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At the beginning of the 19th century, the Northern economy began to industrialize while the South remained mostly rural farmland. At this time the economy of the South relied heavily on the production and exporting of crops such as cotton, tobacco, sugar, wheat, and rice. With the increase of these crops also came the need for more slave labor. -
The Louisiana Purchase, was when the U.S bought 530,000,000 acres of land under President Thomas Jefferson. It doubled the geographic size of the U.S at the time and gave way to westward expansion. During this time settlers moved west to start new lives and farm. -
In 1031, Cyrus McCormick invented the Horse-drawn Reaper. This new invention revolutionized the harvesting of wheat as farmers were able to harvest large quantities in a smaller time. This lead to more wheat being grown because they could harvest it. -
By 1860 nearly 30,000 miles of railroads had been constructed in the U.S. The increase of railroads resulted in the transportation of agricultural exports in the U.S. Farmers are now able to sell their produce to railroads who then transport wherever it is needed. -
During and after the Civil War many small farms had been destroyed and this put lots of farmers into poverty and debt. These farmers that had just been growing enough food for their families now turned to growing cotton and the cotton industry still continued to go up. The U.S. made huge profits from this cotton because they exported it to other countries. -
The Homestead Act was passed by the U.S government and it gave 160 free acres to anyone who could farm it successfully for 5 years. Pioneers and farmers flooded the Great Plains in hopes of starting a new life with this opportunity. The Great Plains suddenly became huge producers of wheat and corn. -
The U.S government began to support farmers and education of agriculture. Scientists did research and helped improve things like insecticides and fertilizer. Research on new varieties of food also came about and CA and the Midwest region started growing more diverse crops. -
The morrill land act of 1862 the U.S. Government gave each state thirty thousand acres of public land per seat held in Congress. This land was given to build colleges for agricultural research and experimentation. -
In 1862 Lincoln signed an act that established the U.S Department of Agriculture. (USDA) This department is responsible for making laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food quality/safety. -
Sharecropping came into effect after the Civil War. There were a lot of free African Americans looking for work. Southern farmers offered them jobs on their farms in exchange for part of the harvest. These ex-slaves were often cheated and given unfair pay, but the sharecropping system still went on for decades after the war. -
This group was established in 1867 by Oliver Hudson Kelly, a farmer from Minnesota. The Grange society was made to help farmers band together for their own economic benefit. Kelly wanted farmers to be represented as a union, just like industrial workers. -
The USDA began educating the public about agricultural science and technics. Scientists at Universities from the Morrill act began conducting experiments and worked to help farmers find solutions to agricultural problems. Farmers were now better equipped to take care of their farms and run them in the most efficient way possible.