Before Prosperity Came Power: The Real Revolution of 1776
The most important event of 1776 may not have been American independence. It may have been James Watt’s first practical steam engine.
Matt Ridley recently highlighted Watt’s achievement while making a broader point: societies lose their competitive edge when they abandon the advantages of affordable, reliable energy. His article provides an excellent reminder that prosperity is built on innovation rather than policy alone.
Read Matt Ridley’s article here: The Most Important Thing to Happen in 1776
Innovation Creates Prosperity
Prosperity is not created by government decree. It is created by innovators, builders, entrepreneurs, engineers, investors, and people willing to solve difficult problems and create real value.
James Watt transformed the world by converting inexpensive energy into productive work. His steam engine multiplied human effort, dramatically increased productivity, reduced production costs, and helped launch the Industrial Revolution. That single innovation reshaped economies around the globe.
A Lesson for Alberta
There is an important lesson for Alberta.
Innovation does not flourish under excessive regulation, policy uncertainty, or continual government intervention. It flourishes when builders have the confidence and freedom to build.
Successful innovators require:
- Affordable, reliable energy
- Access to capital
- Clear and predictable rules
- The freedom to take calculated risks
- A business environment that rewards production rather than paperwork
When energy becomes expensive, industries become less competitive. Businesses invest elsewhere, production declines, and economic opportunities diminish.
Building Alberta’s Competitive Advantage
Alberta should be leading a different conversation—one focused on making this province the best place in the world to build, manufacture, process, compute, innovate, and export.
That begins by recognizing that affordable, dependable energy is not a liability. It is one of Alberta’s greatest strategic advantages.
History reminds us that progress is driven by builders and innovators like James Watt—people who transform energy, capital, and ideas into lasting prosperity—not by bureaucracy, central planning, or government programs.
Alberta does not need to apologize for its energy abundance. It should leverage that abundance to create the next generation of industrial growth, innovation, and prosperity.
