WHEN THE MACHINES CAME FOR AMERICAN JOBS

“FARM MECHANIZATION HAS JUST BEGUN,” proclaimed the cover of Fortune's October 1948 edition.

- Indrani Sen, senior features editor

And indeed, the rise of machines such as the tractor was causing profound changes in the American workforce, the accompanying article explained: "In 1800 three out of four in the working population were in agriculture... In 1948 only one in seven U.S. workers is needed to provide the nation's food." That trend continued: In