Figure 1.--American agriculture in the 19th century became the most productive in the world. And this was before farmers got ahold of tractors and other motor vehicles. Here we see the Knauer family farm near Pottstown, Pennsylvania. The family is posed on their hay waggon for a cabinet card portrait. The portrait is not dated, but the mount style and clothes show it was taken in the early-1900s decade. It was farmers like these that would prevent famine in Europe after World War I. The were ethnic Germans who played a major role in mid-West farming. Ethnicity did impact political outlook. In the coming wars with Germany, German Americans would prove just as loyal as other ethnic groups. They were, however, in the run up to World War I strongly against involvemnt in the war and strongly isolationist before World War II. One notable observation, anti-Semitism among German-Americans was not notably different than the ovrall American norm.

The history of agriculture in what is now the United States began with the Native Americn peoples. While most were hunter gather peoples some were involved in agriculture to various degrees, especially the Eastern Woodland, Missipian, and Southwestern peoples. This was a relatively recent development. It occurred only after corn developed in Meso-America reached the peoples further north. Initially agriculture in colonial America like all other countries at the time was the principal sector. The first settlers in Jamesetown (1609) were not interested in farming. They hoping to find gold and silver judt like the Spanish. It soon became clear, however, that agriculture was needed if they were to survive. And it would be the basis of the economy just as it was in Europe. A decade later the Pilgrims founded Plymouth Colony (1620). Two different farm labor models followed. Free labor in the North and slave labor in the South. The first important cash crop was tobacco. Wheat became important because people wanted bread. It is corn, however, that is the most productive crop. No other crop so efficently converts sun energy. Convering it into cash, however, was a problem. This was es[ecially the case after the Revolution when Americans moved beyond the Apalachins. One sollution was to covert it to more transportable corn whiskey. This led to the Whiskey Rebellion (1791). At about the same time Eli Whitney invnted the cotton gin (1793). This revolutionized agriculture in the south. In made cotton a valuable cash crop and meant that slavery instead of dieing out would become a emensly profitable American institution. Cotton would become the major American export commodity and essentilly finance the industrialization of the North. Througout most of the 19th century, agriculture was the backbone of the econmy, only by the late-19th century industry begin to replace agriculture as the heart of the economy. The settlement of the Mid-West cand Great Plains made America into a world bred basket comparable to Tsarist Russia. Unlike Russia, American farmers began to mchsnize even before the development of mechanical power. This process continued even furher with the development of the intenal combustion engine. As a result the United States would help feed the Allies during World War I initiate relief programs and prevent starvation first in Belgium and then the rest of Europe after the War. American farmers experienced trying times after the war because they had expanded so much during the War (1920s). They were doubly hit by the Depressionand the Dust Bowl (1930s). The Roosevelt's Adminitration's New Deal struggle to assist farmers by both restricting production and modenizing the sector. Farmers also played a key role in World War II, feeding the Allies and preventing starvation after the war. The American population steadily shifted to urban areas throughout the 20th century, but even with a smaller workforce farmers continued to increase production. And agriculture continues to be an important export commodity. The stady urbanization and economic devlopment especially of Asia means that the demand for agriculture products is steadily growing.

Native Americans

The history of agriculture in what is now the United States began with the Native Americn peoples. While most were hunter gather peoples some were involved in agriculture to various degrees, especially the Eastern Woodland, Missipian, and Southwestern peoples. This was a relatively recent development. It occurred only after corn developed in Meso-America reached the peoples further north.

The 17th Century

Initially agriculture in colonial America like all other countries at the time was the principal sector. The first settlers in Jamesetown (1609) were not interested in farming. They hoping to find gold and silver judt like the Spanish. It soon became clear, however, that agriculture was needed if they were to survive. And it would be the basis of the economy just as it was in Europe. A decade later the Pilgrims founded Plymouth Colony (1620). Two different farm labor models followed. Free labor in the North and slave labor in the South. The first important cash crop was tobacco. Wheat became important because people wanted bread.

The 18th Century

Land ownership patterns varied by colony, but in the birthern states the patten was lrgely family farms. The souther sttes varied. There were more family frms, but also plantations using slave labor. While this situation receives mucg of the historical attention, in fact slavey was only about 15 percent of the population. The other 85 percent consisted of the freest labor force in the world. Id course slavery needed to be studied, but the much larger American free labor ststen should not be ignored. Rarely mentioned is that the great proportion of the world work force labored under some form of the masny types of forced labor. While slavery was the most egrgious form of skave labor, the vast proportion of the wirld population was peasant labor working under conditions like serfs in Russia -- a landless peasantry. This did not occur in America because of the developing capitalist economy and English law. In fact, it was the small scale-land owning colonists that were the backbone of the Patriots that fought the British Army beginning with Cnocord and Lexington. After the Revolution, the Nortwest Ordinance passed by Congress laid the legal basis for the family farm (1787). Crops varied. Corn was especilly important. Corn is the most productive crop. No other crop so efficently converts sun energy. Convering it into cash, however, was a problem. This was especially the case after the Revolution when Americans began moving beyond the Appalachins. One sollution was to covert the corn to more transportable corn whiskey. This led to the Whiskey Rebellion (1791). Cotton was of little importance at the tine, although there was a great demand for it as a result if the Industrial Revolution in Britain. At about the same time as the Whiskey Rebellion, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin (1793). This revolutionized agriculture in the south. The cotton gin made cotton a valuable cash crop and meant that slavery instead of dying out would become an emensly profitable American institution.

The 19th Century

America began as 13 British colonies narrowly clustered east of the Appalachan Mountains along the the Atlantic coast. Only three more states had been added by the urn of the 19th century. The econmy of all these sttes was based on agticulture with a strong commercial component in New England. There were two competing visions for America's future. Thomas Jefferson who won the 1800 presedential election envisioned a vast country populated by small-scale farmers who worked family farms. Secreary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton envision a commercial and manufcturing economy. This of course is what hppened, but Jefferson got his way as well. As America moved west, it began wil farmers hacking out family farms from the wilderness. This was the result of the legal anbd ecomnomic system, beginning with the Northwest Ordinance (1787). Cotton would become the major American export commodity and play a major role in financing the early industrialization of the North. It was, however, a very small part of the American work force (about 15 percent). Most Americans enjoyed the freest labor system in the world. And as America progressed, Americans enjoying wide-spread land ownership, became the most prosperous people on earth, attecting landless farmers and urban workers by the millions. Transportation was key to the development of agiculture. Produce has little valie unless it can be trasported to a market. Rivers and canals dominated in the first half of the century. The railroada which would begin to appear (1830s) and would dominate the secomd half of the century. America would dervlop the world greatest rail system and cross the coninent after the Civil War (1868). Railroads fundamentally changed the economics of American agriculture. Througout most of the 19th century, agriculture was the backbone of the economy, only by the late-19th century would industry begin to replace agriculture as the heart of the economy. Throughout the century, however, most Americans lived and worked on farms. After the Civil War (1861-65), the settlement of the Mid-West and Great Plains made America into a world breadbasket comparable to Tsarist Russia. Unlike Russia, American farms were dominated by the famiy farm promoted by the Homestead Act (1862). And American farmers began to mechanize even before the development of motor vehicles reached the American farm, creating the most efficent and productive farms in the world. By the end of the century, America haf streached not only to the Pacific coast, but had become both the world's greatest agriucultural producer, but also the world's leading industrial power.

The 20th Century

The mrchsnization of American culture continued even furher with the development of the intenal combustion engine. As a result the United States would help feed the Allies during World War I initiate relief programs and prevent starvation first in Belgium and then the rest of Europe after the War. American farmers experienced trying times after the war because they had expanded so much during the War (1920s). They were doubly hit by the Depressionand the Dust Bowl (1930s). The Roosevelt's Adminitration's New Deal struggle to assist farmers by both restricting production and modenizing the sector. Farmers also played a key role in World War II, feeding the Allies and preventing starvation after the war. The American population steadily shifted to urban areas throughout the 20th century, but even with a smaller workforce farmers continued to increase production. And agriculture continues to be an important export commodity. The stady urbanization and economic devlopment especially of Asia means that the demand for agriculture products is steadily growing.

The 21st Centuyry

The United States currently has over 2.1 million farms. Each farm feeds 165 people annually in America and oversea. The lobal population is expected to increase to 9.7 billion by 2050, which means that the world's farmers will have to grow about 70 percent more food than what is now produced. 【American Farm Bureau Foundation】

Sources

American Farm Bureau Foundation

Created: June 28, 2003
Last updated: 6:35 AM 9/11/2023