Agriculture and Transportation Revolution

agriculture

The deliberate effort to modify a portion of Earth's surface through the cultivation of crops and the raising of livestock for sustenance or economic gain.

Agricultural Revolution

A time when new inventions such as the seed drill and the steel plow made farming easier and faster. The production of food rose dramatically.

enclosure

the process of taking over and consolidating land formerly shared by peasant farmers

commons

land or resources belonging to or affecting the whole of a community.

graze

to feed on growing grass

broadcast

to sow seeds by throwing them over a field by hand

manure

animal dung used for fertilizing land

fodder

food, especially dried hay or feed, for cattle and other livestock.

crop rotation

The practice of rotating use of different fields from crop to crop each year, to avoid exhausting the soil.

seed drill

created by Jethro Tull, it allowed farmers to sow seeds in well-spaced rows at specific depths; this boosted crop yields

breed

a group of animals distinguished by a particular characteristic. Animals got hardier during the agricultural revolution.

industry

all the businesses that make one kind of product or provide one kind of service

capitalist economy

an economic system in which the market determines production, distribution, and price decisions, and property is privately owned

cast iron

A rigid, strong construction material made by adding carbon to iron

McAdam Roads

The building of new roads that made it an easier safer and faster travel conditions started by John McAdam . In the roads smaller stones topped the bigger set of stones theses roads would be a model for engineers later on.

Canals

human-made waterways

Locks

an enclosure with gates built in a canal or river so that ships can be raised or lowered by changing the water level

Steam Engine (James Watt)

A machine that turns the energy released by burning fuel into motion. Thomas Newcomen built the first crude but workable steam engine in 1712. James Watt vastly improved his device in the 1760s and 1770s. Steam power was then applied to machinery.

locomotive

a powered rail vehicle used for pulling trains

coal

A fossil fuel that forms underground from partially decomposed plant material

Lassez-faire economics

economic system where government should not interfere in the marketplace