Between 1865 and 1900 American agriculture was changed through things like, government policy, technology, and economic conditions. Through 1865 and 1900, the market of agriculture experienced political adjustments in management of the land by the government whom increased prices and controlled land sales. Government also regulated economic changes with the debut of up and coming equipment and technology that greatly influenced the growth of the farming business. Many farmers reaction to the decline in agriculture due to the political and economic alterations was to become more involved in government and politics in order to favor laws that would benefit the agriculture society.
Farmers of the late 19th century faced several struggles as they attempted to feed themselves and a growing nation. Though they were undeniably crucial to the country, the country often abandoned them to fend against their problems themselves. These desertments lead to the creation of several movements, such as The Grange, and of political parties such as the Populists. The challenges of American farmers were often intertwined and difficult to get to one cause of the problem. Increasing railroad use and inflated prices hurt the farmers tremendously, which then lead to widespread debt and the cry for silver to be used in the money standard, which then resulted in overproduction of goods to try to overcompensate for the burgeoning debt, but only made it worse.
The industrialization of America led to lots of new technology for farming being developed, which further drove farmers into debt. New plows and tools were created and although they made farming significantly easier, they were also very expensive. Farmers were forced to buy these tools by their landlords and they struggled to find cheaper ways to compete with larger farms. Unlike farmers earlier in the century, these farmers did not grow many crops, even for sustenance. Instead, they grew only a couple cash crops, which could bring a lot of money, but also could bring in none if there was a drought or other problem.
Farm technology made a lot of progress from 1890-1920. Before this time, all the farming was done by hand. There were many inventions from wire to tractors to help make farming easier. Three inventions that really changed farming were gas tractors, cream separator and horse drawn combine. Gas tractors were created so that you didn’t have to use your horses so much and so you could pull more.
The relationship of acute crisis in agriculture and the industrial crisis has made the economic depression worse, famers were angry with their government. The banks looked shaky and depositors wanted their money, making them shakier still, and in time many were forced to close. Factories and businesses got rid of large numbers of employees or closed down altogether, and soon there was no money to buy the farmer’s products or anything else and this causes people is inability to buy Agricultural products. “Farmers struggled with low prices all through the 1920s. " Desperate bankers called in their loans, but farmers had no money to pay them and foreclosures and bankruptcy sales became daily events.
In the United States, farmers began to produce more food than they had previously, due to the technical advancements during this era. Because of the constant surpluses of food farmers were producing, the prices of food decreased. America could no longer sell as many goods to Europe as they had previously, because Europe was also experiencing a depression, causing them to not be able to afford as much world trade. The world trade market was also becoming competitive with Argentina, South Africa and many other countries now actively trading as well. Prices of crops continued to plummet and farmers could no longer afford their bank loans.
Which the farmers were not making any expense, so they grew more crops than before, and that made things worse. In which it led farmers into a big debt and problems. One of them was the tariff policies during the Gilded Age. Farmers were the victims and were forced to buy manufactured goods to be protected by tariff legislation. But what they produce was not protective and more competitive markets soon to rise of over supplies and foreign competition.
In the late 1800s, American farmers began to lose hope. Their workloads started to get heavier, while their gains were lacking. the plight of American farmers in the late 1800s was caused by a variety of factors. These factors included railroads, weather patterns, and their government.
In the 1890-1920 farmers faced falling prices. Many farmers faced debt and foreclosure. Works faced tactics that led to defeat. That’s just a few things that lead to these other issues I’m going to talk about throughout these next few paragraphs. I’m going to talk about how they happened and how they changed.
Economic growth and an improved standard of living in the 1920s not only benefited a minority of the American people, but benefited an enormous part of America. The 1920s earned its name through the decade’s prosperity, technical advancements, and culture. Mass-production only helped investors help raise the standard living for the urban middle and working class. As for the minority of Americans who made their income from farming, the 1920s roared with the suffering of depression. Mass production, new government policies, and technology was a result for the economic growth and improved standard living.
Every Farm a Factory and Hybrid Corn in Illinois, 1890-1920. Every Farm a Factory is centered around the changes that occurred in farming from 1918 to 1930, focusing mainly on what occurred in the 1920s. The 1920s in America were a time of huge economic and cultural prospers. Known as the “Roaring Twenties” the 1920s put most
Farmers suffered a great deal, because they were unable to grow crops. ”In the 1920s, many farmers found themselves in a continual cycle of debt.” (UShistory.org) They lost everything, with no crops to sell, they weren’t able to make ends meet. Their families went without eating for days at a time.
Venturing out to the Western Frontier in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s presented a vast opportunity for many, and a new way of life for millions: farming. Farming provided people with a way to begin a new life, that involved tough labor and long hours, but with the chance to put your destiny into your own hands and make it rich, drawing many people out West for the adventure. Pushing out the Native Americans, the United States Government tried to fill the land out west as fast as they possibly could, with Whites, who had hopes of making it rich through farming. Projects such as the Homestead Act of 1862, encouraged people to make the journey out West, offering 160 acres of free land to a family for a $25 registration fee, and a promise to live there for five years and make improvements to the land.
Although agriculture benefitted from new inventions, science, and opening of new farmlands, particularly in the Midwest, the farmer did themselves did not. Competition from larger agribusiness made it necessary for the small farmer to invest in expensive machinery, driving debt rates higher. Better production drove prices down. Railroads charged exorbitant rates—and the weather continued to make farming a dicey undertaking.
The prices of wheat, the most popular crop of many farmers, declined considerably. Previously, farmers would receive about two dollars per bushel of wheat. Instead, they received about thirty-five cents.
