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Couldn鈥檛 Have Done It Without Us: How Franco-Americans Saved the US Economy with David Vermette
The Franco-American Collection at the 杏吧传媒 invites you to Couldn鈥檛 Have Done It Without Us: How Franco-Americans Saved the US Economy. Join us at the 杏吧传媒鈥檚 Lewiston campus, 51 Westminster St. in Lewiston, room 170, on April 14, 2025 at 6 pm for the event. There is no fee for our programs, which are made possible by the generous sponsorship of the Qu茅bec Delegation in Boston and TV5MONDE.
Textiles were the country’s largest industry in the 19th century, and after the Civil War it was French-Canadians who powered it. They made up nearly a quarter of the United State’s cotton textile employees and 44 percent in New England at a time when more than one half听of all cotton textile workers lived in that region. Some scholars have written that there was听a change in the source of textile labor in the early 20th century which favored immigrants听to the US from southern and eastern Europe. This presentation shows that French-Canadians were by far the greatest factor in the textile industry labor pool from听immediately after the Civil War until the industry鈥檚 decline in the mid 20th century. And in听saving the textile industry in the post-Civil War period, French-Canadians made an听enormous contribution to economic history. There will be a Q&A session following Vermette鈥檚 presentation.
David Vermette听is an author and an independent researcher. He is the author of the book听(Baraka Books, 2018) (French translation: , Septentrion, 2024) and the blog. His writing has appeared in听Smithsonian听and听Time,听and he has authored articles and reviews published by听Histoire sociale/Social History,听搁茅蝉辞苍补苍肠别, and听Le Forum听(University of Maine). He wrote a chapter in the book听French All Around Us听(New York, CALEC-TBR, 2022) and also contributed to听Franco-Am茅rique: Nouvelle 茅dition revue et augment茅e听(Quebec, Septentrion, 2017). He is also an editor and ghostwriter for academics, consultants, and businesspeople. Originally from Massachusetts, he is a frequent speaker on the topic of Franco-American history.
Unable to join us in-person? Here鈥檚 a link to register to attend on Zoom:
For more information or to register, contact the FAC archivist, Anna Faherty at anna.faherty@maine.edu or by phone (207) 753-6545. If you have questions about disability access or need to request disability accommodations (e.g. sign language interpreters, materials in electronic format, etc.), please contact Anna. Requests should be made as soon as possible to allow sufficient time for the accommodation process.