That the United States stands almost alone among nations in its failure to adopt the metric system has long been blamed on conservative, reactionary forces. This paper argues against this interpretation, which passes for conventional wisdom in both academic and popular circles. It instead contends that attacks on the metric system in the late nineteenth and twentieth century originated with progressive engineers, entrepreneurs, and industrialists who had taken the lead in setting the nation's first industrial standards. Far from being backward-looking reactionaries, they enjoyed reputations as cutting-edge leaders in the development of the machine-tool industry, the railroads, and the metal-working industries. Many of them pioneered new methods of management that privileged rationality, efficiency, and systemic approaches; indeed, they strongly influenced the development of what became known as scientific management. These individuals deftly advanced their cause through the nation's political institutions, thwarting the metric cause.

长期以来，美国在未能采用公制方面几乎独树一帜，这一直被归咎于保守的反动势力。本文反对这种解释，这种解释在学术界和大众界都被认为是传统智慧。相反，它争辩说，在 19 世纪末和 20 世纪对公制系统的攻击起源于进步的工程师、企业家和工业家，他们率先制定了美国的第一个工业标准。他们远不是落后的反动派，而是享有机床工业、铁路和金属加工工业发展的前沿领导者的美誉。他们中的许多人开创了新的管理方法，优先考虑理性、效率和系统性方法；确实，它们极大地影响了后来被称为科学管理的发展。这些人通过国家的政治机构巧妙地推进了他们的事业，挫败了公制事业。