Chapter 1, Land and Market Summary and Analysis

The Market Revolution is the story of the economic, cultural and political changes that accompany American history during the Jacksonian Era, the period following the end of the War of 1812 and eight years following the end of the Andrew Jackson Administration in 1837. This is a period of unusually fierce economic, political and religious change, all of which come together to produce the modern liberal, democratic capitalist order that has prevailed in the United States to the present day.

The original economic conflict within the United States is between what author Charles Sellers calls "land" and "market." The United States is largely open territory for the taking in the early 19th century which allows families to spread out quickly and reproduce in large numbers. Labor is expensive because people can always turn to farming if they...