Chapter 10: The economic Revolution

Henretta Chapter 10 discusses the ever changing American Economy. Manufacturing was a critical component in boosting the American economy. Several factors lead to a successful manufacturing economy: division of labor, improved British technology and hiring less expensive workers.
A division of labor assigns specific tasks to different workers. The division improved efficency and productivity leading to a significant increase in output. Secondly, by improving British technology American's were now able to compete in the textile industry. American's have Francis Cabot Lowell to thank for building the first textile plant to outwork the British. Lowell did so by touring British textile mills asking questions and secretly sketching drawings of the machinery and then passing them along to Paul Moody. Once Moody recieved the drawings he copied the machines and made vast improvments to the outdate American machines. Finally, American's began to hire less expensive workers. The "Waltham plan" recruited thousands of farm girls and women to work in the textile factories. The women were put up in housing and given curfews. Although the jobs were not glamourous, many women still chose to work in textile factories simply because the pay was more than they would be making doing household work.