“A&P was at the center of a bitter political struggle that lasted for nearly half a century–a struggle that went far beyond economics. At its root were competing visions of society. One vision could be described with such words as ‘modern’ and ‘scientific,’ favoring the rationalism of cold corporate efficiency as a way to increase wealth and raise living standards. The other vision could fairly be termed ‘traditional.’ Dating to Thomas Jefferson and his contemporaries, the traditional vision harked back to a society of autonomous farmers, craftsmen, and merchants in which personal independence was the source of individual opportunity and collective prosperity.”