Essay --

In the period 1865-1900, technology, government policy, and economic conditions all greatly changed American agriculture at the expense of the farmers. New farming machinery had a large role in the late 19th century, giving farmers the opportunity to produce a surplus of crops. The railroads also had a large influence on agriculture. Although they were able to quickly transport goods, the railroads were also used to charge the farmers large fees. The booming industry also changed American agriculture, creating a multitude of monopolies which the farmers simply could not compete. Economically, the monetary policy along with the steadily dropping prices of agricultural produce led farmers further into debt, eventually producing outcomes such as the crop-lien system and sharecropping. All of these tie into government policy which favored the large and wealthy industries and monopolies over the farmers. Farmers began to cultivate vast areas of crops such as wheat, cotton, and corn. A picture of The Wheat Harvest in 1880 shows men on tractors and over a large amount of horses pulling the tractor along the long and wide fields of wheat. As farmers started to accumulate their goods, they needed to be able to transfer the goods across states. Some farmers chose to use cattle trails to transport their goods while others were forced to choose, and pay for, the ever-growing railroad system. Maps provided show the difference in the amount of railroads and cattle trails within the Unites States from 1870 to 1890. Eastern States such as New Jersey, Tennessee, Virginia and many others were filled with existing railroads prior to 1870, as Colonel John Stevens started out his railroad revolutionizing movement in New Jersey in 1815. By 1890 there ... ...e greatly needed and then how they got across to states that would take weeks and months to get to by cattle or wagon. It also showed a time when the economy fell and desperately tried to climb back up. To sum it up, throughout the period 1865-1900, technology, government policy, and economic conditions all changed agriculture in America but at the expense of the farmers. New farming machinery gave frames the ability to produce more crops. Railroads quickly transported goods but also forced farmers to pay hefty fees. The booming industry also changed American agriculture, creating monopolies which the farmers could not compete with. Economically, the monetary policy along with the steadily dropping prices of agricultural produce led farmers further into debt. And, finally, the government policies favored large and wealthy industries and monopolies over the farmers.