Appoint a scribe, and open a google doc here. Write each members name on the doc and Summarize your responses.

Part 1

We are going to think about the process of turning cattle into an edible product.

Rows 1 and 2
You are Gustavus Swift and Phillip Armour located in Chicago.  You see that with the railroads a new way of producing and selling meat is possible.  What do you think that way is?  What kinds of things do you have to do to turn this idea into a reality?  What new technologies?  What new organizations?  What new cultures?
Row 3. You are traditional butchers, operating in cities like Raleigh or Charlotte.  What do you do if Swift or Armour opens up a store in your city?  What advantages do you have? What disadvantages do you face?

Row 4-5 You are customers, buying meat.  For year you have bought from your local butcher.  Now Armour and Swift come to town.  What will you do?  Why?

For all:  Can you think of a scenario where Swift and Armour don’t succeed and people decide to stay with local butchers?  What would it be?  

Part II

Look at this Sears and Roebuck catalog from around 1902.  Imagine you live in a small town in North Carolina and you have gotten access to a Sears Catalog for the first time?  How does this change your life?  Where did you get this kind of thing before?  How has Sears and Roebuck changed the nature of capitalism and of buying and selling in 19th century America?  Who wins and who loses?  What are the gains and what are the costs?