His place at the bench was taken by semi-skilled immigrant wage laborers as the Industrial Revolution wore on. As machine production took over, craftsmanship declined. Or so the theory goes. They succeeded in slicing work into smaller and smaller increments, until the unity of purpose and autonomy needed for true craftsmanship simply vanished. One problem with the first point of view is that it's based on an elite definition of craft, which relates more to present-day perceptions than to the historic reality.
People forget that the colonial craftsmen made a lot of junk, too.
The true historic definition of craft is quite broad, and includes all manner of manufacturing and making. We're not talking about quilts, but rather the whole spectrum of productive work done by society. The Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic's Society, for example, founded in Boston in 1795, was a direct result of the failure of the Massachusetts Legislature to pass laws protecting the apprenticeship system. The constitution of the newly formed Society was based on self-preservation of the mechanic's interests, not on producing craft objects as future museum pieces. It's widely known that Paul Revere, the great goldsmith and patriot, was the first president of organization.