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Samuel Slater and the Origins of the American Textile Industry, 1790-1860
268 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 1984
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December 24, 2025
Read this one for work because I had read sections but never cover to cover. I think the discussion of patriarchy and how that framework worked to tamper and prevent the development of class conflict in Slater/Rhode Island style villages is an extremely important contribution to the study of early industrial America. I was particularly struck by Tucker's description of the "autonomous worker," an employee divorced from family and community and instead linked to the market via wages. It made me think of AI - the fully-realized autonomous worker by this description. Can we blame the Slaters for AI? Who's to say.
Displaying 1 of 1 review