Goucher College 2016-2017 Undergraduate Catalogue 
    
    Mar 29, 2024  
Goucher College 2016-2017 Undergraduate Catalogue PLEASE NOTE: This is an archived catalog. Programs are subject to change each academic year.

HIS 206 - Success and Failure in Early American Capitalism (4 Cr.)


The rags-to-riches theme is a staple of the American historical experience. But, personal and economic failure has also played an important role in the development of the United States. This course examines the relationship between and meaning of economic success and failure from the era of Ben Franklin to that of Andrew Carnegie. In addition to secondary accounts of early American entrepreneurialism, debtor laws, bankruptcy practices, and commercial panics, readings will likely include Franklin’s Autobiography, Herman Melville’s “Bartleby, the Scrivener”, Horatio Alger’s “Ragged Dick”, Carnegie’s “Gospel of Wealth”, and beggars’ letters to John D. Rockefeller. Prerequisite: Any 100-level history course, sophomore standing, or permission of the instructor. Variable semesters. Hale.