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I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute.
Ethnic groups played an important part in early American agriculture. German immigrants brought different practices and traditions than English, Scottish, or Irish farmers, for example. But many immigrants began their careers in agriculture as wage laborers.
Merchants and artisans hired teenaged workers paying their transportation from Europe and putting them to work in factories. Merchants often bought that wool and flax from farm families and employed newly arrived immigrants who had been textile workers in Ireland and Germany. Over time, they earned enough money to buy a piece of land.
That’s today’s American Agriculture History Minute. I’m Mark Oppold. Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next time.