How did mechanization transform rural life in United States? Think About: How did mechanization transform rural life in United States?

What is it? Mechanization- change from working mostly by hand or with animals to doing that work with machinery

Why does it matter?

Steel Plow 1837- John Deere

Cyrus McCormick

McCormick’s Farm

The Reaper Cyrus McCormick of Virginia was responsible for liberating farm workers from hours of back-breaking labor by introducing the farmers to his newly invented mechanical reaper in July, 1831. By 1847, Cyrus McCormick began the mass manufacture of his reaper in a Chicago factory. This would eventually became the International Harvester Company.

The Reaper The first reapers cut the standing grain and, with a revolving reel, swept it onto a platform from which it was raked off into piles by a man walking alongside. It could harvest more grain than five men using the earlier cradles. The next innovation, patented in 1858, was a self-raking reaper with an endless canvas belt that delivered the cut grain to two men who riding on the end of the platform, bundled it. and In 1872 he produced a reaper which automatically bound the bundles with wire. In 1880, he came out with a binder which, using a magical knotting device (invented by John F. Appleby) bound the handles with twine. 

http://journalism.wlu.edu/rrarchive/10-08-2009/mccormicks.html McCormick encouraged the invention and manufacture of other labor-saving farm implements and machinery.

Combine Harvester

Quick Write Let’s think about the result of mechanization… How did it affect production? How did it affect labor needs on the farms?

Combine Harvester Today

Agricultural Technology Today

Ag Tech Today