Sailing East by Phyllis Hunter
The 1784 voyage of the Empress of China, the first American trade ship to China, marked a critical moment in the economic, cultural and diplomatic development of the United States. In the aftermath of the Revolutionary War, the American economy was still reeling, and the government struggled to stake its claim within the balance of global power. It was crucially important that the U.S. develop trade as a newly independent nation-no longer a satellite of the British Empire, but a full-fledged participant in international commerce. With this in mind, a group of financiers in Philadelphia, New York and Boston launched the first shipping venture to China. Sailing East tells the story of the financiers that initiated the enterprise, the sailors that actually made the dramatic voyage, and the impact the China trade had on early America. As Hunter shows, capital from the China trade financed important early manufacturing and transportation ventures, such as cotton factories, life insurance companies and what would became the Pennsylvania Railroad. The trade had an important cultural influence as well, as Chinoiserie and Asian objects became coveted among the upper classes, and Americans developed an appetite for Chinese teas, silk, porcelain and other exotic luxury goods. Most importantly, though, trade across the Pacific marked the young nation's entry onto the global stage. As this book proves, the voyage of the Empress of China was a pivotal first step towards both the global commerce of the world today, as well as America's eventual role as an economic superpower.-
The Battle of Midway
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Washington's Crossing
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A Storm of Witchcraft
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Crossroads of Freedom
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Brown v. Board of Education:
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Adams vs. Jefferson
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As If an Enemy's Country
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American Maelstrom
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The Last Indian War
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Seneca Falls and the Origins of the Women's Rights Movement
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James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights
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My Lai
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All Shook Up
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Freedom Riders
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The Bay of Pigs
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Unconditional
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Lincoln's Last Speech
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Into the Bright Sunshine
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Braddock's Defeat
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The Louisiana Purchase
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He Has the People
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Roosevelt's Second Act
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The Birth of Modern Politics
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Storm over Texas
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The Flight of the Century
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The GI Bill
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The Compleat Victory
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The Dogs of War
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The Scratch of a Pen
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Rainbow's End
Phyllis W. Hunter is Associate Professor of History at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. She is the author of Purchasing Identity in the Atlantic World: Massachusetts Merchants, 1670-1780.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780195314687 |
| ISBN 10 | 0195314689 |
| Title | Sailing East |
| Author | Phyllis Hunter |
| Series | Pivotal Moments In American History |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press Inc |
| Year published | 2012-06-28 |
| Number of pages | 256 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |