Tobacco Mechanization Sources

Lesson Plan

In this section, you will use what you learned about primary sources to analyze the mechanization of tobacco in North Carolina. You will then answer a DBQ based on the primary source collection and a collection of newspaper articles from the NC State Technician.

For this lesson plan you will utilize primary sources in the form of text documents and media images from the 20th century from the North Carolina State University Special Collections. The lesson plan will provide the interpretive questions to guide the students' analyses of the primary sources.

Purpose for Studying Agriculture-Related Primary Sources

Our group chose tobacco mechanization as a subject because of the multitude of sources. Tobacco, while controversial today, is an important part of the North Carolina economy. The questions we created are based on those in the sections of "What is a Primary Source?" but tailored to the tobacco mechanization primary sources.

• Agriculture is one of North Carolina’s main industries and it continues to thrive in the 21st century after decades of mechanization, changing demographics of farmers, and changing needs of the population.
• North Carolina is the top tobacco producing state in the nation. In 2011, North Carolina produced over 452 millions and contributed over $64 billion to the Gross National Product.
• Students will interpret for themselves the significance and effect of tobacco mechanization on North Carolina farmers and farm laborers.
• Students will understand that agriculture is a highly industrialized and captialistic endeavor.

Industrialization versus Mechanization

The industrialization of agriculture typically refers to the application of scientific and technological organizational advancements to the field of agriculture. An industrial organization of agriculture that does not involve mechanization could include a large scale use of labor. It also focuses on economic management and the distribution of agricultural products. 

The term "mechanization" refers to just the technological or machine-based developments. While all these advancements were important compenents in establishing agriculture as a major industry in North Carolina, this lesson plan only focuses on the mechanization of tobacco.