The Hopi Indians were farmers, subsisting off of corn, beans and squash while raising turkeys as livestock. Antelope, deer and small game supplemented this basic diet, as did nuts, fruits and herbs. During famines, the Hopi Indians ate dried greens, cactus fruits, berries, currants and roses.Know More
Agricultural duties were divided along gender lines. Men were primarily responsible for the fields, growing and harvesting the corn. Women sometimes aided them in the fields but also maintained fruit and vegetable gardens. They also handled the by-products of the growing season.
Squash formed an important, if small, cornerstone of the Hopi way of life. Not only was squash a staple food, it was also used to make utensils and instruments. During the 16th century, as Spanish settlers expanded into Hopi territory, the Hopi were also exposed to peaches, watermelon, chili peppers and different onion varieties that they incorporated into their daily diets.
Blue corn, also known as Hopi maize, was integral to the lives and diets of the Hopi people. It was used to make different kinds of cornbread and played a significant part during rituals. According to folklore, while other people chose the largest ears of corn, the Hopi chose the smallest blue one; it imbued eaters with strength, represented longevity and was associated with the winter solstice sunset.Learn More
The Dust Bowl was both a geographical location in the Midwest and a series of devastating droughts that crippled the economy in the 1930s by shutting down many farms and forcing farmers to leave in search of jobs that did not exist. The first of the droughts occurred when the Great Depression was underway, which meant work was scarce. Many former farmers ended up homeless.Full Answer >
The Agricultural Adjustment Act was fairly successful from a strictly financial perspective, providing $1,500,000,000 in benefit payments to farmers. However, widespread droughts from 1933 to 1936 affected one of the main goals of the program, which was to stabilize commodity prices. The Supreme Court declared the Agricultural Adjustment Act to be unconstitutional in 1936, and the program was replaced by a different initiative two years later.Full Answer >
The Whiskey Rebellion was triggered by a tax imposed on distilled liquors in 1791, which farmers in western Pennsylvania believed was unfair. It resulted in a strengthening of the recently established United States because the federal government demonstrated its ability to keep the union together.Full Answer >
American pioneers were primarily farmers by necessity. Farming was a way of survival and established a claim of land ownership. While farming was their primary occupation, pioneers were also hunters, trappers, loggers and carpenters.Full Answer >