Image Details
Pawtucket Bridge and Falls with Slater Mill
This image of the Pawtucket Bridge and Falls with Slater Mill in Rhode Island shows the typical reliance on natural power sources for industry.
Rhode Island Historical Society, watercolor and ink on paper, ca. 1810, Anonymous (RHi X5 22)

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Images of the Era: 1789-1815
During its first quarter century, the new United States government had to find its way in the world while attending to the nation’s business. Leaders met with Indian nations and faced often-hostile relations with European powers while coping with conflicts between emerging political parties and working out relationships among the three new branches of government.