S3E1 - The Dawn of A New Era

Hello and welcome to the Story of Rhode Island. The podcast that tells you the story of Rhode Island’s fascinating history. In Season 2 we watched Rhode Island play a leading role in the American Revolution, an event that enabled the colonies to obtain their independence from Great Britain. But as we dive into episode 1 of season 3, we see that the United States is not as independent as they’d hoped to be. We learn more about this troubling reality by visiting a 51 year old wealthy businessman and abolitionist named Moses Brown. It’s a frigid winter night in 1789 and Moses stands comfortably inside his elegant house located about a mile east of downtown Providence. Filled with furniture that’s been crafted by Newport’s finest artisans and silverware made to perfection in Boston, his home illustrates the prosperity shared by the wider Brown family. While peering out his window, he looks past his expansive estate known as Elm Grove and sets his eyes on the Seekonk River to southeast. It was down this river 150 years ago that Roger Williams traveled so that he could create the town of Providence, a place that gave the religious outcasts of the world the freedom they desired. One of those dissidents was Moses’ ancestor, Chad Brown, a man who became the first Baptist pastor in America. The Brown family remained in the region for generations and eventually found fame and fortune through Moses and his brother, John. But as Moses peers out his window, it’s not his family history or wealth that fills his mind but instead a problem. A problem affecting not only Rhode Island but the entire nation. Because even though the United States is technically an independent nation, it’s still heavily reliant on England for manufactured goods, one of the primary goods being textile products like yarn, cloth, and fabric. Americans still rely on their former mother country for textiles because England’s industrialized economy has access to extremely powerful machinery that enables them to produce these goods far more efficiently than Americas largely agrarian economy. And to ensure they retain this competitive advantage, England’s made it illegal for anyone with the knowledge of this technology to immigrate to another country. Moses and his business partners have attempted to recreate some of this machinery in Rhode Island but have failed time and time again, leading them to give up on what seems like a hopeless endeavor. But sitting on the table beside Moses’ window is a letter from a man he’s never met before thats making him rethink that decision. The author of this letter is a newly arrived English immigrant who's claiming to know how to build the machines that are used in England to automatically produce textile goods. To make it even more interesting, he’s telling Moses he wants to team up with him to build them. Given the enormity of the claim and the fact it’s coming from a man he's never even met before, Moses doubts its authenticity. But at the same time he takes a moment to ask himself “what if it’s true? What if this mysterious man can actually do as he says?” The Providence merchant knows that if they were to build these machines then their nation would be able to take the first step towards true economic independence. And so, deciding that the risk is worth the reward, he writes a letter back to the English immigrant telling him that he’d like to meet him. After finishing his letter, he inserts it into an envelope and addresses it to Samuel Slater. Neither Moses Brown or Samuel Slater know it yet but they’ve just set forth a chain of events that will prove to be successful beyond their wildest dreams. Not only will they help free America from its dependence on England for textile goods but they will introduce America to the world of industrialization, setting it down a path that will change their nation forever. But before that can happen Samuel Slater must actually build these incredibly complicated machines and as he’s about to find out, it’ll be far more difficult than he expected. He’ll encounter challenges that will lead him to doubt his abilities and Moses to wonder why he ever trusted him in the first place. But Slater will continue to persevere and eventually find a way to recreate this revolutionary technology, an accomplishment that will forever make him known as the father of the American industrial revolution. The story of Samuel Slater teaming up with a group of determined Rhode Islanders to ignite the American Industrial Revolution is what we’ll cover in the first episode of Season 3 of the Story of the Rhode Island Podcast.

Intro Music

Walking down a street in Pawtucket on a brisk January day in 1790 are five men. Four of these men are successful merchants that are related through either blood or marriage. They include Moses Brown, a man we just met, his son Obadiah Brown, his cousin Smith Brown, and finally his son-in-law William Almy. As they walk, Their close proximity to one another illustrates the strength of their bond while their swagger demonstrates their ranking in society. In a state ruled by the wealthy merchant class, these men are at the top of the ladder. They are members of the prestigious Brown family of Providence, a city that’s recently overtaken Newport as Rhode Island’s most prosperous community. Fueling the Brown family’s success is a fleet of commercial vessels lining the Providence River that trade with nations in Europe, the West Indies, and even as far as China. However, to ensure they diversify their investments the Brown’s also dabble in cod fishing, a rum distillery and an iron forge called the Hope Furnace. As their portfolio expands so do their number of partnerships. With names like Brown & Rogers, Brown & Francis, and Brown & Ives, they highlight the fact that no matter how much their business interests expand they always remain in the family. It’s partially due to this familial mindset why Samuel Slater, the fifth man we see walking in Pawtucket, remains at somewhat of a distance from the others as he gets the sense that they’re a bit weary of him. While walking behind the others, he uses the alone time to process the drastic changes that have recently occurred in his life. Originally from Belper, England, Slater spent years working as an apprentice in a cotton factory before rising to the rank of factory overseer. Although this presented him with a comfortable career, he realized that England's oversaturated cotton manufacturing market would likely prevent him from ever rising above the rank of factory operator. It was around this time when he began hearing about American entrepreneurs wanting to replicate England’s cotton manufacturing machines. Slater saw this as an opportunity for fame and fortune so in September 1789 he deliberately broke England’s law banning men of his expertise from leaving the country and headed for America. About a month after arriving, he heard of Moses Brown’s failed attempts at rebuilding the same cotton manufacturing machines he worked on in England and decided this was the opportunity he was looking for. And now, with Slater walking just a few steps behind Moses and his powerful business partners he feels his dreams of fortune getting closer. With supreme confidence in his abilities, he truly believes it’ll only be a matter of time before he goes from being Samuel Slater, the penniless immigrant to a businessman known for bringing industrialization to America. He can already picture his immaculate mansion filled with luxurious goods from exotic nations. Images of elaborate dinners with the elite members of American society circulate in his mind as if they were a play. But Slater’s daydreaming is interrupted when he feels his face slam against the back of one of the men walking in front of him. So caught up in his daydreaming, he failed to recognize that the men he’s with stopped walking. Slater, embarrassed by his mistake, quickly takes a step back and apologizes for the mishap. While acknowledging the error with an irritated look on his face, William Almy lets Slater know that they’ve arrived at their destination, an old clothier (clow-their) shop on the banks of the Blackstone River. After looking up at the raggedy building in front of him, Slater makes his way into the building. Once inside, Moses begins pointing to the various cotton spinning machines his mechanics have attempted to recreate, only to see them fail time and time again. The array of parts strewn upon the floor like discarded pieces of trash and the layers of dust filling the room tell the story of a once hopeful project that’s since been given up on. Such a disheartening scene allows Slater to truly understand just how far this young nation is from industrialization. Unlike England, it’s a country full of farmers, artisans and merchants, not industrialists. While Moses attempts to crudely explain what's prevented his team from being successful, Slater begins circling the water frames with an intense look on his face. While tilting his head side to side and pulling on the strings that are meant to move the machine's complex array of parts, Slater can be seen talking to himself the way one does when they’re taking mental notes. But while we wait for Slater to complete his analysis of the machines in front of him, let me give you a quick overview of the state of 18th century textile manufacturing and where these machines fit into the picture. So The process of textile manufacturing begins when cotton is grown and processed by enslaved men and women. Then, most of that cotton is shipped to factories in England so it can be spun into yarn. And Finally, that yarn is woven into cloth. For todays episode were only focusing on the second step, manufacturing cotton yarn, as well focus on the other steps later this season. Okay so the reason why England dominates the yarn manufacturing market is because an Englishman named Richard Arkwright invented a set of water powered machines that automatically spins cotton into yarn. Since this process is still done by hand in America, England can manufacture cotton yarn 50 times faster than the average American. The instruments that make this possible are the cotton carding and cotton spinning machines, the latter being what Slater is currently analyzing in the Browns workshop. While the cotton carding machine cleans and prepares the cotton, the cotton spinning machine replicates the extremely delicate pulling and twisting process that’s done to spin cotton into yarn. Now it’s important to note that water powered technology itself isn’t anything new to Americans as they’ve been using the energy of flowing rivers for basic tasks like grinding grain since the 17th century. And remember, Americans also produce some of their own cotton yarn as well, they just do it manually. But What Brown and Slater are trying to do and what no American’s ever done before is combine the two. By building the cotton carding and cotton spinning machines they will be the first Americans to use water powered technology to automatically spin cotton into yarn. And so this is why Slater is so valuable to the Brown family and this is why Moses was willing to respond to a letter from a man he’s never met before. However, as we turn our attention back to Slater, we see just how far he is from making that happen. While looking at the machines built by the Rhode Islanders, Slater shakes his head and bluntly states that the machines are QUOTE “good for nothing and are worth nothing more than old iron “UNQUOTE. William Almy, annoyed by the fact that a penniless immigrant would dare talk to them in such a manner, responds by saying there’s no way Slater could be so sure of all that after such a brief analysis. Slater responds by simply pointing out the machines’ various mechanical errors. He rattles off mistake after mistake to the point where Moses grows tired of their bickering and tells the men to be quiet. Moses admits that Slater clearly has a far better understanding of this technology than they do so there’s no sense in arguing with him. Slater, happy to finally see one of these men respecting him, nods at Brown to show his appreciation. But Moses continues to tell the young man that before they can go into business with him he’s got to prove himself. To do that he must fix one of their cotton spinning machines. If he’s able to do this then and only then will they officially partner with Slater to build the other piece of machinery, the cotton carding machine. Slater, thrilled by the opportunity, accepts the offer and immediately gets to work. However, he doesn’t do it alone. Feverishly working beside him are local mechanics Sylvannus Brown, Oziel (OH-ZEEL) Wilkinson, Oziel’s son, David Wilkinson, and a free black man named Samuel Prime. Together they work day and night to rebuild the cotton spinning machine in Brown’s shop. The work is exhausting but they know that repairing the tool will be a huge step forward. Because It’ll mean that one of the two machines needed for manufacturing yarn will be complete. Then, just a couple of months later their hard work pays off and they manage to rebuild the cotton spinning machine. William Almy and Smith Brown are so impressed by what Slater’s done that they agree to set up a business partnership with him. Moses Brown decides to abstain from the partnership but he remains heavily invested in the endeavor. Unfortunately, before the partnership even begins, Slater has a fundamental business disagreement with Almy and Brown, an event that foreshadows the future challenges Slater will face with his business partners. Since Slater isn’t a member of the Brown family, Almy and Brown have a hard time trusting him. Therefore, when discussing the terms of their partnership they try to make him a mere employee instead of one of an actual partner. But Slater immediately shuts that down. After all, he didn't break the law and come to America just so he could become a mere factory operator again. No, he wants fame and fortune and he knows that the only way he’ll get that is by being part owner. With this in mind, he rejects the offer and states that he’ll only go into business with them if he’s not only a partner but is also given an equal share of the profits. The two successful merchants are shocked by the request and hesitate to accept it. But at the same time they know that Slater’s talents are invaluable so they are forced to accept his counteroffer and the partnership of Almy, Brown, and Slater is formed. And so, by April of 1790, after only being in Rhode Island for a matter of months, Slater has already made substantial progress towards his goal of becoming a wealthy industrialist. He’s not only recreated one of the two machines needed to mass produce cotton yarn but has also established a partnership with some of the most powerful individuals in Rhode Island. All he needs to do now is build the second piece of machinery, the cotton carding machine. Once this is done, Slater will have the technology he needs for his very own water-powered cotton spinning mill, a factory never seen before in America. But as we’re about to see, Slater’s road ahead will not be easy. Over the next several months, he’ll encounter technical challenges that push him to his limits and make him wonder whether he actually has what it takes to succeed.

Samuel Slater is not a small man. At over 6 feet tall and well over 200 pounds he’s far larger than the average 18th century American. But as he sits on a chair next to a malfunctioning cotton carding machine, he feels small. It’s August of 1790 and after numerous failed attempts at rebuilding a cotton carding machine he feels as though the task at hand is too large. His dream of bringing this extremely powerful technology to America has since turned into a nightmare that looms over him day and night, the weight of which presses down on Slater like nothing he’s ever felt before. Needless to say, Slater is in over his head. Thankfully, surrounding him is a group of hard working, brilliant individuals who refuse to let Slater fail And two of these men quite well - Ozeil Wilkinson and his son David. Since arriving in Pawtucket, Slaters been living with the Wilkinsons. This has not only allowed him to get close with Oziel and his son but his daughter, Hannah, as well. In fact, Slaters developed quite an affection for his daughter and it’s beginning to look as though it could flourish into something far more serious. But at the moment, Hannah is the last thing on his mind. As he disheartenedly sits at the Pawtucket clothier shop All he can think about is how it’s been 6 months since he went into partnership with William Almy and Smith Brown and he’s yet to rebuild the machinery needed to automatically spin cotton into yarn. What already started out as an extremely complicated project has grown even more difficult since Slater figured out that the iron in America, a resource that is a crucial part of the machine, is nowhere near the same quality as the iron in England. It also doesn’t help that since Slater couldn’t risk sneaking the designs of these machine to American he’s been forced to recreate them by memory. Then, as if on queue, Oziel hands Slater a letter from Moses Brown asking him if they’ve had any success yet. Like anyone who's ever gotten an email from their boss asking for an update on an overdue project, Slater feels a sense of anxiety rush through his body. Realizing that Slater’s in a bad way, David Wilkinson walks over to him and reassures him that they’ll get there. They just need to keep pushing forward. So that’s what they do. Throughout the summer and fall of 1790 the team of men continue battling through a series of failed attempts. But in each one of those failures is a lesson they use to make their next attempt slightly more successful. Slater continues to leverage his years of knowledge with these machines to get them closer to a design that will work while the Wilkinsons reshape the iron so that it fits Slater’s design. Eventually, their tireless effort and ingenuity begins to pay off and beforelong they find themselves sitting on the precipice of a monumental achievement. And as we revisit Slater in the winter of 1790 we get to see the end results of their impassioned work and witness the door to industrialization be opened in America for the first time.

It’s December of 1790 and Samuel Slater is seen standing outside of the same Pawtucket clothier (clow-their)shop he first visited almost a year ago. A place that back then was filled with a bunch of broken down cotton spinning machines that had little hope of ever working. Beside Slater are Moses Brown, William Almy, and Smith Brown, a group of men who took a gamble on Slater months earlier. With a look of excitement on his face, Slater opens the door, and guides the men into the shop. Upon entering, the Providence businessmen are immediately given a glimpse into the future. All around them are water powered textile machines manufacturing yarn at a pace never seen before in America. As the swift currents of the blackstone river spin a large wooden wheel, carding machines prepare cotton for spinning while spinning frames take that cotton and turn it into yarn. As the machines' various parts move around and slam up against each other, the building is filled with the same loud noises Slater grew so accustomed to as a factory operator in England. Moving quickly across the floor are 9 young children who have been trained to operate this fast-paced technology. Moses, a man who has long dreamed of building these machines in America has a hard time believing what he’s seeing. But Instead of jubilation, his face is filled with skepticism. As he quietly walks through the shop, he waits for one of the machines to stop working, a sight he grew so familiar with before Slater arrived. Noticing the man’s doubt, Slater attempts to get Moses’ attention by calling out to him but gets no response. Then, Slater calls out again and again but still nothing. Finally, he walks over to Brown, grabs him by the arm, and says “Moses, It works. We’ve done it”. Moses slowly looks back at the man who a year earlier boldly claimed he could build these machines finally comes to the realization that he’s delivered on that promise. After letting out a loud laugh he begins shaking Slater’s hand to thank him for what he’s done. Then, Slater, Almy, and the Browns begin to celebrate, congratulating one another on the fact that for the first time in America cotton is being spun into yarn via water powered technology. The men know that this is the first step to moving America into the age of industrialization and enabling them to finally gain their economic independence from their former mother country. And so this is when Samuel Slater begins to emerge as the “Father of the American Industrial Revolution", a title that he rightly deserves and one each and every Rhode Islander should be proud of. However, what we should also be proud of are the various other Rhode Islanders who helped make this happen; Businessmen like Moses Brown who were willing to take a chance on a man he never met and talented craftsmen and laborers like Oziel Wilkinson, David Wilkinson, Sylvanus Brown, and Samuel Prime whos mastery of their craft enabled them build the material needed for Slater’s designs. It was because of their united effort that they were able to recreate this powerful technology in an old Pawtucket clothier (clow-their) shop, an achievement that marks the dawn of a new era in Rhode Island. Over the next several decades, the focus of its economy, demographic of its people, and day to day life of everyday individuals will be flipped on its head, a development we’ll watch unfold throughout this season. But those radical modifications are still years away. Before that can happen Slater must first play his paternal role as the father of the American Industrial Revolution and guide Rhode Island into this new era. He must convince them to give up the ways of the past so that they can move into the future. He’ll attempt to do this by building America’s first water powered cotton spinning factory on the Blackstone River, a monumental establishment he aptly calls Slater Mill. Unfortunately, he’ll immediately find himself at odds with both his workforce and business partners who struggle to accept the changes that come with industrialization. After years of stiff opposition, Slater will eventually come to the realization that if he’s going to be successful he must have more control. He must carve out his own part of Rhode Island so that he can build his own industrial society, a place that will show these merchants, farmers, and artisans what this new world is going to look like. But that’s a story for next time on next week’s episode of the story of Rhode Island podcast