ABSTRACT
American history is the transition from a rural agrarian world of farmers who toiled the land with hoes, plows and horses to an industrialized country where a small percentage of Americans work in agriculture. Agricultural or rural historians have had a difficult time precisely establishing a clear definition of their field. For this article, rural history is an inclusive conceptual approach that includes many sub-disciplines to explain the transition from rural America to industrial United States. Agricultural History publishes articles that “explore agricultural and rural life over time, in all geographies, and among all peoples.” Articles use “different methodologies to illuminate the history of farming, agricultural commodities and technologies, and the rural experience.” 1 This inclusive, interdisciplinary approach extends the historical focus beyond what much of the public traditionally considers agricultural history: farmers, crops, seeds, and farm production, to a “big tent” approach, creating a dynamic and varied field of inquiry. While the focus of this chapter is the United States, agricultural history is vital for all regions of the world. Today developing nations are facing complex issues of urbanization, industrialization, land and water, crop production, pollution and the environment. America’s experience of these complex historical processes could be instructive for the larger world’s future development.
