Lesson 2: Agricultural Changes in the Midwest

Key Idea

Around 1800, early settlers in the Midwest started small family farms. Their main goal was to be self-sufficient, which meant they grew just enough food for their own family to eat. They did not sell their crops at a market. Everyone, including children, had to help with the farm work.

Farming was very difficult. Settlers used simple tools like axes and basic plows to clear forests and break the tough prairie ground. Almost all the work was done by hand, which took a lot of time and energy to produce a small amount of food.

Key Idea

In the 1800s, most American families lived on farms. They worked hard to grow just enough food for their own family to eat. This was a way of life for almost everyone.

As new machines made farming faster, farmers could grow much more food than they needed. They began selling their extra crops to people in cities. Farming changed from a way to feed your family into a business.

Key Idea

During that period, farming was slow and difficult. Farmers used simple hand tools, and it took hundreds of hours just to grow enough wheat for one family.

Then, new inventions like the steel plow and the mechanical reaper changed farming forever. The steel plow easily cut through tough prairie soil, and the reaper harvested grain much faster than people could by hand.

Key Idea

Today, farming is powered by big machines. Instead of horses, farmers use gasoline-powered tractors and combines. These machines help them work on much larger pieces of land than ever before.

To grow as much food as possible, modern farms use science. They add fertilizers to the soil to help plants grow strong. This new kind of farming is often run like a giant company, known as an agribusiness.