The Mills of Liberty: Foreign Capital, Government Contracts, and the Establishment of DuPont, 1790–1820

E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. is one of the world’s largest chemical corporations, and its operations are of interest to business historians. This article explores the early history of the firm within the context of early republic political economy in order to show how it came to a place of pro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEnterprise & society Vol. 19; no. 2; pp. 309 - 351
Main Author FAGAL, ANDREW J. B.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.06.2018
Cambridge University Press for the Business History Conference
Subjects
19th century
Capitalism
Defense contracts
Economic development
Federal government
Firearm discharge residue
Foreign capital
Government archives
Government contracts
Historians
History
Industrial development
Inventors
Libraries
Manufacturers
Manufacturing
Museums
Political economy
Politics
Power
Prominence
State government
Tariffs
France
United States > US
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Summary:E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. is one of the world’s largest chemical corporations, and its operations are of interest to business historians. This article explores the early history of the firm within the context of early republic political economy in order to show how it came to a place of prominence in the American gunpowder market by the early 1820s. The article utilizes the archival and printed records of DuPont, associated firms, government correspondence, and early War Department and trade statistics to show how the company, unlike other powder mills of that time, had access to both large reserves of foreign capital and the halls of power in the federal government. These resources helped DuPont become a principal supplier of gunpowder to the army, the navy, and a major exporter during the War of 1812 era.
ISSN:1467-2227
1467-2235
DOI:10.1017/eso.2017.11