![]() Thus, farmer indebtedness began to rise, and many lost their land or were threatened with foreclosure. The falling prices sometimes fell below profitability, while farmers were burdened at the same time by the costs of modernizing their equipment. Farmers faced gradually declining prices during a general period of deflation in part due to the overproduction that was ironically the product of the mechanization of agriculture. They suffered a variety of problems that threatened their livelihood. The farmers’ vision of great prosperity in the latter half of the nineteenth century did not always match the reality of their lives. This was an attractive opportunity for farmers whose land on the East Coast was unproductive due to soil exhaustion. Moreover, recent technological innovations such as the mechanical reaper and steel plow promised much greater productivity. Railroads attracted settlement because of the ease of travel and for shipping agricultural goods to distant markets. The Homestead Act of 1862 offered cheap land for sale out West for settlers to establish farms. ![]() ![]() ![]() Background Essay: Farmers in the Gilded Ageĭirections: Read the essay and answer the review questions at the end.Īfter the Civil War, the nation’s farmers were poised to enjoy new opportunities and great prosperity. ![]()
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