The Problems faced by Farmers in the Post-Civil War America

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The Problems faced by Farmers in the Post-Civil War America
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The Problems faced by Farmers in the Post-Civil War America
The years following the American Civil War in 1865, America witnessed dramatic
changes from the agricultural and rural America which was dominated by the farmers to the birth
of the era of industrialization and urbanization dominated by industrialists, bankers and city
dwellers. While this transformation from agricultural based to industrial based America resulted
into significant economic growth in America, this however, was accomplished only with
devastating problems on the farmers including dislocations and overproduction. This work is
focused in discussing the problems faced by farmers in the post-Civil War America, the causes
and how the farmers attempted to solve these problems.
One of the most devastating problems and the root cause of problems faced by the farmers
following the civil war were associated with the overproduction of agricultural products. In the
years after the civil war, America witnessed tremendous increase in agricultural production. This
was attributed to the opening up of the Great Plains for agricultural purposes, increased use of
farm machinery as well as the spread of new railroads which made it possible to access the
remote areas for agricultural purposes. This in effect resulted to the flooding of agricultural
products in American markets. As more agricultural products flooded American markets, the
prices of agricultural products continued to decline (Woodman, 1972). While farmers were
producing more of the agricultural products, they were however making less and less income.
For instance, in 1873-1894 the cotton production in America doubled as more farmers resolved
to cotton production, however, the price of cotton fell from 15cents to about 6cents per pound.
Another major problem faced by the farmers in the years following the Civil War was the heavy
tariff policies imposed by the government. The farmers were forced by the tariffs to buy all the