Vermont Humanities

The First Arsenal of Democracy: “High-Tech” in the Connecticut Valley, 1795-1900

Man giving a talk in a bike shop
Speakers Bureau

Image of Civil War soldiersLong before FDR called America “the Arsenal of Democracy,” gunmakers of the Connecticut River Valley were figuring out how to produce rifles and pistols in large quantities, using complex new machinery. The “high-tech” workers of their day, these innovators developed the methods and tools that would ultimately lead to American military might, as well as to mass-production and the consumer culture that we know today.

In this illustrated lecture, historian and museum curator Carrie Brown explores the role of the Connecticut Valley, with an emphasis on Vermont, in developing technology that changed American life.

Special Arrangements

Projector and screen

Available in correctional facilities.

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About the Presenter

Talks by Carrie Brown

Image of woman at lathe

Rosie’s Mom: Forgotten Women of the First World War

Carrie Brown reveals the courage of the women workers of the First World War, who rolled up their sleeves and entered industries where they had never been welcome before.

Image of Civil War soldiers

The First Arsenal of Democracy: “High-Tech” in the Connecticut Valley, 1795-1900

Carrie Brown explores the role of the Connecticut River Valley, with an emphasis on Vermont, in developing the military technology that changed American life.

Vermont Humanities*** June 29, 2016