Summary Of Every Farm A Factory

Deborah Fitzgerald wrote Every Farm a Factory, which was published in 2003 by Yale University. Fitzgerald is the Kenan Sahin Dean of the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. She is also a Professor of the History of Technology, in Science, Technology and Society. Deborah Fitzgerald’s work revolves around the history of agriculture and food in modern America. She has had two books published on the subject: Every Farm a Factory and Hybrid Corn in Illinois, 1890-1920. Every Farm a Factory is centered around the changes that occurred in farming from 1918 to 1930, focusing mainly on what occurred in the 1920s. The 1920s in America were a time of huge economic and cultural prospers. Known as the “Roaring Twenties” the 1920s put most

not in that order particularly, are employed in a series of very informative and well-crafted chapters. The book consists of an introduction, six separate chapters, followed by a conclusion. The introduction chronicles the after effects of the industrialization of farming in the 1920s when “In the mid-1980s, a disturbing phenomenon began occurring in rural America.” This was known as the “farm crisis” where farm families who had been persuaded to enlarge their farms, no longer could sell what they produced because of market contractions. The introduction is also where Fitzgerald stated her argument that is preceded by an agenda of what she talks about in each chapter, which is supported by facts described in the six following

It specifically falls short in the timeframe being discussed (1920s), when the desire to industrialize existed both before and after those times. The book also falls short in its conclusion and concluding sentences. The final chapter of the book is merely an overall assessment of the industrialization of agriculture and makes too big of an assumption, which does not follow the preceding chapters. The concluding sentences give a list of benefits industrializing American agriculture such as a more plentiful food supply and a large variety in food. Along with listing the negative effects for example, continuing food distribution problems and a problem with food safety. Where the statements made suggest they need further investigation but appear at the conclusion and the lists have essentially no backing evidence. Fitzgerald also contradicts herself by falling into the error of her subjects, tending to see farmers as objects of change rather than as people with attitudes and