A Mechanical People: Perceptions of the Industrial Order in Massachusetts, 1815-1880

by Carl Siracusa

As industrialization transformed nineteenth-century America, a remarkable calm prevailed. Until well into the century there was no great national debate about it, and little of the turmoil and anguish that scarred the history of contemporary Europe appeared in the United States. Americans greeted the factory with a unique sense of equanimity and satisfaction, easing the way for the nation's progress toward an industrial economy. 'A Mechanical People' attempts to explain why this happened.

322 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 1979