Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Primary Sources: The Lowell System
An hour-long professional development video on teaching how the Lowell System was a departure from traditional labor practices. Features experienced classroom teachers. Materials and a complete lesson plan are also provided.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Economic Growth and the Early Industrial Revolution
A very thorough look at the industrial growth in the North because of the advent of the Industrial Revolution in America. See what industries grew, how factories became more productive, and find out how the states cultivated economic...
Internet History Sourcebooks Project
Fordham University: Modern History Sourcebook: "Lowell Mill Girls" by Harriet Robinson
Archived news article. A personal account of young female cotton mill workers in Massachusetts during the mid-1800's.
Digital History
Digital History: The Roots of American Economic Growth
Francis Cabot Lowell introduced mechanized textile manufacturing to the Northeast. Read about how he built his machinery and whom the textile mills employed.
Digital History
Digital History: The Introduction of the Factory System
The factory system revolutionized manufacturing and the employment of unskilled workers to man the factories. Read about the young children, women, and, later, immigrants who provided the labor to the textile mills and other...
PBS
Who Made America?: Francis Cabot Lowell:consolidated Manufacturing
A brief biography of Francis Cabot Lowell which describes his role in the industrial revolution in the United States. Read about the factory system, the so-called Lowell girls, and mechanization of cloth manufacture.
City University of New York
American Studies Program: The Lowell Mill Girls
Resource lists a number of questions for pondering about the women mill workers of Lowell, Massachusetts. There are several questions about many topics including the dress of the women, a drawing of the women, a time table of the Lowell...
Other
University at Albany: Recruitment of Female Operatives in the 1840's
Tells the story of Lowell Mill factory and the "capturing" of poor white females to "work" in the factories. From "Voice of Industry," January 2, 1846.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The First American Factories
The growth of cities and the American economy in the first half of the 19th century was driven by the growth of factories. Read about the textile industry in New England and how manufacturing spread throughout the north.