A Technical and Business Revolution American Woolens to 1832 Routledge Library Editions: The Industrial Revolution Series

This title, first published in 1986, develops the story of American woollen manufacture reaching far back in time to establish the very traditional nature of the fabrication of woollen cloths. Although traditional techniques changed slowly, particularly in England, circumstances and conditions changed rapidly in the United States during the Napoleonic Wars. Americans had more surplus capital to invest; they had abundant natural resources; and many American merchants and manufacturers sought independence from European goods and services. This title will be of interest to students of economic and American history.

Introduction; 1. Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Background 2. The Embryo Conceived: American Manufacturing Beginnings, 1787-1812 3. An Overview of American Woolen Manufacture 4. A Technical Revolution: Mechanization of Woolen Manufacture 5. A Business Revolution: Toward More Rational Business Practices; Conclusion; Appendices; Bibliography