new england became americas first industrial region in part because it had
History of New England By the 1840s it was the center of the American anti-slavery movement, and was the leading force in American literature and higher education. The region was the scene of the first Industrial Revolution in the United States, with many textile mills and machine shops operating by 1830, and was the manufacturing center of the entire United States for much of that century. It played an important role leading up to, during, and after the American Civil War as a fervent intellectual, political, and cultural promoter of abolitionism as well as civil rights for Freedman and harsh treatment for former Confederate leaders.