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Technology in America, Second Edition

A History of Individuals and Ideas

Edited by Carroll W. Pursell

OverviewThe succinct, nontechnical essays in Technology in America cover the history of American invention from Thomas Jefferson's founding of the Patent Office to Robert Goddards space-age rockets. Each treats an individual and a concept, highlighting the important role technological change has played in the evolution of American culture. The major themes include the effects of technology transfer, the development of the American system of manufacturing, the institutionalization of knowledge and scientific research, and technology as it social process.This new edition adds chapters on Frederick Winslow, who originated the idea of scientific management; on Peter L. Jensen, whose invention of the loud speaker was a milestone in electronic communications; and on Frederick E. Terman, godfather of Silicon Valley and exemplar of the entrepreneurial spirit of the postwar computer industry.Carroll W. Pursell, Jr., is Director of the Program in the History of Technology and Science at Case Western Reserve, University.Endorsements“Delving beneath the surface of American history, this collection shows that the medium is indeed the message, that we are what we do, that technology translates into culture.... These readable essays, architecturally divided between the 19th and 20th centuries, provide an insider's view of the bricks and mortar in the house that Jefferson built.”—Barbara H. Seeber, Science '82