DOC The Dawn of Innovation: The First American Industrial Revolution by Charles R. Morris in History

Review

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Fascinating Americans!By B. ZimmerYou must read this book if you have the least interest in American history; especially that of the Midwest and Northeast in the early 1800s. You might think that you're not interested in the manufacture of mass-produced furniture in Cincinnati in the 1820s or the development of canals in New York state or steamship travel on the Mississippi. But the details of American's world-shaking pursuit of producing manufactured goods in the early 1800s reinforces the stories we've always heard about the American psyche: We come from innovative; hard-working; creative; pushy ancestors who took full advantage of unlimited water; wood; and mineral resources to create unheard-of industrialization.Partly as a reaction to the blockades and taxes of the English; England's almost complete control of the market for goods; and the War of 1812; this country rebelled; looked around; and discovered it could mass-produce its own goods. Water power was everywhere; forests were there for the taking; minerals were hiding beneath the top soil; slave power was available; and immigrants' energy and independence were bursting at the seams.The first chapter; about the War of 1812 battles between English and American ships on Lakes Erie and Ontario; serves as an introduction to the marvels of shipbuilding in a country which barely had a navy. The following chapters jump quickly into the fascinating development of America's great experiment: mass-production.(Of special interest if you're buying a digital book [Kindle]: I bought this book on Nov. 21 for $9.57. Kindle is now charging $15.94. The hardback edition is still $19.)2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Filled with Anecdotes Explaining US Explosive Growth (3.9% per year) for 135 YearsBy Steve PaulI loved reading Morris’ The Dawn of Innovation: The First American Industrial Revolution. It's filled with interesting anecdotes to explain the explosive and sustained growth of the United States for 135 years; from 1778 to the eve of the First World War.I wish our present leaders would read this book to better understand present-day US competitiveness.Here are some representative quotes from the book that explain the US role during the first Industrial Revolution:* “The United States never disguised its avarice for British textile technology. It refused to recognize British patents; and American entrepreneurs openly advertised for British power-spinning experts; who were forbidden by law from emigrating.”“American system of manufacturing.” -- meant manufacturing to an idealized model to such a level of precision that parts could be freely interchanged between weapons without loss of performance.”* "British shipbuilding factories were the most advanced in the world; employing massive; very precise machines that mid-century Americans could not replicate. What was missing; perhaps; was the American instinct to push for scale; the conviction that the first objective of business should be to grow larger."* “Over time; the act helped settle some 10 percent of the entire land mass of the United States. Senator Justin Morrill's (R-VT) 1862 land-grant college act awarded each state a bequest of public lands that it could sell to finance state colleges for the agricultural and industrial arts. No other country had conceived the notion of educating farmers and mechanics; and the Morrill Act schools are still the foundation of the state university system.”You'll recognize many parallels with China's growth today.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. I didn't know that; did you?By Nicholas MontgomeryThe Dawn of Innovation is a comprehensive and detailed view of the American industrial revolution; how it developed and how it influenced modern culture in America. General histories may quote industrial and agricultural production statistics but never explain exactly how or why they grew so quickly in the US. And; rarely do those texts connect so clearly the links between industrialization and other cultural forces such as universal education. The Dawn of Innovation delineates those influences and projects them into the world of the twenty-first century.American development may have been similar in essence to the earlier British revolution; that is; it transformed individual hand crafts into organized; machine-driven; large scale production. However; as The Dawn of Innovation illustrates; America’s mass manufacture differed from Britain’s in the breadth of its development; in its scale; and most importantly; in its organization. These differences resulted in extraordinary production; of course; but they also transformed US society itself.Take pork production...please. The Dawn of Innovation ; tells the familiar story of Eli Whitney and his “mass” production of muskets; debunking some of its myths. But; new to most history buffs; and perhaps a better example of how the industrial revolution transformed American society; is the story of the industrialization of pork and its derivatives. Around Cincinnati in the middle of the nineteenth century; pork production was rationalized on a scale as profound as textiles in New England. Millions of animals were processed into food; of course; but also soap; candles; waxes; lubricating oils; shortening; and lighting fuels. One derivative alone; glycerine; had applications from tanning leather to pharmaceuticals. America’s first chemical industry came from the processing of pigs…not to mention one of its first mass-marketers; Procter and Gamble. All this happened by the 1850s. I didn’t know that; did you?Pork production is only one of many not-often-told-but-edifying tales in the The Dawn of Innovation. Others abound such as the arms race that developed on the Great Lakes in the War of 1812. Even naval historians will be surprised that a first-rate sailing warship; the St. Lawrence; larger than Nelson’s HMS Victory; was launched on Lake Ontario in 1814; the last word in an argument that no one cared about before it could even go into battle.Charles Morris wrote The Dawn of Innovation. It fills what I now consider gaps or even voids of other histories and commentaries about America’s coming of age. His writing is engaging; delightful; and informative. It is one of those books that you feel like you should thank the author for writing. Mr. Morris; thank you.