American Debtors\u27 Prison: The Rise of the New York Citizen as a Commercial Participant during the Early American Republic, 1800-1836

The following research explores the development of financial culture in the early American republic through the examination of New York\u27s use of debtors\u27 prisons. Beginning with the construction of the historical context surrounding the passage and abolition of the National Bankruptcy Act of 1800, the project takes use of a series of archival sources that exemplify the character of credit in early American economic practices. The emergence of republican financial culture was often at odds with federal judicial and legislative action, the result of which was the creation of state policy and third party organizations dedicated to solving the plight of a growing debtor population. As the narrative of debt transitioned from understanding the debtor as a villain towards a victim, traditional criminal punishments no longer represented cultural values. One such institution scrutinized and debated was the debtors\u27 Gaol