Results: Samuel Slater - Father of the American Industrial Revolution (Part 1 of 3)

Born in England in 1768, Samuel Slater grew up on a farm. At ten he took a job at a water-powered textile mill. Following his father's death, his family indentured him at 14 as an apprentice to the cotton mill's owner. Does this seem like a tough childhood?

Slater developed an aptitude for working with machinery and for the practice of cotton spinning. Having heard of bounties offered in the United States for skilled textile workers, young Samuel memorized the details of England's innovative machines in hopes of becoming wealthy by helping to build a textile industry in the United States. Would you be capable of memorizing technical drawings, etc?

Wishing to maintain its economic advantage over its former colonies, British law banned the emigration of mechanics and skilled workers who knew how to build and repair the latest textile machines. These workers were not allowed to share technology or leave the country. Do you think that was fair?

In 1789, Slater disguised himself as an agricultural laborer and emigrated to the United States. Since British officials searched the bags of people traveling to the US, Slater had to rely on only his memory of the technical drawings and machines he had worked with. Would you be able to leave your family and friends to live a new life in another country at 21?