Few eighteenth century practitioners of political economy have been as misunderstood or stereotyped as Benjamin Franklin. His economic essays which spanned a sixty-one year period (1729-1790), still create disagreement among scholars even on the doctrinal origins of Franklin's economic ideas. If...

The Blackstone Canal opened in 1828, ran from Worcester, MA to Providence, RI, ceased operation in 1848, and is widely held to be a financial failure, returning $4.10 in dividends on an original investment of $100.00. Yet, the canal is attributed with stimulating the economic success of...

This paper considers the legal conflict between farmers and cattle raisers over the fencing of animals and crops within the context of Kansas in the 1870s, when counties were given the option to retain the traditional fence laws (requiring crops to be fenced in) or to adopt the herd laws...

This paper identifies the relative importance of demands for government revenue and industry protection in shaping tariff legislation during the antebellum period. To do this, a two-limit probit model is estimated for five different products to determine the effectiveness of pressure groups in...