PROVIDES A SOLID FOUNDATION FOR UNDERSTANDING AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL HISTORY AND OFFERS NEW DIRECTIONS FOR RESEARCH

A Companion to American Agricultural History provides readers with a solid foundation for understanding America's complex agricultural past. Broad in topical and historical scope, the volume brings together more than thirty original essays exploring the key aspects of American agriculture from 8, 000 BCE to the present. The Companion presents well-balanced coverage of diverse themes, issues, and perspectives--combining a succinct and accessible overview of American agricultural history with a state-of-the-art assessment of field-defining works and modern scholarship.

Throughout the text, established scholars and emerging voices in the field offer analytical suggestions for innovative research areas and examine the ways America's agricultural history is interwoven with the many dimensions of the American experience. Individual essays address a uniquely wide range of topics, including the origin and development of agricultural politics and policies, transformative changes in science and technology, representations of agriculture in the arts, and new insights gained through interdisciplinary lenses of race, class, gender, and the environment.

A Companion to American Agricultural History is an ideal introductory text for undergraduate students and general readers seeking a concise overview of the subject, and an invaluable reference work for graduate students and scholars wanting to learn about a particular aspect of American agricultural history.