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Article: American System of Manufactures
- Article from:
- Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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AMERICAN SYSTEM OF MANUFACTURES
The American System of Manufactures was an innovative method for producing finished goods. In essence, the American System of Manufactures relied on precision machining of parts so that the total product was standardized and featured interchangeable parts. The earliest practitioners of the American System were small arms manufacturers.
It was earlier thought that Eli Whitney, who designed the cotton gin, was responsible for the innovation regarding the interchangeability of parts in small arms manufacturer. This claim was erroneous, however. Most scholars now believe that another inventor by the name of Simeon North deserves credit for that advance. In ...