What is the historical significance of the Lowell System?

In the early to middle part of the nineteenth century, the emergence of the Lowell system in Boston significantly changed the course of textile manufacture.  Before the Lowell system, named for the manufacturing center at Lowell, Massachusetts, textiles were manufactured on a much smaller scale - often done by individuals.  Immediately prior to the Lowell system, the "putting-out" system of manufacture served as the most efficient means of production.  The Lowell system, rather than requiring individuals in different locations to be responsible for parts of the process, made it possible for the whole process of textile manufacture to be housed in one place, greatly improving what was really an inefficient system.  By streamlining the process, the Lowell system contributed a great deal to American textile output and served as an exemplar for the other industries in the United States in subsequent decades.