A biography of the half-Dutch/half-black Surinamese man who, despite the hardships and prejudice he found in his new Massachusetts home, invented a shoe-lasting machine that revolutionized the shoe industry in the late nineteenth century.
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The Indomitable Jan Matzeliger,
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This review is from: Shoes for Everyone: A Story about Jan Matzeliger (Creative Minds Biography) (Paperback)
At the age of 19, machinist Jan Matzeliger immigrated to from Suriname to Philidelphia. If American arms weren't so welcoming to individuals of mixed heritage, they were even less welcoming to a foreigner. Caucasian machinists refused to work along side brown-skinned workers. In addition to this difficulty, Jan spoke very little English, as Dutch was his first language.Jan was not one to give up and soon he was apprenticing under a shoe-maker. The shoe maker saw Jan's drive and skill, so he encouraged Jan to move to Lynn, Massachusetts. Once in Lynn, Jan experienced even more resistance based upon his skin color. But he was not one to be discouraged. There were 170 shoe factories in Lynn, and he knew his skill on the McKay machine would open doors and it did. Jan wasn't happy just to sew shoes all day. His mind was always working and after a time he started formulating a machine that could connect the upper part of the shoe to the inner part of the sole. This was a process that many had tried and failed to automate. The desire to put his ideas to work and actually create a prototype lit a fire in Jan's mind. He did create a viable machine against great odds and resistance. He had to make some compromises along the way. The company that wanted to use his invention did not have the money to invest in making machines from the prototype. Then George Brown of Wheeler Wilson Sewing Company offered to provide the money under the condition that Jan sell them his patent. In return Jan received a large block of stock in the company that would make the "lasting machine". Before Jan Matzeliger's machine, few could afford shoes. Jan's machine changed this for everyone. With the advent of the lasting machine, the shoe industry boomed and the price of shoes dropped. Workers had been afraid that the invention would take their jobs away. Instead it brought more work to milling towns & thus many more job opportunities for those already employed in the industry. Jan died of tuberculosis at 37. It was caused by poor eating habits (he spent almost all his money on making his machine) and hunching over at machines in the factory. This a wonderful book about a man who worked for his dream in spite of great obstacles. He would not let anyone tell him he couldn't achieve his goals for any reason. The opinions and attitudes of others had no power over his actions, confidence, and self-worth. If he thought he could do something, he found a way to make it happen. This is a great historical book, but it is even better as a model for young men and women the world over who want to accomplish goals that others say they cannot. It shows that, if you have the drive and skill to back up your dreams and educate yourself in every way you are able, you can make your dreams happen no matter what others around you think or say. Every elementary age student should have the chance to hear and be inspired by Jan's story.
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First Sentence:
Paramaribo in 1862 was a little piece of Holland, plucked out of Europe and dropped onto the northeast coast of South America. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Jan Matzeliger, Harney Brothers, Christian Endeavor, New England, North America New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Paramaribo in 1862 was a little piece of Holland, plucked out of Europe and dropped onto the northeast coast of South America. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Jan Matzeliger, Harney Brothers, Christian Endeavor, New England, North America New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
7
books
cite this book:
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- Media Skills for Middle Schools: Strategies for Library Media Specialists and Teachers by Lucille W. Van Vliet on page 116
- Connecting the Pieces: Building a Better Economics Lesson by Sarapage Mccorkle on page 11
- Shoes: Their History in Words and Pictures by Charlotte Yue in Back Matter
- Financial Fitness for Life: Parent's Guide K-5 Spanish (Financial Fitness for Life) (Spanish Edition) by Martha C. Hopkins on page 39
- Choices & changes in life, school, and work, grade 5-6 by National Council on Economic Education on page 179
See all 7 books citing this book
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