Midnight Ride, Industrial Dawn: Paul Revere and the Growth of American Enterprise Book

Introduction 1

Paul Revere: Patriot, Artisan, Manager, and Recordkeeper 4

Craft, Industry, and the Proto-industry Transition 6

1 Artisan, Silversmith, and Businessman (1754-1775) 11

Growing Up in Colonial America 15

Paul Revere: Artisan 20

Paul Revere: Silversmith 36

Paul Revere: Networker and Businessman 52

2 Patriot, Soldier, and Handyman of the Revolution (1775-1783) 61

Patriot Resistance and the Role of Artisans 63

"Listen my children and you shall hear..." 75

After the Ride: Martial Longings and the Pursuit of Honor 78

Mechanic for the Revolution: Engraving, Mill Design, and Cannon Casting 83

3 Mercantile Ambitions and a New Look at Silver (1783-1789) 91

Quest for Gentility: The Would-be Merchant 94

Return to Silver: Products, Methods, and the Shift toward Standardization 102

Technological Advances: The Rolling Mill and Sheet Silver 107

Labor Practices: Combining Old and New 111

4 To Run a "Furnass": The Iron Years (1788-1792) 119

Iron from Antiquity to America 122

Revere the Founder: Climbing the Iron Learning Curve 130

Technology: Equipment, Production Methods, and Products 139

Labor in the Post-Artisan Mode 142

Raw Material Availability and Environmental Impacts 146

Capital Concerns: Sales, Profits, and Management 151

5 Bells, Cannon, and Malleable Copper (1792-1801) 156

Becoming a Bell Maker: An Art and a Science 160

Cannon Founding and Government Contracting 173

Malleable Copper: Bolts, Spikes, and Technical Experimentation 187

6 Paul Revere's Last Ride: The Road to Rolling Copper (1798-1801) 204

The Early Federal Government and Benjamin Stoddert's Navy 206

The Tentative Growth of American Manufacturing 214

The Search for Sheathing 219

The Road to Rolling Copper 225

7 The Onset of Industrial Capitalism: Managerial and Labor Adaptations (1802-1811) 245

America's Transition to Industrial Capitalism 247

Investment Capital, Managerial Practices, and the Role of Government 253

The Changing Face of Labor 273

8 Becoming Industrial: Technological Innovations and Environmental Implications (1802-1811) 283

Technical Practices and Improvements 285

Standardization and a Tour of Revere's Product Lines 296

Revere and the Environment: Raw Material Shortages and Procurement Strategies 307

Conclusion 324

Industrial Dawn: Proto-industry Revisited 332

Tools of the Trade: Components of Revere's Success 335

The Pursuit of Happiness: Revere's Goals and Identity 340

Acknowledgments 345

Appendixes

1 Major Events in the Narratives of Paul Revere and America 349

2 Four Proto-industrial Production Factors and Major Linkages 351

3 Prevalent Craft and Industrial Practices in the Proto-industrial Period 352

4 Selected Revere Engravings 354

5 Furnace Startup Expenses for 1787-1788 355

6 April 1796 Payments to Faxon 356

7 Revere's Second Letter to Benjamin Stoddert, February 26, 1800 357

8 Employee Salaries, 1802-1806 359

9 Typical Stages in the Growth of a Large Technological System 360

Notes 361

Index 413