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Three consuls : capitalism, empire, and the rise and fall of America's Mediterranean community, 1776-1840 / Lawrence A. Peskin

Author
Peskin, Lawrence A., 1966-
Published
Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2024.
Physical Description
1 online resource (xi, 327 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).
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Contents
Becoming American (and) consuls -- James Simpson : isolation and diplomacy in Gibraltar and Tangier -- Robert Montgomery : multiple identities in Alicante -- Thomas Appleton : community and conflict in Livorno's American community -- The American social network and national identity -- Business networks and the problem of self interest -- Contact with "others" : race, chauvinism and the notion of empire -- The long decline -- Selling empire -- Death and dismemberment -- Epilogue : Latin America and the turn toward empire.
Summary
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.
Subject(s)
ISBN
9781009444606 (ebook)
9781009444620 (hardback)
9781009444590 (paperback)
Note
Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 28 Oct 2024).
View MARC record | catkey: 46144701