Source: Adapted from a report on agriculture in the Red River Valley, The Atlantic Monthly, 1880.
"The business of farming in the wheat regions of the Northwest is being rapidly concentrated in the hands of men of large capital... The 'bonanza' farm is a factory for the production of wheat, where the laborers are hired, paid, and discharged just as they are in a cotton mill or a shoe factory. The old-fashioned homestead farm, where the owner lives with his family and works his own land, is being steadily crowded out by these giant enterprises."
Which of the following was a direct social or economic consequence of the trend described in the excerpt?
- The transition of agricultural labor toward seasonal, wage-earning employment and the economic marginalization of small homesteadersAnswer
- BThe federal government's strict enforcement of laissez-faire policies that prohibited large corporations from acquiring public lands
- CThe successful passage of Populist-sponsored federal legislation that dismantled corporate farms and redistributed land to family farmers
- DA widespread shift of the western population away from market-oriented farming toward self-sufficient subsistence agriculture
Answer
The transition of agricultural labor toward seasonal, wage-earning employment and the economic marginalization of small homesteaders
The correct answer is correct because the rise of bonanza farms represented the industrialization of western agriculture. By applying factory-like division of labor and high capital investment, these corporate farms relied on seasonal wage laborers instead of independent family farmers. This consolidation made it increasingly difficult for traditional homesteaders to compete, leading to their economic marginalization.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Agribusiness and consolidation of farming in the late nineteenth century
Estimated Time:1m 30s