Ap Us History Dbq

572 Words3 Pages
DBQ Although the needs of farmers were recognized and appealed to, agriculture was still drastically changed by technology, government policy, and economic conditions, eventually leading to a sharp decline between 1865 and 1900. This thesis will be defended by examining the impact of technology on agriculture, analyzing government policy, and studying economic conditions. With the many advancements made in technology, agriculture became more beneficial and allowed more farmers to prosper. The creation of tools such as the chilled-iron plow, the grain drill and the baling press all contributed to the domination of the Plains. However, most of these technological innovations were not within the grasp of the average farmer; only wealthy farmers could afford to own things such as the wheat harvester and the number of horses it took to pull it (Document D). Railroads extended throughout the United States and connected the East and Western markets (Document B), but farmers did not make good profits because of the high railroad rates that were in effect. Even though farmers fought for and were successful in establishing limited freight rates (Document C), they still had to deal with many other problems. Due to overproduction, farmers everywhere suffered from the decrease of their crop prices (Document A). All of these technological advances were made with the intention of helping farmers and improving their working conditions, but instead, they backfired and made things even worse than before. Government policies also had a negative impact on agriculture. The politics of this period were dominated by the “political party deadlock” between the Democrats and the Republicans. The two parties were evenly matched for many years, but the Republican Party soon won the presidency and both houses of Congress, eventually rising to the top in the 1890s and breaking the
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