Paper Example on Effects of the Plow on Society

Introduction

Farming is regarded as one of the oldest industries in the world's history. An important implement that has been part and parcel of agriculture over the history of farming is the plow. Over millennia, the plow has played a critical component in the growth and development of humans, especially in matters relating to food production. A core agricultural implement for farmers for centuries, the plow played the role of breaking the soil, turning it over and cutting furrows to prepare fields for planting. This way, farmers were able to make their farmlands adequately for crop production, enabling society to sustain itself over millions of millennia. Even today, societies rely on the plow to till, cultivate and weed their farmlands though some cultures use a more mechanized version of the implement than others.

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History of the Plow

Despite the extraordinary influence of the plow on human development, it is still not clear to historians on when exactly did humans adopt the use of the plow as a farming implement. This is due to the lack of archeological evidence on the period it was introduced as a farming concept in the history of the human race. However, historians in agreement in terms of belief that the plow existed 4000 years ago in both ancient Egypt and Sumer but there is also little evidence to substantiate on where it was first introduced as a farming implement, which ancient inhabitants introduced it and where it was first used in cultivating land(Pryor 727; Jones ploughmen.co.uk). Lack of sufficient evidence on origins notwithstanding, the plow has been located in many ancient societies.

In predicting the origins of the plow, historians use evidence on agricultural practices in the ancient times. They consider the technical aspects of the tool or agrarian practices of underdeveloped societies. According to Lal, settled agriculture began at least 10 million millennia ago on the banks of river Tigris, Euphrates, and the Nile, among others (66). Due to the need to practice efficient agriculture, implements such as the plow may have developed. As Lal, explains the agricultural needs along the banks of rivers Tigris, Nile and Euphrates led to the development of prehistoric tools such as a short-handled forked branch (it evolved into a hoe) and hockey-shaped stick called an ard. It is the ard that later developed into the plow and was majorly used alluvial and loess-derived soils of ancient societies (66-67). Source: Ploughmen.co.uk

Besides the Egyptians and the Sumerians, the plow was an important agricultural implement for the Romans during the height of their political dominance of the world. They used the plow to till land and farm produce which were vital resources for the expansion of the Roman Empire. Although the plow played a significant part in the rise and sustainability of the empire, it was still a rudimental technology made of simple stirring sticks. It is through the Roman rule that the plow technology spread to the Anglo-Saxons whose leaders made it mandatory for farmers to make their own plows for use in their land (Jones ploughmen.co.uk). Horses were important animals that helped in making these innovations workable as they were used as a source of energy to pull the plow. As history records, more societies continued to embrace the plow technology and its use became an integral part of the economic activities of people in the ancient times. Years of improvements paved the way for better versions in later centuries. Source: Ploughmen.co.uk

The English, the Scottish and the French are among the notable Europeans who further modified the plow to suit their agricultural needs. For instance, Joseph Foljambe of Rotherham advanced the older version of the plow by constructing a plow using wooden fittings and iron. In 1763, John Small, applied mathematical calculations and science to develop the mouldboard shape of the plow which was considered more efficient in turning the soil with less force and wear on the horses involved and the plowman(Jones Jones ploughmen.co.uk). Small's design represented a further significant improvement of the earlier plow, creating the platform for the development of the modern mouldboard plow

The use of the mouldboard plow spread to many other parts of the world as the ideal implement for agricultural production. In the United States, Small's technology was introduced in the 18th century as a new wave migration occurred from Europe to the New World. As farmers sought more efficient farming techniques, more designs were developed. For instance, the mouldboard plow used in the United States was designed by Thomas Jefferson in 1784 and patented by Charles Newfold in 1796(Lal et al. 3). Like his predecessors, Jefferson sought to bridge the deficiencies of the earlier designs. After observing the weaknesses of European-made plows, Jefferson redesigned the moldboard using wood. Courtesy of the National Museum of American History

Jefferson's design was popularized through marketing by Vermont blacksmith John Deere in the 1830s. Deere oversaw the replacement of the wooden moldboard with iron moldboard. In the early 20th century, the use of plows expanded exponentially with the introduction of the steam horse in 2010, paving the way for the rise tractor-driven pillows in the 1940s (Lal et al. 3).

Impacts of the Plow on Society

The plow played a critical role in the exploitation of land resources in the ancient times for food production which resulted in migrations. Early agriculture developed along river banks where there was adequate availability of alluvial soils (Lal 66).Due to the efficiency of the implement, it implies that people in the ancient times managed to produce sufficient food for their consumption. When populations access vital resources such as food, reproduction easily increases, further resulting in population expansion. History has shown that when human populations expand, resources upon which such societies depend on for survival are strained. As a reaction, exploitation of the land along river banks led some ancient settlers to move away from the river banks in search of new farming opportunities.

Besides diminishing size of agricultural vis-a-vis the population the population, the invention of the plow resulted in excessive tilling of land. According to Lal et al., excessive use of land results in several adverse effects on the populations, including soil erosion and reduction of crop yields (66). In a scenario where crop yields decline, people are likely to suffer not only from hunger but also from diseases related to lack of food. Considering that rudimentary technologies existed during the ancient times, it can be conjectured the inhabitants of the areas where the implement was widely used may have been affected by pestilence and other diseases. As a consequence, people died during these periods as evidenced in the Black that devastated Europe and some parts of Asia in the mid 14th century.

Creating the ground for agrarian revolution is a landmark contribution of the plow in Europe. As noted earlier in the discussion, the moldboard plow helped farmers to cultivate difficult clay soils that were previously avoided by farmers (Lal et al.3-4).This development was critical in the sense that its adoption in areas that were not used before resulted in more land being cultivated for food production. As it can be generally expected, cultivation of more land may have created the need to develop better ways of utilizing the vast tracts of land that were tilled by the plow innovations. In effect, there was a fundamental evolution in agricultural techniques in England and other parts of Europe.

The shift in agricultural practices in Europe contributed to the rise of the value of land in Europe as more people saw the value of agriculture. One particular outcome of the agrarian revolution is the development of commercial agriculture (Jones). That is, farmers no longer planted crops for their own consumption but also increased the trade in the form of exports. The increased value of land led to increased migration especially from Western Europe to the United States as populations sought for new economic and farming opportunities in the world due to reduced availability of land in these countries. A country like England, for instance, the land was owned by a few people, especially those from aristocrats. This arrangement made peasants and other citizens that that did not own land to seek opportunities in the New World. Such wave of migration would completely alter the geopolitics of the Americas in the later centuries.

In the United States, the plow enabled people to settle areas were uninhabited before to practice agriculture. For instance, the innovation of Deere which made it possible for farmers to till the land with mud and clay soils in the plains of central America and the Western parts of the country(Lal at al. 5). The effect of the iron plow is that, like in the medieval times, attracted may settler farmers to take over the undeveloped and unclaimed land in the US. The wave of settlement was due to the assurance of the plow to create value for the unsettled lands. This is critical in the history of America as made these areas to be important regions of agriculture in the country, a feature that is present even today.

Settlement in areas that were originally uninhabited created footprint for the rise of towns. As a common practice, farm produce was gathered and prepared for shipment or transportation to the areas of need. The centres were merchants and farmers met slowly developed into agricultural towns. Many towns in the South traced their roots to agricultural activities. The growth of urban areas further resulted in migration and settlement of people in towns as the allure of urban life become more appealing than the rural life.

The plow has also played a vital role in the mechanization of agriculture in the US. During the ancient and medieval times, oxen and horses were used respectively to pull the plow. Due to the modification of the plow by Deere, it required more force to for the furrows to cut through the land. As motor-engines developed at the turn of the 20th century, agriculture in the US witnessed a considerable modification of the plow, resulting in the creation of the tractor-pulled moldboard plow. As Lal et al. indicate, by 1940s, there were at least 2 million tractors in the United States (3). The development of the tractor saw vast tracts of land tilled within record times and the phenomenal rise in agricultural production. As agricultural production increased, incomes of farmers increased, making commercial agriculture one of the most lucrative investments of the century.

Conclusion

As a conclusion, the plow is as old as the history of civilization. Over millennia, the implement has significantly impacted on society. From the ancient times n Egypt, medieval Europe to the 18th century America, the legacy of the plow can be felt in many ways. In both the modern and ancient times, the plow contributed exponential population growth due to adequate food production. The need to satisfy the food demands contributed to large settlements of previously uninhabited regions for food production. In the 19th century America, the plow led to mechanization of commercial agriculture and growth of agricultural towns. This development gave rise to the tractors. However, on the other hand, the plow has led to excessive use of land resulting in decreased agricultural productivity in some areas. The adverse effects notwithstanding, plow funds global economies today and feeds billions of people around the globe. These contributions underscore the enduring legacy of its invention and evolution.

Works Cited

Jones, Alan. "History of the Plough." The Society of Ploughmen, 2018, www.ploughmen.co.uk/about-us/history-of-the-plou...