HST 318 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Oliver Evans, Continental Army, Formal Learning
Document Summary
French and british influences on early american engineering. When american declared independence, there were almost no engineers but many technologically adept citizens. Some skilled technologists were inventors (oliver evans) or entrepreneurs (benjamin franklin) Driven by needs of military and national government. France is most centralized state in europe. Large tax revenues to support a large military and state bureaucracy. 1716: corps of bridges and engineers established to facilitate speedy movement of troops. Formal learning in french culture increased the prestige of engineering. Most french engineers came from lower nobility or upper middle class. Some prior wealth was necessary to pursue this. British engineering traditions: business and industrial origins. One learned on the job unlike france"s universities. University system was aimed at training clergy and lawyers not engineers. Shop culture (british) vs school culture (french) Does not emphasize theory (why), but instead emphasizes knowing how something works. Tinkering and rule of thumb dominated practice.
