29. .Immigration to America

Story of Am. people – the story of Im. 75%are not Americans. Migration began 20000y.ago.”Native Am.”–from Asia. They settled South Am. & North Am.1607-Gr.Br.founded 1^st settlement in Virginia–Jamestown. People seeked for religious freedom, land & wealth.1620-Pilgrims founded Plymouth (now Massachusetts). By 1700 there were13 Brit. Colonies, governed by Br. Parliament. Taxes were high, people were dissatisfied. The Am. Revolutionary War (1775-1783) established the independence of US. People immigrated from Holland, Germ, France, Spain, Scotl. Among the flood of immigrants one group of people came unwillingly-Africans. About 500 000 were brought as slaves b/n 1619-1808. 1840-1860-largest wave of immigrants (Irish saved from famine). During Civil War gov-nt encouraged by land immigr., who would served as troops. By 1896 > than half of all im-s were from Eastern and Northern Europe. Im. from Germ, West. & South. Europe. During1880–many jews. The USA was becoming known as a welcoming place for all people. Very soon Congress limited the number of im-s. In 1990s were passed laws, reducing Im., espec. From Asia. It began to pass laws barring the entry of certain types of im-s. The US refused to accept im-s who were prostitutes, convicts, in-sane, mentally regarded, beggars, revolutionaries, people suffering from serious deseases and children without at least 1 parent. These rules only held back 1% of all im-s. Congress tried to deny entry to im-s who couldn’t read or write. US took in refugees, skilled workers. Today–many Hispanics, Chinese, Europeans. Many illegal Immigr. Today there are about 1,4 mln of native Am.(0,6 % of the total population).

30. American agriculture.

From the earliest days, the sight of farmers working the land has been at the heart of the American experience. Outward forms have changed, but the vital importance of agriculture has not. Now, as then, agriculture provides the sustenance that meets people's most basic needs. Agriculture represents a bond of continuity between present and past, linking new generations with the rhythms and dreams of generations of long ago. Today the average American farm comprises 462 acres. historical overview The first American farmers, the Native Americans, helped European settlers to adapt European methods and crops to the soil and climate of North America. The settlers achieved this adaptation with relative ease. North American agriculture came to be based upon a multitude of small freeholdings or "family farms". Except in a few heavily settled areas, American farms tended to be scattered and isolated. Prominent agriculturists like Jefferson helped to popularize ideas of a more scientific approach to farming being advanced by European advocates. Such practices as crop rotation and the liming of fields spread rapidly in the years after American independence. Technology played a key role in the rapid growth of farm output in the United States. Throughout the 19th century, one new invention or tool followed another in rapid succession. The scythe and cradle replaced the sickle for harvesting grain. By the time of the Civil War machines were taking over the tasks of haying, threshing, mowing, cultivating and planting. A large agricultural industry had grown up. The government act establishing the free-land policy was known as the Homestead Act. Adopted in 1862 the act offered a farm, a "homestead," of 160 acres of land to each family of settlers. In later years, the government provided means by which families could acquire still larger acreages at little or no cost. The Homestead Act confirmed the existing pattern of small, family farms. It helped to drain surplus population away from the eastern states and to build up the population of independent farmers. CURRENT FARM POLICIES • Acreage Limitations. On the theory that overproduction is a chief cause of low farm prices, the government encourages farmers to plant fewer acres. This policy began with the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933, a key New Deal law that offered special subsidies to farmers who agreed to remove part of their land from production.• Price Supports. Certain basic commodities are eligible for price supports, which come in the form of a loan from a government agency • Deficiency Payments. More important than price-support loans are deficiency payments, which are a direct form of income support for farmers. Congress sets a "target price" for various crops. To receive any benefit, farmers must take some of their land out of production. If the market price that the farmers receive when they sell the crop falls short of the target price, they receive a check from the government to make up the difference. Deficiency payments are limited to $50,000 a year. • Marketing Orders. A few crops, including lemons and oranges, are subject to outright restrictions on marketing. So-called "marketing orders" limit the amount of a crop that a grower can send to market week by week. By restricting sales, such orders are intended to increase the prices that farmers receive. The restrictions are applied by committees of producers within a particular state or region. • Farm Credit. Access to borrowed money has always been regarded by farmers as crucial to their operations. As early as 1916, the federal government began to provide assistance to private and cooperative farm credit programs. • Soil Conservation. Some federal programs are aimed specifically at promoting soil conservation. Under one program, for example, the government shares with farmers the cost of seeding unused land to grass or legumes in order to reduce the danger of erosion.• Providing Water for Irrigation. A federal system of dams and irrigation canals provides water at subsidized prices to farmers in 16 western states. Subsidized water helps to grow 18% of the nation's cotton, 14 % of its barley, 12 % of its rice and 3 % of its wheat. AMERICAN AGRICULTURE TODAY The successes of American agriculture are easy to see—and many farmers are quick to boast of them. The United States produces as much as half of the world's soybeans and corn for grain, and from 10 to 25 percent of its cotton, wheat, tobacco and vegetable oils. American agriculture is big business. The term "agribusiness" has been coined to reflect the large-scale nature of agricultural enterprise in the modern U.S. economy. Agribusiness includes farmer cooperatives, rural banks, shippers of farm products, commodity dealers, firms that manufacture farm equipment, food-processing industries, grocery chains and many other businesses. American consumers pay far less for their food than the people of many other industrial countries. The standard of living of American farmers is generally high. Incomes of farm families average about three-quarters of those of nonfarm families, but because farm families' living expenses are lower, their standard of living is close to the national average. However, American agriculture has a dark side too. A period of economic difficulty began in the early 1980s. Crop prices fell and interest rates rose. Many farmers lost their farms and equipment, which were sold off to satisfy the farmers' debts. In dozens of farm communities, the crisis caused the closing of banks, farmer cooperatives and small businesses. In 1987, there were slightly more than 2 million farms in the United State. Slightly more than 86 percent of the total number of farms are owned by individuals or families. Some 67,000 farms are owned by corporations, but most of those corporations are owned by families. Although family farms are not disappearing, smaller farms are disappearing.