The Role Of Farming In The 1930's

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

In the early 1800s, the south—and most of the north, for that matter—used a subsistence economy, where crops and goods were made locally by families for themselves and their communities. Family farms were basically forced to use a subsistence economy, simply because the lack of fast transportation. If they attempted to ship their crops to other ports and towns where it was needed, the crops would rot well before they ever made it. In the south, cotton was made using slave labor, but the harvests weren’t as large as they could be. The process of harvesting was slow—as it was with many crops across the north and south—and the wield was decent.

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.

The industrialization of America led to lots of new technology for farming being developed, which further drove farmers into debt. New plows and tools were created and although they made farming significantly easier, they were also very expensive. Farmers were forced to buy these tools by their landlords and they struggled to find cheaper ways to compete with larger farms. Unlike farmers earlier in the century, these farmers did not grow many crops, even for sustenance. Instead, they grew only a couple cash crops, which could bring a lot of money, but also could bring in none if there was a drought or other problem.

People trusted the “Buy now, Pay later” idea, so much so that they bought so much, and didn't have enough money to pay later. The distribution in income was only favorable for 40% of the entire population, and the citizens were gambling on their stock investments and thought nothing could go wrong. Imagine it is October 28, 1929, living a lavish lifestyle in your mansion, only to have the all of the dreams that came true crushed the very next

The farmers felt that they were paying more and more to take loans and borrow money, to buy farming necessities and to sell their crops. The prices that had for the crops was degrading dramatically.

The Great Depression hit the citizens of America in 1930 and created havoc on farmer’s crop profits (Tarshis 8). The banks began to close and lose money. Wheat prices dropped and life for the settlers of the Great Plains became harsh. There was no money circulating throughout the economy given that no one in the region had any to spend without the sales of their crops (Henderson). Families became poor and could no longer manage their farms.

In the article Farming and the Dust Bowl During the Great Depression it talks about the farmers and all the problems they had faced during this tragic event that had occurred. Many farmers weren't making any profit during this time and needed a lot of help from the government . The New Deal allowed laws to be place and allow the farmers to make their prices expand . The AAA paid certain farmers money if they grew certain products. The farmers were made more than they profited because they wasn't making that many crops , but were still getting paid for whatever they had made.

Prices for farm products dangerously fell because of such large United States crop surpluses. Farm expenses had also risen much faster than the prices that farmers received and they did not reduce production, so prices for farm products stayed low and farmers’ income fell (McNeil, R. Hanes, and M. Hanes). President Coolidge had not taken much interest in the situation and said that farmers never made money (West and Stoff). Efforts from Congress that failed to protect United States farmers from foreign competition caused most United States farmers to take loans for their land and homes that they could not repay, which weakened their local banks and left them in debt (West and Stoff). On average, over six hundred banks failed every year between 1921 and 1929 (West and

The book is wonderful source for accurate historical view of the time. During one of Scouts average 2nd grade school day, a fellow student Named Walter Cunningham, Son of a poor farmer being offered money for lunch from his teacher. “Miss Caroline went to her desk and opened her purse. “Here’s a quarter,” she said to walter. “Go and eat down-town today.

In October of 1929, the stock market crashed. This caused the business of the world to be in serious trouble. By 1932, 12 million men were without a job, and desperate. The families had a few options during this time. They could either try and find a job, or cut back on their spending.

In a time when America was coming out of the bloodiest war that was ever fought, against themselves, The Civil War, and when America looked overseas for a new frontier with Imperialism. It is in this context that America started to grow westward with farm land and in industry with the million of workers, but America still felt growing pains. Two significant ways in which farmers and industrial workers responded to industrialization in the Gilded Age (1865-1900) were the formation of organizations to protect farmers, and the creation of labor unions and the use of strikes to protect the workers. One significant way in which farmers responded to industrialization in the Gilded Age (1865 - 1900) was the formation of organizations to protect farmers. During Westward Expansion farmers fell victims to the low pricing of the crops.

There began to be a gradual decline in prices and the stock market ruptured. On October 24, 1929, the infamous “Black Thursday” took place, where stock holders went on a panic selling spree. Things then went from bad to worse, stock prices went down 33 percent. People stopped purchasing goods and business investments decreased after the crash. In the fall of 1930, the first of four major waves

How Successful was Franklin. D Roosevelt’s New Deal? What is known to us all is that the Great Depression of 1929 was one of the worst time periods in American history. Although the laissez-faire capitalism brought the economic prosperity, earnings for farmers and industrial workers fell.

Farming is gaining popularity. This is because there are more government programs helping new farmers, and education for farming is a bit easier now then it was earlier. The first article, "Farming Makes a Comeback" focuses on the point that there are more government programs helping new farmers get on their feet. The article is talking about the many programs the government has that are helping new farmers. In the article it states, "One of the groups that recieved a grant is ... MOSES, an orginization that teaches new farmers how to cope..."