Grain and Capitalism and Slavery and Serfdom

“ As we shall see, the end of serfdom and slavery had little to do with the bold pronouncements of emperors and presidents. The shearing of bondage and wheat, of slavery and capitalism, was a complicated and bloody matter. It had much to do with how wheat grew, who harvested it, and how farmers expanded across the plains. The economics of railroad freight, the influence of foreign investors, and the impact of war contributed more to the rapid end of serfdom and slavery than liberal impulses and amber waves of grain.

Against the Grain - by Historian Scott Nelson -

In the panel discussion we will learn what is at the root of so much of the growth of the modern world - the original stored energy source - Grain. This will be a time to bring your questions