ECON 113 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Stamp Act Congress, Olive Branch Petition, George Whitefield
Document Summary
Important to distinguish between myth, preconceptions, ideological abstractions and reality when studying history. E. g. europeans saw the new world as empty despite being full w/ millions of human beings and complex societies. Thomas more: utopia where all property is owned communally, and harmony, cooperation, and equality prevail. Political significance of the new world: the american dream (an idealized fantasy & not true for everyone) is written on the statue of liberty in a poem by emma lazarus (1883): Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses. I lift my lamp beside the golden door! Religious significance of the new world: new england puritans believed that the new. Idealized american exceptionalism, e. g. reagan"s america as a shining city on a hill w/ a uniquely favored destiny. The progression from an agrarian to an industrial to a post-industrial economic order. Negative conceptions of america, e. g. marxist: opponents of neo-colonialism and economic imperialism viewed it as the epitome of late capitalism.
