Skill Built into Machines

Day three began at the Lowell National Historical Park site. The origins and impact of the Industrial Revolution were the focus of today's American history lecture. Professor Merritt Roe Smith (MIT) described how New England moved from the craft method of manufacture to a factory one. Smith said that Yankee practicality was on full display at the first World's Fair held in England in 1851 when they demonstrated items such as apple peelers and Cyrus McCormick's reaper. The French and English opted to display ornate items and lost several head-to-head competitions that pit their products against American made inventions. Smith emphasized that the American government became an active "venture capitalist" helping to jump start many industries. One example was the Springfield armory which successfully produced interchangeable gun parts during the American Civil War.
The Lowell mills represented the center of American manufacturing power during the 19th century. During the waterpower workshop, teachers built canal systems and tested waterwheels in order to understand how the 30ft drop of the Merrimack River was harnessed to power all the Lowell mills. The afternoon session featured a ride on a restored trolley car and boat tour of the canal system led by Park Ranger Frank Clark. The best part was learning how the lock system functioned by traveling through the Guard locks. The day concluded with everyone learning to weave on a hand loom. Teachers agreed that this activity helped them best understand how a skill such as weaving could be automated by a machine. We learned how innovations made to the Draper power loom at the Boott Mill meant that more textiles could be produced with less human interaction.

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