Thread by @WatTylerRising

Took a break about a third of the way through the 1619 book to read some of @WilliamHogeland's Founding Finance to add context to some of the American-on-American disputes, discontent, and direct action around the Political and Social questions in the time period.

I bought the book knowing it would focus on the differences between the republican institutions and the democratic institutions, especially as the Framers and their domestic adversaries saw them. Still, I was delighted to see it directly addressed on page 1:

I'm only about 37 pages in rn, but so far I really like how accessibly written it is while still specifically and concisely describing the social relations that existed at the time. I've found writing about this leads me to be a bit denser than I would like.

Specifically, I like how the social relations Hogeland describes float back and forth between feudal and capitalist/modern. It really makes clear that there is no Proclamation line in an economic transition - on one side feudalism, on the other side capitalism/modernity.

This hasn’t been said explicitly, and maybe I’m just picking up on it because I’ve spent the last 5 months looking at these specific things in England, but it really helps establish the contested nature of each social relation for the colonial era, something we generally lack.

Another thing, which hasn’t come up much yet but Hogeland returns to more later, are the comparisons to both Occupy and the Tea Party. For one, it’s important to situate current American acts of protest within their historical contexts. We aren't super different than them.

For another, it’s even more relevant now, given the increased radicalization and militancy of the Tea Party on the one hand and the growing militant solidarity growing out of Occupy on the other. Understanding the historical contexts of both today's movements is necessary.

Neither are purely "modern" expressions of social discontent - they have a long history in this country and have, at times, worked together rather than existed as adversaries. We must understand their fundamentally *American* character and all the questions that entails.

Anyways, I’m excited to keep reading.