Some people consider Samuel Slater to be the father of the modern America.  Samuel was a textile worker working in a British textile factory.  He heard that Benjamin Franklin was offering a reward to anyone that could better the American textile making system.  At this time textiles were still done by hand in America.  Samuel realized his oppurtunity and came to America, even though it was forbidden for British textile workers to go and work in America.  Samuel knew the textile machines well and soon he had drawn several designs.  Soon the textile industry had become mechanic.  Francis Cabott Lowell saw how easy and cheap it was to produce cotton, plus he knew about the knew about the knew textile machines, and he saw and oppurtunity for a business.  He brought the spinning and weaving processes together in one factory.  Also, he hired women to work in his factories.  He hired women because women could be made to work for less money then men.  The same was also true for children.  Also, he had the women stay in company owned houses and buy their food from company owned stores.  The rent and the prices at the stores were incredibly high and in the long run the workers were almost losing money to work at the factories.  These poor conditions were not just accepted.  During the 1930's the Lowell girls had a strike and they recieved better working and living conditions.

Interior of a Lowell Factory

                     Samuel Slater