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But by the 1940s, the sounds of the fields began to change—-for the Delta was not static, even if it seemed eternal. The old order was cracking. Tractors & mechanical cotton pickers crept in—- metallic clattering replacing the murmur of voices. These machines were coldly efficient—-replacing entire crews of field hands with the push of a lever. They didn’t need breaks. They didn’t rebel against low wages. And they didn’t dream of freedom.

Image: M12H cotton harvester.

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