One of the keys to the English Industrial Revolution was the development of the water frame spinning machine. This device, invented in 1769 by Sir Richard Arkwright, accelerated the spinning process to such a degree that the entire textile industry was forced to modernize itself in order to keep up with yarn production. In the United States, a similar revolution was facilitated by the invention of the power loom for the weaving of carpets. Like the water frame, the power loom forced the entire American textile industry to operate more efficiently. The inventor of the power loom was Erastus Bigelow. Bigelow was born in West Boylston, Massachusetts. The small farm where he was raised could not provide enough to feed and clothe him and his brother, and at a fairly young age the boys were forced to earn their own keep. For many years Bigelow labored on neighboring farms...