Three Consuls : Capitalism, Empire, and the Rise and Fall of America's Mediterranean Community, 1776-1840

Peskin, Lawrence A.

Cambridge University Press（2024/11発売）

• 製本 Hardcover:ハードカバー版／ページ数 342 p.
• 言語 ENG
• 商品コード 9781009444620
• DDC分類 B

Full Description

For two generations after independence, Americans viewed the Mediterranean as the new commercial frontier. From common sailors to wealthy merchants, hundreds of Americans flocked to live and work there. Documenting the eventful lives of three American consuls and their families at the ports of Tangier, Livorno, and Alicante, Lawrence A. Peskin portrays the rise and fall of America's Mediterranean community from 1776 to 1840. We learn how three ordinary merchants became American consuls; how they created flourishing communities; built social and business networks; and interacted with Jews, Muslims, and Catholics. When the bubble burst during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812, American communities across the Mediterranean rapidly declined, resulting in the demise of the consuls' fortunes and health. A unique look into early American diplomacy, Three Consuls provides a much-needed overview of early consular service that highlights the importance of US activities in the Mediterranean region.

Contents

Introduction; Part I. Rise of the Mediterranean Community: 1. Becoming American (and) consuls; 2. James Simpson: isolation and diplomacy in Gibraltar and Tangier; 3. Robert Montgomery: Multiple identities in Alicante; 4. Thomas Appleton: community and conflict in Livorno's American community; Part II. Community Structures: 5. The American social network and national identity; 6. Business networks and the problem of self-interest; 7. Contact with 'others': race, chauvinism and the notion of empire; Part III. Collapse: 8. The long decline; 9. Selling empire; 10. Death and dismemberment; Epilogue: Latin America and the turn toward Empire; Bibliography.