Reinvent Rhode Island: The Industrial Revolution started in Rhode Island

3.23.2012: The history of the Industrial Revolution in America can be traced back to Samuel Slater, who immigrated to the United States in 1789 from England. Once in America, he was told about the Quaker merchant Moses Brown, from Rhode Island, who was looking for a way to develop industry in this young country, so that America could be more independent from European manufactures of the goods this country needed and put large parts of the population to work. So Slater and Brown built the first water-powered cotton spinning mill in Pawtucket in 1790. From those beginnings, the Industrial Revolution helped the country evolve socially and technologically, which continued through the early 1900s. Rhode Island and many other states in New England suffered setbacks in manufacturing after 1900. Companies moved to the south for cheaper wages and less regulation. Manufacturing in Rhode Island would dwindle throughout the decades, with not many taking notice until it was to late.
While some manufacturing businesses in the state have changed strategies to adapt to a new world, others have had to close their doors. Providence Journal video by Steve Szydlowski

[@pfontaine23]

This is a wonderfully produced video. Thank you so much for producing this!

[@pfontaine23]

Bernard Fontaine is my close family member i see him so much and I also made an Industrial Revelation video filmed in Rhode Island so please whatc it and I love you Bernard (Aka my grandpa) love Mom Dad and Elizabeth

[@SamuelSlater94]

Nice to see a video about me.

[@SamuelSlater94]

How dare you call me a traitor!

[@mariagaskellvamplove]

the mills closing down was like the end of success for RI?

[@Toxic_Muk]

Then kids also lost there fingers working them mills and the fires ...

[@jaflischannel]

And the factory owners would say: fingers don't matter, as long as you can still do your job

[@bladeinfire8753]

re

[@Devilishlybenevolent]

Slater the Traitor.