Samuel Slater is known as the “Father of the American Industrial Revolution” and the ‘Father of the American Factory System”. In Britain he was known as “Slater the Traitor” (which has a way better ring to it, in my opinion) because he brought textile technology to America from Britain and modified it for use in the United States. He heard about the American’s interest in developing machines similar to the British machines. He also knew that the British had laws against exporting the designs, so he memorized the British technology as an apprentice and brought it to the United States to make a business for himself. In 1789, he heard of a father and son who moved to Rhode Island to make their own mill. They made their company in a former fulling
