This term refers to the policies or actions taken by the government to support small-scale, independent farmers who owned their own land (yeoman farmers) in the early United States.
Think of aid yeoman farmers as a school's financial aid program. Just like how a school provides scholarships and grants to help students afford tuition, the government provided various forms of assistance (like land grants) to help these small-scale farmers thrive.
Homestead Act: A law passed in 1862 that gave 160 acres of public land to any settler who would farm the land for five years.
Jeffersonian Democracy: The political philosophy of Thomas Jefferson that advocated for agrarianism, limited government, and states' rights - all principles that supported yeoman farming.
Sharecropping: A system where tenant farmers give a part of each crop as rent. This was another form of farming prevalent during this period but unlike yeoman farming, it often led to cycles of debt and poverty.
Study guides for the entire semester
200k practice questions
Glossary of 50k key terms - memorize important vocab
© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.
AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.