Colonial Days
American Revoluton
Era of the New Republic
Whiskey Rebellion- Rebellion of Southern farmers, who was outraged against a whiskey tax in the South. The rebellion was stopped by President Washington who summoned militia to crush the rebellion.
Embargo Act - Jefferson's idea to avoid war by cutting off trade with Europe and caused Southerners to have surpluses of cotton and tobacco.
Excise Tax - A tax that was placed on domestically made products. Farmers were opposed to the tax and spoke against it.
Eli Whitney- Created the Cotton Gin, which helped seperate the seed of the cotton from the cotton. This helped farmers speeed up production of cotton and push for more slaves.
The Jacksonian Era
Civil War Era
Gilded Age
Imperialism/Progressive Era
WWI
WWII
Post War/ Cold War
- Indentured Servants- Key workforce of labor in the 17th century and early 18th century.
- Slaves- the main workforce in American Farming in the 17th century as American labor shifted away from indentured servants
- Triangular trade- The trade routes from England to Africa to America that brought slaves to America in the 17th century.
- Tobacco- Cash crop that would still be cultivated in the 17th century.
American Revoluton
- Stamp Act - act that raised taxes and The Sons of Liberty rose up as a rebel group.
- Declaratory Act- reaffirmed Pariliament's right to bind the colonies to the British Government.
- Townshend Act - tax on household goods or light imports.
- Boston Massacre- A fight between soldiers and colonists, some colonist were killed after they began throwing rocks at the soldiers. The soldiers retaliated by shooting into the crowd.
- Stamp Act Congress- brought twenty seven delegates from nine colonies together. Members of the congress were farmers who argued against the Stamp Act and Townshend Act and taxes in general.
- Shays' Rebellion- rebellion of farmers against the government. The rebellion occured in Massachusetts in 1789. The rebellion led to the idea of creating a stronger government with a better constitution to replace the weak Articles of Confederation.
- Three-Fifths Compromise- Agreement between South and North to count black slaves as 3/5ths of a person. The Southern farmers pushed to count blacks as people, so they could have a bigger say in the country.
Era of the New Republic
Whiskey Rebellion- Rebellion of Southern farmers, who was outraged against a whiskey tax in the South. The rebellion was stopped by President Washington who summoned militia to crush the rebellion.
Embargo Act - Jefferson's idea to avoid war by cutting off trade with Europe and caused Southerners to have surpluses of cotton and tobacco.
Excise Tax - A tax that was placed on domestically made products. Farmers were opposed to the tax and spoke against it.
Eli Whitney- Created the Cotton Gin, which helped seperate the seed of the cotton from the cotton. This helped farmers speeed up production of cotton and push for more slaves.
The Jacksonian Era
- Common Man - General public who were landowners or anyone who could vote. On the western frontier, most Common men were farmers who were able to own land.
- Planter's Aristocracy- Ideals in the South of plantation owners or planters. The number of slaves they own represented their wealth and standings in society.
Civil War Era
- Cotton Kingdom- The change of agriculture from tobacco to cotton. Cotton wanted by the majority in the 19th century.
- Excessive cultivation- A time in American histroy when there was an overproduction of tobacco and cotton. This pushed for a boost in slavery.
- Confederate States of America- Southern states who disagreed with Northers over slavery, mainly because Southerners would lose their main source of free labor.
- Critteden Compromise-Compromise that proposed to prohibit slavery north of 36 30', but gave full rights to those south of the line and allowed territories to be slave as long as it was decided by popular sovereignty.
- King Cotton- The most important crop in the 19th century. Only rivaled by corn in the west.
- "Range War" - farmers who would fight each other in the west. They used fences to protect their animals and cattle barons would fight against farmers.
- Homestead Act of 1862- would push immigrants and people from the east to travel West in hopes of owning lan in the future. Giving farmers 160 acres of land for 30$ and the agreement to legally own the land, if farmers lived on the land for 5 years.
Gilded Age
- The Sherman Silver Purchase Act- initiated in 1890 to help farmers fight against capitalism by requiring the government to purchase silver every month.
- Farmer's Alliance- Formed in 1870 to socialize, but also to fight against railroad trust. Farmers rose together in the Gilded Age to fight monopolies.
- Grange Movement- organized by farmers who collaborated against railroad companies. Farmers came together to attempt to control the the economy and weaken monopolies.
Imperialism/Progressive Era
- Federal Farm Loan Act - During Wilson's Presidency it gave loans to farmers who needed it on low interest. This was given away because it was understood that farmers were part of the backbone to the economy.
- Populist Party - Resulting from all the rural complaints this party seeked protection for farmers from monopolies and from inflation and other economic pressures. The action of Populists helped spur the Progressive movement in the cities and call for better worker equality.
- McKinley Tariff - One of the complaints of the Populists this tariff was the highest peacetime tariff ever which but stress on the debt-filled farmers by not letting them be able to trade internationally.
WWI
- Fordney-McCumber Tariff- Taxes on farm products were increased which put more pressure on farmers making it hard for them to prosper and turn around and help the economy. It also made it easier for presidents to change tariffs.
- Farm Blocks - Consisting of a group of farmers that made a "union" to protect their rights against big businesses and other problems that would come their way. It helped propel an active movement against the Gilded Age monopolies and show the importance and significance of farmers.
- Roaring 20’s and Great Depression
- Robert LaFollette - A supporter of the farmers all over the country, LaFollette was a Senator and called for relief for farmers from monopolies, trusts, and inflation.
- McNary-Haughen Bill- A bill started and supported by the farm blocks that sought to repay farmers that suffered during the Great Depression. It looked to buy surplus goods and export it as a loss to help spur the economy. The fact that this plan didn't pass pulled the America into an even deeper rut for the Great Depression.
- Agricultural Marketing Act - A similar act to the McNary-Haughen Bill the Agricultural Marketing Act, passed by Hoover, put money into the farmer's hands to help spur this industry but it did not go far enough to help lessen the blow of the Great Depression.
- Agricultural Adjustment Act- It supported the decreasing of cash crops to help American farmers give more essential crops of which there was a greater desire and of which the government was more willing to buy.
- Farm Bankruptcy Act - This suspended mortgage foreclosures for three years to help get the American people back on their feet without losing their home.
- Dust Bowl - An added burden to those in the Great Plains, the farmers were stuck in a climate nightmare which crippled their economy with droughts even more then there already was.
WWII
- Braceros - Braceros were encouraged Mexican immigrant to come and work in the United States to replace those who had left the farms to fight in the war. However, this influx of immigrants, culturally different than Americans was the big change from farming influence. As soon as people came back from the war they went to the suburbs leaving the immigrants, or small families, to fend for themselves as farmers.
Post War/ Cold War
- Fair Deal- Multiple part plan that was similar to the New Deal in structure. The Fair Deal produced the Agriculture act which helped produce a more flexible system of price support for farmers.