Washington, DC, May 14, 2007--National Association of Manufacturers’ President John Engler observed the 400th Anniversary of America and manufacturing in the New World, saying that the “the settlement of Jamestown established the basis for the national institutions and economic development of our country, and created a legacy of free enterprise, common law and representative government as the foundation of U. S. culture.”
In addition, Engler explained, the Jamestown settlement laid the foundation of the U.S. free enterprise system and a reliance on the private sector can be traced to the success of Jamestown. Unlike other European ventures in the New World, this was funded through private, rather than government, resources and was a for-profit enterprise. One of the first steps the Jamestown colonists undertook was to build a factory in 1608 for the manufacture of glass for sale back to England. Thus, “Jamestown symbolizes 400 years of manufacturing and exporting in the United States,” Engler explained.
“This is a celebration not just of Jamestown, but the establishment of the economic, social and political concepts that are foremost of the United States’ modern society,” he continued. “It is an honor to be partners in America’s 400th Anniversary, and to recognize the important contributions manufacturing has had to the success of the nation.”
