The Correspondence of Thomas Jefferson
By Subject
WEALTH / PRODUCTION OF / COMMERCE
Every family in the country is a manufactory within itself, and is
very generally able to make within itself all the stouter and middling
stuffs for its own clothing and household use. We consider a sheep for
every person in the family as sufficient to clothe it, in addition to
the cotton, hemp and flax which we raise ourselves. For fine stuff we
shall depend on your northern manufactories. Of these, that is to say,
of company establishments, we have none. We use little machinery. The
spinning jenny, and loom with the flying shuttle, can be managed in a
family; but nothing more complicated. The economy and thriftiness
resulting from our household manufactures are such that they will
never again be laid aside; and nothing more salutary for us has ever
happened than the British obstructions to our demands for their
manufactures. Restore free intercourse when they will, their commerce
with us will have totally changed its form, and the articles we shall
in future want from them will not exceed their own consumption of our
produce.
to John Adams, 21 January 1812
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