The industrial center of the country: the Midwest and meatpacking -- pt. 1. Economics. -- It was all so very businesslike: industrial evolution -- A thing as tremendous as the universe: economic impacts -- pt. 2. Culture. -- The families had all been of different nationalities: social dynamics -- Benefits of a more substantial nature: workplace rights and quality of community life -- With all her soul upon her work: women and packing employment -- I'm glad I'm not a hog: a killing industry's ethics -- Fresh meats must be had: U.S. meat consumption -- pt. 3. Environment. -- That smelt like the craters of hell: site-point pollution and other public health threats -- The cost of fodder: reshaping the agro-industrial environment -- To fix his hopes upon a future life: the future of Midwestern meatpacking
Summary
Ambitious in its historical scope and its broad range of topics, Tied to the Great Packing Machine tells the dramatic story of meatpacking's enormous effects on the economics, culture, and environment of the Midwest over the past century and a half. Wilson Warren situates the history of the industry in both its urban and its rural settings, moving from the huge stockyards of Chicago and Kansas City to today's smaller meatpacking communities, and thus presents a complete portrayal of meatpacking's place within the larger agro-industrial landscape
