The Reshaping of Everyday Life 1790-1840 (Everyday Life in America) by Jack Larkin-Hardcover – 1988
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In "The Reshaping of Everyday Life 1790-1840," Jack Larkin describes the daily lives of Americans in the first decades of the new Republic, focusing on the personal--how marriage, birth, sickness, and death shaped people's lives, and on the fabric of their social interactions.
The book examines the significant social and economic transformations in early 19th-century America. Through a mix of statistical analysis and contemporary accounts, Larkin explores how the nation's rapid growth affected daily life. He highlights the decline of self-sufficient family farms and local artisans as industrial enterprises began to dominate production and distribution. The book also covers the decrease in family size due to westward expansion and land scarcity, alongside improvements in housing and goods facilitated by the advent of railroads. Larkin provides a vivid picture of the era's lack of refinement, detailing the unsanitary conditions of homes and public spaces, the simplicity of food and clothing, and the common practice of sharing beds in inns.
