Within the years 1865 and 1900, changes in farming allowed for the increased production of crops such as wheat, corn and cotton. Technology allowed the Great Plains to be opened to agriculture. Perhaps the most important advances were John Deere's steel plow (which made it much easier to break the thick and heavy soil of the area) and barbed wire (which could keep livestock out of fields). Also, according to Document A, in 1870, the production of wheat was 254 million bushels, cotton had a production of 4,352 million bushels and 1,125 million bushels of corn were produced. By 1900, the production of wheat, cotton and corn had increased to 599 million bushels, 10,124 million bushels and 2,662 million bushels respectively. This is the direct…
American farm production grew at a tremendous rate. In 1789, farmers had generally eked out only enough to feed their own families. But by 1861, the United States was producing nearly $2 billion worth of agricultural products each year.…
By taking full advantage of the technological advances that occurred between 1865 and 1900, Americans began to inhabit what was believed to be the inhabitable West. This caused an agricultural revolution in these new territories, as production of many staple crops moved westward. Farmers that chose to make this move became aggravated by the government policy and economic conditions that ultimately seemed to inhibit their success.…
The period from 1870 to 1900 was without a doubt one of the most important and influential chapters of American History characterized mostly by rapid industrial development. As large corporations grew during the late 19th century one grew faster and larger than the rest; railroads. The expansion of the American frontier required a means to better transport crops from isolated agrarian communities to larger cities and towns, as well as settle the western plains and the solution lay in railroads;…
Railroads first began to appear in the 1830s and used largely as feed lines to the canals.1 Baltimore city was the site of the first railroad in the united sates and was know Baltimore and Ohio railroad.3 Since the city did not invest in canals they began to look at other ways to be more competitive with cities such as New York and the Erie Canal when it came to transporting people and goods.3 This sparked the idea of a railroad, which was a way of transportation used in Great Britain and soon enough all of America could not see their future without railroad transportation.3 The formation, construction and operation or railroads brought profound social, economic and political change to the United States at the time.3 Although the cost of a railway ticket were much higher then steamboats they were twice as fast and offered more direct route for people to go exactly were they…
Railroads In the 1800s, the United States was becoming an industrial country and discovering the country around them. Immigrants and citizens were moving west. Inventors were creating new, easier, and more logical ways of doing things. With all the expansion going on, there needed to be a way for people to get around faster and transport goods.…
Agricultural efficiency gains in eighteenth century Europe can be attributed to a number of factors. Economic growth increased demand for crop production, and farmers were incentivized to raise productivity in order to achieve higher living standards becoming prevalent in cities. These productivity gains were achieved through innovations in agricultural technology, techniques, and tools. Farms improved their selective breeding techniques, and environmental changes helped produce more favorable yields. Further, the amount of labor needed per acre fell because of these improvements and the move towards large scale farming. In the eighteenth…
In the time of the late nineteenth century, the telecommunication revolution, or globalization, was beginning to make its start in American history. Communication and transportation was becoming faster with the new advances in the technological world. This made large businesses grow, creating large fortunes from the new railroad business However, the farmers if America took a hard hit ti these advances. Food prices were decreasing, and farmers were producing more crops than the economy could consume. Because if the changes in economy, the farmers had grown in discontent with the government, and the fingers were being pointed at the large scale business leaders. In the late nineteenth century, the farmers had a valid reason that big businesses were decreasing away the profits of their work, and into the railroad companies and that banks were taking advantage of the farmers, causing the great agrarian discontent.…
The Agricultural Revolution of the West was significantly affected by the relationship of economic developments and environmental changes between 1865 and 1898. The Homestead Act of 1862 provided many new opportunities for farmers to get an abundance of Western land in an affordable manner. While this was great for many farming families who got suitable land, there was a different opinion from those in the Great Plains. They faced great challenges posed by Mother Nature, especially drought. The droughts brought devastation to the crops, and then to the farmers who couldn’t make enough money. However, the farmers were able to make many adaptations that allowed them to grow crops that survive the harsh conditions. The new development of…
But these railroads soon created trouble as they started to implement unfair freight rates on farmers that had to ship their products to the cities. The government did try to step in by putting in the Interstate Commerce Act to stop railroads from having unfair rates but the act was not enforced enough. Illinois was one of the only states that fought the laissez-faire philosophy by going through with controlling the freight rates (Document C). The railroads were a huge impact on the agriculture of America because many southern states depended specifically on them to ship their products. For example, Chicago became the leading meat packing center and the productions of railroads led to the growth of cattle ranching while also making industrial growth (Document F). Unfortunately for the farmers, the railroads were not being unfair towards them which led to many farmers blaming railroads for their poverty. So although technology was a big advancement during the time, it created an overproduction of goods for the farmers and also led railroads to charge unfair shipping…
In the nineteenth century a series of innovations in transportation and economic expansion transformed our economy from an agricultural standpoint to one now mainly focused on new methods of production and having an endless commercial ambition. Previously most american families would produce what they needed at home for subsistence and sold anything left over to local stores but, now our country has slowly shifted to an industrial economy where a bountiful of economic opportunities for the “common man” has emerged due to western expansion and the emergence of Northern trade through new ways of transportation. Farmers began to grow for profit and not self sufficiency and many factories and cities began to flourish.…
In the late 1800s, many farmers were trapped in a vicious economic cycle. Crops prices began falling and farmers were often forced into mortgaging their farms so they could buy more land and produce more crops to break even. Good farming land was becoming rare and the banks took over the mortgages of farmers who couldn't make payments on their loans. The railroads, on the other end, took advantage of farmers by charging them extreme prices for shipping and storage. Both equally frustrating the farmer, who pretty much resembled a larger economic problem because if he wasn't doing well then the whole nation can’t do well either.…
Farming was the major growing production in the United States in the 1930's. Panhandle farming attached many people because it attracted many people searching for work. The best crop that was prospering around the country was wheat. The world needed it and the United States could supply it easily because of rich mineral soil. In the beginning of the 1930's it was dry but most farmers made a wheat crop. In 1931 everyone started farming wheat. The wheat crop forced the price down from sixty-eight cents/ bushels in July 1930 to twenty-five cents/ bushels July 1931. Many farmers went broke and others abandoned their fields. As the storms approached the farmers were getting ready. Farmers increased their milking cowherds. The cream from the cows was sold to make milk and the skim milk was fed to the chickens and pigs. When normal feed crops failed, thistles were harvested, and when thistles failed, hardy souls dug up soap weed,…
The most underrated factor of westward expansion would have to be the railroad. Many would think of the most important factor as the gold rush of 1848, but before mass droves of people could move westward, an easier way of traveling had to be constructed and railroads were the answer. Before railways, the Oregon Trail lead people from major cities like Independence, Missouri to Oregon City or Sacramento in Oregon and California. This ‘train’ of sorts moved as low as 350,000 people across America on this famous wagon route between 1841 and 1866. By 1869, the transcontinental railroads such as the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific had been built after the Pacific Railway Bill had been passed in 1862. The Union Pacific was built westward from…
UNITED STATES HISTORY SECTION II Part A (Suggested writing time—45 minutes) Percent of Section II score—45 Directions: The following question requires you to construct a coherent essay that integrates your interpretation of Documents A-J and your knowledge of the period referred to in the question. High scores will be earned only by essays that both cite key pieces of evidence from the documents and draw on outside knowledge of the period. 1. Analyze the ways in which technology, government policy, and economic conditions changed American agriculture in the period 1865–1900. In your answer be sure to evaluate farmers’ responses to these changes.…