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Challenges for farmers in the 19th century
Essay about the agriculture in the half of the 19th century
Challenges for farmers in the 19th century
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The 1900’s were a revolutionary century for American Agriculture thanks to the improvement of industrial technology and other advances in the field. The industrial technology ranged from many things, but machines had now given way for a decrease in manpower on the farms. (Farias, 2012) In 1906, in response to Upton Sinclair’s novel, The Jungle, The Pure Food and Drug Law was created, which required the USDA to inspect the sanitation of agricultural businesses.
Before the 19th century, farming was done by hand and by using small tools. The Market and Industrial Revolutions brought about lots of new inventions that benefitted agriculture. Very few people changed American agriculture more than Cyrus McCormick did in the 1800’s. His invention, the McCormick mechanical reaper, revolutionized farming by putting together many parts involved in harvesting crops into one machine. The mechanical reaper was a revolutionary farming tool that saved effort and time for farmers by allowing them to more efficiently harvest and cut
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.
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 period of 1865-1900 was a time of significant transformation in American agriculture, as technological advancements, government policies, and shifts in economic conditions reshaped the landscape of the farming industry. These changes had far-reaching effects on farmers across the country, who were forced to adapt to new challenges and opportunities. During the period of 1865-1900, technology advancements revolutionized the agricultural industry in America, leading to increased efficiency in transportation and processing of agricultural products. As evidenced in document F, it describes the establishment in Chicago that combined the operations of shipping and canning beef, the slaughtering capacity of 400,000 head annually showcased immense
During 1865-1900, agriculture went through many changes through economic, social, and government circles. The expansion of the Wild West from the east coast to the west coast opened up many opportunities, but like in urban settlements, also fell under the whims of monopolies and big business. Arid areas like the Prairies also impacted agriculture. Undoubtedly, American agriculture was irrevocably impacted by all these factors. Before 1890, railroads were limited mainly to the east coast and only a few main lines.
Before this famous exchange old World crops such as rice, wheat, and barley had never traveled to the New World; crops of the New World including maize, sweet potatoes, and manioc had never been to Afro-Eurasia. The exchange of crops had major consequences for the history of the world. Historian Alfred Crosby said, “The coming together of the continents was a prerequisite for the population explosion of the past two centuries, and certainly played an important role in the Industrial Revolution. The transfer across the ocean of the staple food crops of the Old and New Worlds made possible the former.” Plants that were formerly unknown in the Old World like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and maize expanded supply of agriculture and ensued in more nutritional foods.
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.
Everyday people ate about a pound of bread each day, there was an abundant amount of food for anyone who wanted to settle in. “Rye is a common crop upon the inferior lands, and the sort they produce is pretty good, though not equal to the rye of England. The crops of it are not so great in produce as those of wheat on the better lands.” The amount of food and farming is what helped the middle colonies advance more. No other colony could keep up with the amount of food the Middle Colonies produced from their crops.
Growing up in a urban environment I has not aware and did not have a interest in any form of agriculture my path was in an opposite direction. However, after choosing to attend college at a 1890 land grant university I was enlightened on the importance of
In the 1600’s the agricultural revolution started with new technologies in farming. The Dutch started building dikes to protect the farmland from flooding, they also were using animal fertilizer to enrich the soil of their farms. Roughly 100 years later a British man invented the seed drill which planted seeds in rows much faster than they were able to by hand. Another man started to breed horses to be stronger so they could do more work and he also bred sheep and cattle for a bigger yield of meat. With farming becoming more successful and easier the peasants that worked in them were no longer needed.
New types of crops emerged from observation and experimentation. These new crops and techniques greatly enhanced the knowledge and understanding of agricultural ways. Communication
From the steak on your dinner table, to the drywall in your house, and even the spark plug in your car! Yes, agriculture really is “The Seed That Grew America”. Here’s how farming got to be what we know it as today. The Prehistoric Farm Age Prehistoric farming played a large role in getting to where we are today.
British Agriculture 1700-1800 Figure 2. British Agriculture innovations from 1700 to 1800. Reprinted from The Routledge Atlas of British History (5th ed.) (p. 74), by M. Gilbert, 2011, London: Routledge. Copyright 2011 by Martin Gilbert.
New agricultural technology changed the early middle ages for the better. The agricultural revolution of the middle ages meant a technical advance in farming which makes lives of those involved
