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a c k n o w l e d g m e n t s This project would not have been possible without the financial support of numerous groups including the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Economic History Association, the Harvard Business School, the State Farm Companies Foundation, the University of Illinois Foundation, the University of Virginia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and the University of Virginia Office of Research and Public Service. Additionally, the entire Eckert family provided food, shelter, and companionship for a large portion of my research. Through chemotherapy, life-threatening illnesses, and adoption, they always found space for me. The librarians at several archives were especially helpful to my research. In particular Laura Linard and her staff at the Historical Collections of Baker Library at Harvard Business School, and Elisabeth Proffen and her staff at the H. Furlong Baldwin Library of the Maryland Historical Society, and John Van Horne, Jim Green, and their staff at the Library Company were extremely informative and accommodating . Throughout this process, my advisor Mark Thomas has provided immeasurable guidance, encouragement, and support both for this project and my graduate experience as a whole. As a lowly undergraduate in his course on American economic history, I first came to his office to discuss the possibility of pursuing graduate work in the field. Neither of us could have anticipated then the long journey on which we were embarking together. I am proud to have been his first Ph.D. student. Many people read and generously commented on this project. In particular John James, Charles McCurdy, and Peter Onuf all participated in my dissertation defense , furnishing fruitful insights on the entire project. As I began transforming the dissertation into a book, Edward Balleisen’s perceptive comments on the structure and argument were invaluable. Additionally, Cathy Matson, Richard John, Gavin Wright, Joe Miller, Robin Einhorn, Cindy Aron, John Larson, Christopher Clark, Leonard Sadosky, Johann Neem, Susanna Lee, Dayo Mitchell, Walter Friedman, Roderick McDonald, Michelle Craig McDonald, Sean Adams, Dan Wadhwani, Stephen Mihm, Jane Kamensky, Aaron Wunsch, and Melissa Thomasson, as well as the members of the Early American Seminar at the University of Virginia, the McNeil Center for Early American Studies Seminar at the University of Pennsylvania , the Insurance and Society Study Group, the University of Maryland Early American History Seminar, and the Economic History Workshop at Wake Forest University all provided input on selected chapters. In earlier form, chapter 2 was published in the Spring 2008 issue of the Business History Review, and chapter 7 in the Winter 2005 issue of the Journal of the Early Republic. The feedback from the anonymous readers for these articles was extremely helpful in refining my prose and argument. Selections from chapter 5 appeared as “‘Doomed . . . to eat the bread of dependency’? Insuring the Middle Class against Hard Times,” in the April 2010 issue of Common-place: The Interactive Journal of Early American Life. Special thanks to Bob Katz-Rühl, Maíre Murphy, Johann Neem, Leonard Sadosky , Genevieve Blair, Mary Jo Burke, Jill Johnson, Mariana Martinez, Kathleen Olowin, Wendy Sprigle, and my great colleagues at Providence College. Without their constant friendship, encouragement, and moral support I would never have been able to finish this marathon. I don’t think either my family or my in-laws ever truly understood why a (supposedly ) well-educated woman would spend so many years of her life researching life insurance (of all things!) in pursuit of a degree that provides horrible job prospects and even worse pay. But while they often thought I was crazy, they never ceased to be proud of me, and I am thankful for that. While my husband, Kenny, didn’t type a word of the dissertation, darned few socks, and did even less laundry, his love and support (along with countless homemade pizzas, onion tarts, and on-the-fly tech support) has been indispensable to me. He endured long talks about life insurance, even longer research trips, piles of photocopies strewn throughout the house, and my unusual work habits and hours—all with limitless patience and a ready supply of smiles, hugs, and red wine. And whenever I thought of quitting, he promptly sat me back down in front of my laptop and lovingly ordered me to finish. He even assumed the duties of a single parent to our little ray of sunshine so that I could make my final revisions. Finally, I must thank Amalia Rose for allowing her first year...

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