In the Philadelphia Cordwainers’ Case, several shoemakers were put on trial and found guilty of unlawfully attempting to raise their wages above what was intended for them and for forcing other shoemakers to stop working at the previous wages in order to join in their cause. The document, which includes the prosecution’s case and statements made by a recorder, reveals some of American’s understanding of economic value and economic relationships during the early republic. The Americans during this time period believed that economic value depended on the market and that the laws that they thought ruled economic relationships should be rigidly followed without questioning. Americans believed that the value of work was determined by the market. Americans in this case refers specifically to the upper class Americans who had power to influence the laws that governed the people and those who were prosecuting in this case. The prosecutor says, “If they pay higher for wages, you must pay higher for the articles.” Upper class Americans …show more content…
These beliefs of how economic value and relationships were viewed did not accurately reflect the view of the cordwainers. This case only describes the point of view of the upper class American and neglects to convey the views of the workers. Both the prosecutors and the workers acted in their own best interest, but the workers were unsuccessful in achieving their goals. In this case, the cordwainers would have responded by bringing to light the fact that the employers were abusing their power and influence to benefit only themselves, failing to consider the view of the