Blog Post 4: Course Summary

When I first walked into class, I was expecting to delve deep into the specific macroeconomic policy positions taken by different figures and their effects on specific markets as if the class was just another macroeconomic lecture. Instead, I learned something different but just as valuable, and that is the history of American business over time told from multiple perspectives. I had learned about the period of American history that was largely laissez-faire but not about how capitalism may have helped facilitate early 19th-century slavery in America. The different definitions of capitalism and the ambiguity surrounding them challenged my initial perceptions and helped me improve my understanding of what capitalism is, especially as it was instituted in America. Hearing differing views on business history and comparing them to my own helped me develop my own views on American Business history as well as learn more about it in general.

The surprising aspect of this course for me was the overall evolution of business in America, and how different socio-economic policies changed the business landscape. Even the short period from 1860 to 1880 saw significant changes to business operation and power along with recessions I had not previously heard of. Economics is interwoven in the history of every nation, but America’s long-standing focus on building oneself from the ground up, whether feasible or not, is heavily tied to both economics and American business history. To have a full understanding or as much as a person can of American history, analyzing the history of business in America is important and helps shape your overall view of American history.