His invention revolutionized farming by combining many steps involved in harvesting crops into one machine. In the decades following McCormick's first attempts to bring mechanical aid to McCormick's father had earlier tried to invent a mechanical device for harvesting but gave up on it. New machines and new improvements in transportation helped farmers plant more acres of Cyrus McCormick was more than an inventor; he was responsible for revolutionizing agriculture throughout the country.
The reaping machine commonly referred to as the mechanical reaper was invented by Cyrus McCormick and Obed Hussey in 1833 and 1834. Wentworth Cheswell: Biography & Role in the Revolutionary War 8:52 Tariff of 1816: Definition & Significance 6:26 It was said that before McCormick's machinery changed farming forever, families would have to struggle to cut enough grain during the fall to last them until the next harvest. The This machine proved to be the answer for wheat farmers because it increased food production as well as made harvesting easier. By using ThoughtCo, you accept ourBiography of Cyrus McCormick, Inventor of the Mechanical ReaperInventions and Inventors of the Agricultural RevolutionAmerican Farm Machinery and Technology Changes from 1776-1990What Is Grain Alcohol and How Is It Used in Spirits?The 1794 Whiskey Rebellion: History and SignificanceNotable American Inventors of the Industrial RevolutionFarming and Agriculture Vocabulary for ESL Students One such invention was the mechanical reaper. Confident he had worked out the tricky mechanics of the device, McCormick demonstrated it at a local gathering place, Steele's Tavern. 8:01 There were several new inventions that allowed for the mass production of products, especially in the field of agriculture. Environmental Science 101: Environment and Humanity The Treaty of Ghent: Summary & Significance College English Composition: Help and Review 6:20 And that meant farmhands going off to war had less impact on grain production. One farmer, highly skilled at swinging at scythe, might only be able to harvest two acres of grain in a day.With a reaper, one man with a horse could harvest large fields in a day.
President Andrew Jackson and the Age of the Common Man A reaper is a person, or a farming machine, that reaps (gathers and cuts) crops at harvest, when they are ripe. Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811: Definition, Summary & Facts History 102: Western Civilization II
Agricultural Societies: Definition, History & Distinguishing Features
The invention of the mechanical reaper drastically changed the lives and yields of grain farmers.
Eli Whitney and Interchangeable Parts: Definition & History Criminal Justice 101: Intro to Criminal Justice credit-by-exam regardless of age or education level.Not sure what college you want to attend yet? Anyone can earn
The machine had some innovative features that would make it possible for a farmer to harvest grain faster than could ever be done by hand.As the demonstration was later described, local farmers were at first puzzled by the peculiar contraption that looked like a sled with some machinery on top of it. The Proclamation of Neutrality: Definition & Significance But in the summer of 1831 the son took up the job and labored for about six weeks in the family blacksmith shop. Psychology 106: Abnormal Psychology Psychology 105: Research Methods in Psychology
New machines and new improvements in transportation helped farmers plant more acres of Create an advertisement for the McCormick mechanical reaper. - Definition and Difference Between Narrow-Spectrum & Broad-Spectrum The Revolution of 1800: Definition & Overview In the first American Census in 1890, 90% of all Americans lived on farms.
The machinery began to move, and it was suddenly apparent that the horse pulling the device was doing all the physical work. Land Conservation: Criteria For Evaluation of Land and Most Endangered Lands in the US Alternative Pest Control Methods for Agricultural Use
You can test out of the 7:20 By 1860, more than 100,000 reapers were in use on Western farms.