Dames
March Pop-up Program
at Woman’s Athletic Club (WAC)
The Illinois Society gathered to welcome Tom Shachtman, who spoke about his book, The Founding Fortunes: How America’s Wealthy Paid for and Profited from America’s Revolution. This pop-up event marks the highest ever response for programming, with 68 rsvps! Nothwithstanding the looming uncertainty around coronavirus, we had an enthusiastic turnout of Dames, Warriors and guests at the Woman’s Athletic Club in Chicago. Our thanks to Courtenay Wood for graciously arranging our meeting in the Silver Room at the WAC, to Peggy Bodine for her effusive good cheer as she offered the sale of our Illinois Society scarf and scarf ring and to Elicia Tippens and Mary Carter for their continued hospitality and warm welcome.
Tom Shachtman provided a cursory overview of economic patriotism from the birth of the republic to 1813, elaborating on who paid for the war and the array of costs and complex financing activities attendant to securing America’s independence. Pivoting from an infantilized colonial economy, where a subordinate mercantile network severely stymied entrepreneurial initiative, this became the story of the early 1% who governed and the willingness of a wealthy fraternity of financiers to risk their personal fortunes, reputations, credit lines and connections as collateral to provision the cause of political freedom. Shachtman touched on iconic founders and the forgotten few from both England and the continent — their ideas, values, interests, aspirations, socio-economic standings — each of whom through prodigious contributions helped give birth to a new nation. From trickle-down to rapacious privateering, the abolishment of IRS to astronomical debt, our guest speaker engaged a riveted audience, giving us a delightful evening to remember.
