A House Dividing: Economic Development in Pennsylvania and Virginia Before the Civil War. By John Majewski. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. Pp. xvii, 214. $49.95.

Abstract

A House Dividing serves as much-appreciated example of how narrative political economy remains a persuasive format for historical research. John Majewski addresses the topic of divergence in economic development between antebellum North and South by looking inside the highly political process of infrastructure development. Using case studies of Albemarle County, Virginia, and Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Majewski shows how competition between rival small cities left Virginia without a coherent growth strategy. In marked contrast, eventual domination of Pennsylvania internal improvements by business interests in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh focused development efforts there.