From Maritime to Factory: A Tale of Several Cities.
Dr. Len Travers, Professor of History, University of Mass. Dartmouth
I. Prologue: Jefferson’s Nightmare.
A. History of a Loser: The story of Mayo Greenleaf Patch.
B. From a family economy to a labor market.
II. Pawtuket, R.I
.A. Surf and Turf: A Diversified Economy.
B. Slater’s Mill (1790) changes everything.
1. A textile town.
2. Class consciousness.
3. The old order passeth.
4. Middle-class morality.
5 Alarums, excursions, and strikes (oh my!).
III. New Bedford
A. Small town with a Niche Industry.
B. Big Oil, nineteenth-century style.
1. New Bedford becomes a one-industry town.
C. Reshaping the social profile.
D. Manufacturing - a hard sell in New Bedford.
1. Resisting technology.
2. Resisting immigrants.
3. Disaster is the key.
IV. Conclusions (sort of).