Cotton was the primary crop grown in Texas throughout most of the nineteenth century. The number of farms grew rapidly after the Civil War. After the war, plantation owners had to learn how to maintain the land without using slave labor. New machines had to be invented to keep up production on the farm.

Objectives:

Analyze the effects of technology on agriculture.
Identify positive and negative impacts of commercial farming.
Analyze the political, social, and economic impacts of the agricultural industry.
man with a machine attached to a horse in a field
The McCormick Reaper
Look at the picture of a mid-nineteenth century farm. The machine pictured is called the McCormick reaper, a machine used to help harvest crops.
What observations can you make about the reaper? If someone has already listed an idea that you have, try to think of a different one.
The McCormick ReaperCotton was the primary crop grown in Texas throughout most of the nineteenth century. The number of farms grew rapidly after the Civil War. After the war, plantation owners had to learn how to maintain the land without using slave labor. New machines had to be invented to keep up production on the farm.

Objectives:

Analyze the effects of technology on agriculture.
Identify positive and negative impacts of commercial farming.
Analyze the political, social, and economic impacts of the agricultural industry.
man with a machine attached to a horse in a field
The McCormick Reaper
Look at the picture of a mid-nineteenth century farm. The machine pictured is called the McCormick reaper, a machine used to help harvest crops.
What observations can you make about the reaper? If someone has already listed an idea that you have, try to think of a different one.
The McCormick Reaper