This study explores the technological dimension of American life from the birth of American industry in the late 18th century to the industrial systems of the late 20th century. Emphasizing a societal context for technology, this collection demonstrates both the manner in which cultural, political and economic forces shape innovation and the ways that technology has influenced society and shaped its values. Individual essays explore the importance of textile manufacturing in American industrialization, the role of the federal government in regulating new modes of transport, the development of interchangeable parts in production, the process of innovation, the notion of technological systems, and the relationship between technological change and work in the factory, on the farm and in the home.