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International Competitiveness of the Antebellum American Cotton Textile Industry

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  • Harley, C. Knick

Abstract

Although the American cotton textile industry was heavily protected, most commentators, following Frank Taussig's lead, have concluded that indigenous technological advance made large branches of the industry internationally competitive by the 1830s. The prices of equivalent fabrics in Britain and America in the late 1840s and 1850s challenge that conclusion. “Domestic†fabrics, in which American mills had supposedly become competitive, cost 20 percent more in America. Critical reexamination of other evidence—cost comparisons from the 1830s and American exports—supports the conclusion that an unprotected American industry could not have competed.

Suggested Citation

  • Harley, C. Knick, 1992. "International Competitiveness of the Antebellum American Cotton Textile Industry," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 52(3), pages 559-584, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:jechis:v:52:y:1992:i:03:p:559-584_01
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    Cited by:

    1. Juhász, Réka, 2014. "Temporary protection and technology adoption: evidence from the Napoleonic blockade," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 60697, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Mehdi SHAFAEDDIN, 1998. "How Did Developed Countries Industrialize? The History Of Trade And Industrial Policy: The Cases Of Great Britain And The Usa," UNCTAD Discussion Papers 139, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
    3. Davis, Joseph H. & Irwin, Douglas A., 2008. "The antebellum U.S. iron industry: Domestic production and foreign competition," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 45(3), pages 254-269, July.
    4. Irwin, Douglas A. & Temin, Peter, 2001. "The Antebellum Tariff On Cotton Textiles Revisited," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 61(3), pages 777-798, September.
    5. Gavin Wright, 1999. "Can a Nation Learn? American Technology as a Network Phenomenon," NBER Chapters, in: Learning by Doing in Markets, Firms, and Countries, pages 295-332, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. H. O'Rourke, Kevin, 2000. "British trade policy in the 19th century: a review article1," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 16(4), pages 829-842, November.
    7. Theo Balderston, 2010. "The economics of abundance: coal and cotton in Lancashire and the world," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 63(3), pages 569-590, August.
    8. Robert W. Fogel, 2008. "The Impact of the Asian Miracle on the Theory of Economic Growth," NBER Chapters, in: Understanding Long-Run Economic Growth: Geography, Institutions, and the Knowledge Economy, pages 311-354, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Joyce Burnette, 2011. "The Emergence of Wage Discrimination in U.S. Manufacturing," Working Papers 11-18, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    10. Mark Stelzner & Sven Beckert, 2024. "The contribution of enslaved workers to output and growth in the antebellum United States," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 77(1), pages 137-159, February.
    11. Réka Juhász, 2014. "Temporary Protection and Technology Adoption: Evidence from the Napoleonic Blockade," CEP Discussion Papers dp1322, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    12. Rosés, Joan R., 2000. "La competitividad internacional de la industria algodonera española (1830-1860)," IFCS - Working Papers in Economic History.WH dh001401, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Instituto Figuerola.
    13. Gavin Wright, 2000. "The Role of Nationhood in the Economic Development of the USA," Working Papers 00024, Stanford University, Department of Economics.
    14. Brian D. Varian, 2023. "British exports and foreign tariffs: Insights from the Board of Trade's foreign tariff compilation for 1902," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 76(3), pages 827-843, August.
    15. Rosés, Joan R., 1998. "The choice of tecnology in the Mediterranean basin : some evidence from the Spanish, Italian, British and us cotton mills(1830-1860)," IFCS - Working Papers in Economic History.WH 6182, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Instituto Figuerola.
    16. Gavin Wright, 2020. "Slavery and Anglo‐American capitalism revisited," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 73(2), pages 353-383, May.
    17. Brian D. Varian, 2018. "Anglo†American trade costs during the first era of globalization: the contribution of a bilateral tariff series," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 71(1), pages 190-212, February.

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