance of studying American history from a business or economic perspective is extensive, especially at Baruch College, which is predominantly a business school. Most students in Baruch College believe that the study of history may be irrelevant to a business school education. However, history is a unique field in that it can relate to just about any major or field of study. Any business student, or student in general, benefits from learning the background of their field of study. Learning American Business History enables a business student to have a more thorough understanding of their field.
Thank you for these thoughtful comments.