AP Euro Module Five Lesson Two Assignment One

  • The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge Advocates the Potato

    This organization was focused on promoting new scientific methods and findings that were then used in the Agricultural Revolution. The society also advocated for the potato as a crop that could help solve famines and it soon became a European staple.
  • Norfolk Four Course Crop Rotation

    This farming system utilized crop rotation by planting wheat one year, turnips the second year, then barley the next, and some type of grazing crop the last year. This allowed farmers to get the most use out of their land and maintain healthy soil and animals.
  • Jethro Tull and the Seed Drill

    Jethro Tull invented the Seed Drill, which was a device that could place seeds in the ground. It was meant to replace planting by hand and made farming much more efficient.
  • Land Conversion, Drainage, and Reclamation Programs

    These programs were created to help increase the amount of fertile, arable land. It involved converting regular land into agricultural land and building new farms on this fresh land.
  • Dutch and Rotherham Swing (wheel less) Plough

    This plough did not include wheels and was much easier for horses to pull than other ploughs. As a result of it being easier, it also became more efficient as a Plough.
  • Charles "Turnip" Townshend

    Charles Townshend was the European who introduced the concept of crop rotation. This crop rotation was where alternating crops would be planted each year, instead of the same ones, so that the soil was able to stay healthy and full of nutrients.
  • Robert Bakewell, Thomas Coke, and the Development of Selective Breeding

    Robert Bakewell and Thomas Coke were agriculturalists who introduced selective breeding during the Agricultural Revolution. The selective breeding process involves a person purposely choosing two animals to mate with each other in order to try and maintain certain characteristics in following generations.
  • Arthur Young

    Arthur Young was an influential man during the Agricultural Revolution who published works about agricultural advancements, boosting the movement even further. He promoted many new inventions such as the seed drill.
  • Development of a National Market

    This was a market meant to help boost the wealth of nations. Its development in Europe was heavily influenced by the capitalist beliefs of Adam Smith.
  • Enclosure Act

    This law allowed more farmers to enclose their land and essentially created property rights for many pieces of land that were previously common.