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Timeline
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In 1612 the mayor of Jamestown brought Tobacco seeds over which turn it into a very agricultural profitable endeavor for the virginia company.
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In 1619 the first African slaves were brought to virginia. It caused the amounts of crops to rise due to the ability of more land being able to be farmed. Some main cash crops then were tobacco and cotton.
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In the later 1700's technology grew to more steam and horse powered equipment helped increase farm productivity.
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It was a main location for the transportation of many commodities including the cash crop tobacco. One shipping district 1732 included a variety of 50+ different things imported and exported.
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In 1786 a rebellion spiked in Massachusetts because of the taxes and deflation faced there leaving people with less money and producing less crops then before.
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In 1790 the population was almost at 4 million with farmers being 90% of the labor force. That year potash a ingredient in fertilizer was patent. By this becoming easily available ag production increased.
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In 1791 farmers began revolting due to the high tax put of grain for whiskey. By 1974 the opposition between farmers and distilleries grew so much that troops had to be sent in. This obviously decreasing farmers ability to make money on crops making less crops being grown.
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From the 1800's to the 1850's the new technology for farming and transportation mean there more crops grown for them to start exporting.
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In the 1800's the Norths economy revolved around industrialization and manufacturing bringing in new immigrants. The southern economy however revolved around the agriculture and the producing and exports of crops and slave trade in the south. This making the ability and amount of crops produced the separations between rich and broke.
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In 1803 Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana territory doubling the size of the US creating westward expansion and the creations of many new farms and agricultural locations.
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Most farmers didn't own significant amounts of slaves which helps determine the difference of a farm and plantation. Farms were mostly smaller family owned with a variety of crops used by the owners most likely. Plantation is where large amounts of cash crops were grown and sold worked on by mostly slaves. Plantations were how the cash crops were created therefore being a major player in the economy.
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Because almost half of all americans were agricultural more then 3/4 of american exports were agricultural goods people were pushed west to plains to begin the agricultural adventure there.