The Dawn of Innovation: The First American Industrial Revolution

Almost all the book reviews so far have been about men or wars or battles and they fit the site theme well. This book is a little different because it does not deal with outward military themes. Instead it has to do with something much bigger, the rise of American industrialization.

It starts in the wake of the revolution when the fledgling country started shifting away from a colonial economy. From the shipwrights in New England during the War of 1812 to the rapid growth of a peace time economy. This is the story about how the US eventually would surpass England in manufacturing power. This was done by making use of the boundless resources of the continent and harnessing an American spirit. It is this spirit that the author tries to convey in the portraits of the people and places that rose to the occasion.

The author uses the development of interchangeable parts to illustrate this tale. Also the battles over patents, and the general disregard for them. One of the recurring taglines of this book is that the United states achieved the unprecedented rate of 3.9% growth for over 135 years. The author does a very good job of showing that.

As always  you can click on the cover to find the book easily on Amazon.