Introduction: an American political tradition -- The birth of consumer activism -- The American Revolution considered as a consumer movement -- Buy for the sake of the slave -- Rebel consumerism -- Travels of the boycott: what's in a name? -- The birth of the consumer movement -- Remaking consumer activism in the Progressive Era -- The strike in the temple of consumption -- "Make Lisle the style" -- Advocates and activists: consumer activism since World War II -- Putting the postwar "consumer movement" in its place -- The rise and fall of the Consumer Protection Agency: the origins of American antiantiliberalism, 1959-1978 -- Epilogue: Consumer activism comes full circle: the revival of consumer activism in contemporary America
Summary
Far from ephemeral consumer trends, buying green and avoiding sweatshop-made clothing represent the most recent points on a centuries-long continuum of American consumer activism. A sweeping and definitive history of this political tradition, Buying Power traces its lineage back to our nation's founding, revealing that Americans used purchasing power to support causes and punish enemies long before the word boycott even entered our lexicon. Taking the Boston Tea Party as his starting point, Lawrence Glickman argues that the rejection of British imports by revolutionary patriots inaugurated a c
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 317-391) and index
