A Companion to American Agricultural History (Wiley Blackwell Companions to American History)

Provides a solid foundation for understanding American agricultural history and offers new directions for research A Companion to American Agricultural History addresses the key aspects of America’s complex agricultural past from 8,000 BCE to the first decades of the twenty-first century. Bringing together more than thirty original essays by both established and emerging scholars, this innovative volume presents a succinct and accessible overview of American agricultural history while delivering a state-of-the-art assessment of modern scholarship on a diversity of subjects, themes, and issues. The essays provide readers with starting points for their exploration of American agricultural history--whether in general or in regards to a specific topic--and highlights the many ways the agricultural history of America is of integral importance to the wider American experience. Individual essays trace the origin and development of agricultural politics and policies, examine changes in science, technology, and government regulations, offer analytical suggestions for new research areas, discuss matters of ethnicity and gender in American agriculture, and more. This Companion: Introduces readers to a uniquely wide range of topics within the study of American agricultural history Provides a narrative summary and a critical examination of field-defining works Introduces specific topics within American agricultural history such as agrarian reform, agribusiness, and agricultural power and production Discusses the impacts of American agriculture on different groups including Native Americans, African Americans, and European, Asian, and Latinx immigrants Views the agricultural history of America through new interdisciplinary lenses of race, class, and the environment Explores depictions of American agriculture in film, popular music, literature, and art A Companion to American Agricultural History is an essential resource for introductory students and general readers seeking a concise overview of the subject, and for graduate students and scholars wanting to learn about a particular aspect of American agricultural history. "The history of American agriculture is the story of its people--Native American, European immigrant, native born, African American, Latinx, and Asian, among others. It is a story of considerable achievement in many contexts, such as the formulation of land and water law, crop and livestock production, and technological and scientific change. The history of American agriculture also is reflected in art, literature, music, and film. It is the story of national expansion, political turmoil, and changing relationships among men, women, and children. It is the story of hard-earned economic gains and the indelible imprint of heartbreak, violence, racism, and despair. The history of American agriculture includes life in the small towns and cities where food processing links workers with the countryside. It is the story of agribusiness in a multiplicity of forms including domestic and international trade. It is the story of contentious government policy that provides nutritional programs for school children and the disadvantaged contending with food insecurity. It is the story of inequitable federal production and income programs and well-intentioned and often successful conservation and environmental programs that benefit urban and rural America. The history of American agriculture is complex with many parts, the synthesis of which enables us to better understand the American experience"-- Provided by publisher