The pre-Civil War textile industry in Lowell, Massachusetts exemplified the American industrial revolution and heralded a nationwide shift from farm to factory. During this time, technological innovation, investment capital, entrepreneurship, new methods of industrial organization, and labor provided by ""mill girls"" propelled large-scale manufacturing in an important U.S. industry. Mill Girls of Lowell gives insight into the role of mill girls in the story of modernization and industrialization.
