The Impact of the Industrial Revolution on Labor
             --The Industrial Revolution that occurred in the years after the Civil
             War had consequences for almost all aspects of society. Discuss the
             The Industrial Revolution following the Civil War had a tremendous
             impact on farmers. Many events came together to make agriculture both
             boom and bust. Cattle ranchers began to see huge profits, small farms
             joined together, people moved out west, and farmers began to influence
             At the end of the Civil War, the large state of Texas was home to
             several million long-horned cattle. Because the animals were scrawny
             compared to modern times, and because the farmers had no way of getting
             their cattle to the eastern market, the cows were mostly raised for
             their hide. However, ranchers would soon be able to get their product
             The farmers' troubles were solved when the transcontinental railroad
             linked the nation. Cattle could now be transported by train to large
             stockyards were they would be processed. "Beef barons" like the swifts
             and the Armours led the way for the new industry. Beef soon became a
             major part of our nation's economy. The major cities of Chicago and
             Kansas City were Meccas for the ranchers. From cities like these, the
             freshly butchered meat could be shipped in the newly perfected
             refrigerator cars all the way to the eastern market.
             The cattle were delivered to the slaughterhouses by the "long drive".
             Texas cowboys-black, white, and Mexican- drove tens of thousands of cows
             to their final destination. On their way to the towns, the animals would
             graze on the open range eating government grass. Some of the favorite
             terminal points were towns like Dodge City, Abilene, Ogallala, and
             Cheyenne. These new towns were all controlled by marshals like
             Abilene's James B. "Wild Bill" Hickcock.
             The Long Drive proved profitable as long as the cattle coul...