Classical and Liberal Republicanisms and the New Consumer Culture

Abstract

United States archaeologists working on the East Coast have recognized a massive discard of consumable goods, such as ceramics and glass, in archaeological contexts that date to the end of the first quarter of the nineteenth century. Explanations for this phenomenon have varied from "changing households" to "style consciousness" to the "Americanization of the U.S. population." I examine the acquisition and eventual discard of consumer goods from several working-class households found at a former industrial armory town, Harpers Ferry. The town is about 60 mi from several coastal port towns and the domestic assemblages display a pattern similar to that of the East Coast sites, although there is a lag of about a decade. While economic models are often used by archaeologists to explain human behavior, cultural patterns are more complex and a variety of phenomena needs to be examined. The growth of consumerism and the eventual massive discard of goods in Harpers Ferry may also be explained by the fall of classical republicanism and the rise of liberal republicanism and romantic ideals in the United States.