A note on the economic impact of the prerevolutionary nonimportation movements on urban artisans

Since Carl Bridenbaugh published The Colonial Craftsman in 1950, historians have asserted that artisans supported the pre-Revolutionary nonimportation movements largely because these trade stoppages benefited artisans economically. This article summarizes the historiography of this argument, highlights weaknesses in it, and offers evidence which demonstrates that most artisans were negatively impacted by the boycotts. Finally, it highlights the need for further research into the transition that urban artisans faced as they moved from their early dual roles as husbandmen and artisans to a near-exclusive reliance on their trades for sustenance.