January 12, 2012
Stephen Mendenhall was a Quaker from Greens Fork (just northwest of Richmond, Indiana) and one of the first students to attend Earlham. He invented a Hand-Loom (patented in 1854) that significantly increased what a single person could weave in a day.
Steve Martin profiles Mendenhall and his invention today in the Richmond Palladium-Item.
Martin (or the Palladium editors) headline the article “Quakers Invention Led to War.” I think that connects Mendenhall unfairly to the Civil War. Yes, the Hand-Loom increased the demand for cotton (the article’s sub-title reads “Loom increased demand for cotton, helping spur arguments on slavery”), but it’s a long step from there to putting responsibility for the Civil War on a man who simply increased human effectiveness.
Aiding slavery was no part of his intention.