Stability and Change in Revolutionary Pennsylvania

Stability and Change in Revolutionary Pennsylvania, Volume 1, provides a detailed examination of the social and economic landscape of Pennsylvania from 1740 to 1790. George David Rappaport utilizes social-scientific models to analyze the transition from a traditional social order to the beginnings of modernization. This history focuses on the complex interplay between families, political parties, and voluntary associations, illustrating how the political sector evolved rapidly while the broader economy remained in a state of transition.

The text explores the specific role of banks and banking through an analysis of the Bank of North America, the first commercial bank in the United States. By documenting the legal battles involving the Constitutionalist Party and Robert Morris, Rappaport links these early financial struggles to the wider process of American modernization. This scholarly work serves as a critical study of Pennsylvania history and the social conditions surrounding the revolution.