Economic Developments: Issues for Farmers all over the USA Flashcards
What was one of the main exports of The South before the Civil War?
Cotton
Why were The South able to farm so much Cotton before the Civil War?
Because slavery was still legal
How many people lived on farms in 1890 compared to 1865?
25 million people lived on farms in the USA in 1890, compared to 10 million living on farms in the US in 1865
What act encouraged expansion, especially for farming? What year was this act created?
The Homestead Act created in 1862
How much land could people get under the Homestead Act of 1862?
160 acres of land
Name a Union for Farmers in the late 1800s in the USA
The Granger Movement
When was the Granger Movement set up? (To the month)
December 1867
What did the Granger Movement attempt to do?
Improve working conditions for farmers
What was an issue with Farmers’ Trade Unions over the prices created by other people for what they sold?
They could not control how low the prices of what the farmers sold would be
What is one reason Farmers were unable to control the prices of what they were selling?
Because lots of their products would be sold in distant markets which they could not control
What was another issue with distant market price-setting farmers faced?
They had to still make a profit with the additional freight costs
Why would transportation costs by train for farmers be a problem?
Because they were all owned by monopolies, they could charge farmers as much as they wanted to
What 2 things did Farmers have to buy to improve their farming? What was the result of this for them?
They had to buy lots of land and lots of new farming technology, which made them go into debt
What happened to the prices of what some farmers sold after the Civil War?
They went down heavily
Give an example of a price of something farmers sold going down in price from 1866-69
From 1866-69, the price of a bushel of wheat went from $1.45 down to 76 cents
