Heavenly Merchandize: How Religion Shaped Commerce in Puritan America

354 Pages·2010·2.442 MB·English

by  Mark Valeri

Heavenly Merchandize
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Heavenly Merchandize
HOW RELIGION SHAPED COMMERCE
IN PURITAN AMERICA
Mark Valeri
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
PRINCETON AND OXFORD
Copyright2010byPrincetonUniversityPress
PublishedbyPrincetonUniversityPress,41WilliamStreet,
Princeton,NewJersey08540
IntheUnitedKingdom:PrincetonUniversityPress,6OxfordStreet,
Woodstock,OxfordshireOX201TW
AllRightsReserved
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Valeri,MarkR.
Heavenlymerchandize:howreligionshapedcommerce
inPuritanAmerica/MarkValeri.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-691-14359-0(hardcover:alk.paper)
1.Puritans—Doctrines—History—17thcentury.
2.Puritans—Doctrines—History—18thcentury.
3.UnitedStates—Religion—To1800.4.Puritans—
Influence.5.Business—Religiousaspects—
Christianity.I.Title.BX9323.V352010
261.85097409032—dc22 2009039606
BritishLibraryCataloging-in-PublicationDataisavailable
ThisbookhasbeencomposedinJanson
Printedonacid-freepaper.
press.princeton.edu
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
For my brothers,
Doug, Bob, and John, and in memory of Richard;
and for my sons,
J.P. and Jamie
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CONTENTS
ListofIllustrations ix
Preface xi
INTRODUCTION
HeavenlyMerchandize 1
CHAPTERONE
RobertKeayne’sGift 11
Keayne,theMerchantTaylors’Company,andCivicHumanism 14
KeayneandtheGodlyCommunityinEngland 26
CHAPTERTWO
RobertKeayne’sTrials 37
Boston’sFirstMerchants 39
PuritanDisciplineinEngland 50
DisciplineandTradeinEarlyBoston 57
CHAPTERTHREE
JohnHull’sAccounts 74
HullandtheExpansionofNewEngland’sMarket 76
Hull’sPietyandChangesinChurchDiscipline 83
Jeremiads,Providence,andNewEngland’sCivicOrder 96
CHAPTERFOUR
SamuelSewall’sWindows 111
Sewall’sandFitch’sProblemswithMoney 114
ThePoliticsofEmpire 122
PoliticalEconomy,MonetaryPolicy,andtheJustificationofUsury 134
Merchants’CallingsandtheCampaignforMoralReform 157
ReligiousConvictionintheAffairsofSewallandFitch 168
CHAPTERFIVE
HughHall’sScheme 178
HallandBoston’sProvincialMerchants 181
RationalProtestantismandtheMeaningofCommerce 200
Gentility,theEmpire,andPietyintheAffairsofHall 220
viii CONTENTS
EPILOGUE
ReligiousRevival 234
SamuelPhilipsSavage,IsaacSmith,andRobertTreatPaine 235
SocialVirtueandtheMarket 240
Conclusion 248
Notes 251
Index 321
ILLUSTRATIONS
1.1. Boston’sTownHouse 13
1.2. PortraitofThomasSavage 23
2.1. JohnBlaxton’sEnglishUsurer 54
3.1. SermonNotesbyJohnHull 91
4.1. PortraitofSamuelSewall 115
4.2. AccountBookofThomasFitch 118
4.3. ThomasHill’sYoungSecretary’sGuide 142
4.4. PortraitofCottonMather 144
4.5. MassachusettsBillofCredit 147
4.6. SamuelWillard’sHeavenlyMerchandize 159
5.1. JohnBonner’s1722MapofBoston 190
5.2. WilliamBurgis’s1743ViewofBoston 191
5.3. FaneuilHall,Boston 193
5.4. PortraitofHughHall 195
5.5. AccountBookofHughHallwithListofSlaves 199
5.6. PortraitofBenjaminColman 202