Introduction The organization of American culture -- pt. 1. The crisis of the old order New England and America in the 1780s: prospect and retrospect -- The institutional crisis of eighteenth century New England -- The social basis of collective action -- The merchants of New England: strategy and structure -- pt. 2. The reorganization of American culture Beyond tradition: order and authority in the new republic -- Corporations, equity, and trusts: legal instruments and the foundations of private authority -- The standing order as the guardian of science: the foundations of professional authority in Connecticut and Massachusetts, 1700-1830 -- Institutions, autonomy, and national networks: the resocialization of the American people -- Class and character in Boston: a pattern of regional integration -- pt. 3. The reintegration of authority and the organizational foundation of the national order The ante-bellum period: prospect and retrospect -- The Civil War and the moral revolution: the emergence of a national elite -- Towards a meshing of patterns: the nationalization of business and culture -- Conclusion The promise of American life
