Harpers Ferry Armory and the New Technology: The Challenge of Change
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.15 (615 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0801491819 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 364 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2017-06-27 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
This study is an important contribution to both urban and technological history."American Historical Review "This is a superb book, based on exhaustive archival research, imaginatively structured, clearly and forcefully written. Important leaders like James Stubblefield, Colonel Roswell Lee, John H. "Smith's book confronts one of the central issues in the history of American technology: how, from about 1800 to 1860, did the United States change from being technologically dependent on Europe to a leader in many fields. Smith has written a fine book, and few will read it without learning something interesting and important."Journal of American History "Among the pleasures of this extremely well-written book are the in
He also demonstrates how craft traditions and variant attitudes toward work vis-à-vis New England created an atmosphere in which the machine was held suspect and inventive activity was hampered.Of central importance is the author's analysis of the drastic differences between Harpers Ferry and its counterpart, the national armory at Springfield, Massachusetts, which played a pivotal role in the emergence of the new technology. "In the end," Smith concludes, "the stamina of local culture is paramount in explaining why the Harpers Ferry armory never really flourished as a center of technological innovation."Pointing up the complexities of industrial change, this account of t
Merritt Roe Smith is Leverett Howell and William King Cutten Professor of the History of Technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
A. L. Jones said Superb history on a challenging subject. Smith's research and analysis on a topic with few records and nearly "Superb history on a challenging subject" according to A. L. Jones. Smith's research and analysis on a topic with few records and nearly 200 years in the past in a remote rural community is an extraordinary achievement for any historian. Smith takes a deep look at one of George Washington's poorer ideas, establishing the second national firearms manufacturing operation in a remote small town in Virginia, next to a swamp so malaria is an ongoing . 00 years in the past in a remote rural community is an extraordinary achievement for any historian. Smith takes a deep look at one of George Washington's poorer ideas, establishing the second national firearms manufacturing operation in a remote small town in Virginia, next to a swamp so malaria is an ongoing . James Hoogerwerf said More than a chronicle.. Merritt Roe Smith's 198More than a chronicle. James Hoogerwerf Merritt Roe Smith's 1984 book, Harper Ferry Armory and the New Technology; the Challenge of Change, on its face chronicles the rise, existence, and demise of the national armory located at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. However there is much more to it than that. A common understanding of American industrialization derives from the scarcity of labor. As a result, so the reasoning goes. book, Harper Ferry Armory and the New Technology; the Challenge of Change, on its face chronicles the rise, existence, and demise of the national armory located at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. However there is much more to it than that. A common understanding of American industrialization derives from the scarcity of labor. As a result, so the reasoning goes. Nominated for a Pulitzer for this book in 1977. James R. Swartzlander The book was awarded the 1977 Frederick Jackson Turner Award, the 1978 Pfizer Award, and nominated for the 1977 Pulitzer Prize in History. The 1980 date mentioned elsewhere was the date of reprint. Merrit Roe Smith was my favorite professor. He is an excellent researcher and writer as is apparent from this book; he also was an excellent teacher. The only one of my college papers