The Springfield Armory and the Genesis of American Industry

FAIN: BH-261684-18

Collaborative for Educational Services (Northampton, MA 01060-3947)
Richard D.W. Cairn (Project Director: February 2018 to November 2021)

Two one-week workshops for 72 school teachers focusing on the early economic development of the Connecticut River Valley, the Industrial Revolution, and its legacy.

Participants will investigate how changes wrought by the Springfield Armory and its large networks of metalworking shops transformed the very nature of manufacturing and the economy and thereby played a central role in propelling the United States from agricultural dependent of Britain to global industrial superpower. Investigation of this compelling national story of 19th century innovation offers a powerful model to help teachers and students analyze and understand the economic and social challenges and opportunities of today’s tumultuous age.