The Marketplace of Revolution: How Consumer Politics Shaped American Independence

"Revolutions come about because of the people whose names are not recorded in history books. If you don’t have the people on the street behind you, you just have ideas. My research showed that the common denominator between little towns scattered throughout America was consumer habits. British manufacturing absolutely dominated the American market. Every consumer good in a colonial house was British-made. It slowly dawned on Americans that they could weaponize consumption. If you privately tell me that you are revolutionary, I might believe you but be skeptical that you are going to act on your beliefs. But if you stop buying imported cloth and put down your tea, I know you’re committed. Get the weekly Five Books newsletter Protests and boycotts grew more successful as Americans communicated through newspapers. Newspapers were the Facebook of revolutionary times; they were the way Americans organized and confirmed that neighboring towns were joining in. People in Georgia reading about the actions of people in Massachusetts learned that strangers were sharing in their protest; that gave the Revolution power over time. The Marketplace Revolution is about how the American people, through consumer good boycotts, began to resist British oppression. It was a total innovation. I was unable to find any earlier sustained efforts to weaponize consumption. When people talk about the political inventiveness of the Americans, they point to the U.S. Constitution and ignore the fact that the Americans were essentially the first to successfully boycott. I’ve heard from historians in Asia and other places that there is, in fact, no precedent. Later, this technique was imported by Gandhi, for instance, to gain a political voice for people who lacked a vote in the direction of their country."