Last updated: February 19, 2025
Lesson Plan
Samuel Slater: American Hero or English Traitor
Samuel Slater
Old Slater Mill Association
- Grade Level:
- High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade
- Subject:
- Social Studies
- Lesson Duration:
- 90 Minutes
- State Standards:
- SSHS.USI.5.2: Transformations of the Market Revolution
SSHS.USI.5.4: Effects of early industrialization on workers - Thinking Skills:
- Analyzing: Break down a concept or idea into parts and show the relationships among the parts. Evaluating: Make informed judgements about the value of ideas or materials. Use standards and criteria to support opinions and views.
Essential Question
How do we understand history through the story of one extraordinary person?
Objective
1) Students will learn about an important person in the early days of American industry through an examination of primary sources.
2) Students will have an opportunity to consider multiple points of view and how conflicting interpretations of history can be understood and synthesized to make sense of the past.
3) Students will distill a complex story into just six words. As a group, students will subsequently take their sentences and create one 250-word synopsis analyzing an important figure.
Background
Samuel Slater is regarded as a traitor in his hometown of Belper, England. In the United States, Slater has been hailed as a hero (to some) and as the “father of American industry.” This lesson plan serves as an accompaniment to episode one of the documentary series called Slatersville: America’s First Mill Village. The first episode provides a deep dive into the story of Samuel Slater, an English immigrant who brought knowledge of modern textile manufacturing to the United States. This episode will give students a window into the complexity of writing and sharing history. Experts on a number of topics show their work exploring the story of Samuel Slater, his brother John, and the rise of early industry on both sides of the Atlantic.
Preparation
This lesson uses clips from the documentary series Slatersville, available online courtesy of Rhode Island PBS. You will need access to the internet and a screen to show the clips. Some libraries have BLU
Please note that a full transcript of this episode is available online, for your review.
Gather a stack of pencils/pen, notecards, and enough sheets of paper for each person in your class.
Select a few pages from one of Slater’s early logbooks to print and share. Some of these books are available online, courtesy of Harvard Library.
Materials
This is a copy of the indenture document of Samuel Slater to Jedidiah Strutt
Download Indenture for Samuel Slater
This document contains a series of primary sources for review by the students
The lyrics to the Ballad of Samuel Slater
Download Ballad of Samuel Slater lyrics
Lesson Hook/Preview
This lesson uses clips from the documentary series Slatersville as a starting point for understanding the evolution of industry in the United States.
Procedure
1) Provide an introduction to the story of Samuel Slater.
2) Show the introductory clip to Slatersville episode 1, “The Mental Smugglers” (timestamp: 8:47-26:00). Have students discuss why the Blackstone Valley important. Record basic facts about the life of Samuel Slater.
3) Resume your viewing of Slatersville with a focus on Slater’s time in Rhode Island (timestamp: 30:30 - 43:32). Encourage students to take notes on Slater’s work in his new home of Pawtucket.
4) Pair the final clip of Slatersville (timestamp: 43:33-50:15) with primary sources. If you have additional time, watch the episode until the end (timestamp: 57:32)
5) Ask students to write the story of Samuel Slater, a hero or traitor, or both, in six words.
6) Have students share their 6-word stories with the class. Write a 250-word narrative about Slater, and his legacy, as a group. Discuss what you believe to be the most important points to include and how you know what you know about Slater. What sources can you trust?
Assessment Materials
- How do the people of Belper tell the story about Samuel Slater’s life and origins?
- What are some of the problems with George White’s memoir of Slater?
- Why was there “resistance” among people in Belper to commemorating Slater’s birthplace?
- What system of work became known as the “Slater way?”
- If you could return to Belper, England, in the 1780s, or Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in the 1790s, what would you want to see, learn, or discover?
- Take one of the pieces of paper provided by your instructor. Divide it into three by folding. Write out how many hours a day you work (this includes school), how many hours a day you rest (sleeping), and how many hours you do whatever you wish. How do you think your day compares to a worker in Slater’s time?
Enrichment Activities
Take an in-person, self-guided tour of Slatersville or book a tour/visit with a ranger.
Listen to an audio tour of Slatersville on the NPS App.
Explore the place where this story began back in England using the Strutt's North Mill Belper (arcgis.com) page online.
Additional Resources
Lyrics to the “Ballad of Samuel Slater”
Video: Hero or Traitor