18th Century American Technology

American and British Technology in the 18th Century In Europe and America, one of the many technological innovations of the eighteenth century was the improvement in agricultural tools. One of the most useful materials in Western societies for the construction of agricultural tools was wood. However, wood was also used for the construction of houses and tools for other occupations besides agriculture. In addition, wood was used for cooking fuel and heating and it was essential for the necessities of the people in the eighteenth century. When agriculture started to become more popular, people modified their tools for more efficient ones. Some of the principal tools for agriculture were “the plow, harrow, sickle, flail, and mill stone” (Cross and Szostack 5). …show more content…
This heavy tool was drawn by horses or oxen and the person who was in charge had to walk behind the horses to control the plow and maintain it straight lines. Unlike the plow, the harrow was not used for loosen the soil but to break up the lumps of soil that were left by the plow. This tool was also drawn by horses or oxen with a person behind to control the harrow. Another agricultural tool was the sickle. This tool was longer than a regular knife with a curved tip. The sickle was used for harvesting purposes, because of its curved tip, it was easy to cut the grain or the cob. The flail was another agricultural tool popular in the eighteenth century. This tool was used for threshing after harvesting the farmers had to separate the grains from the husks. The flail was made of two sticks (one longer than the other) attached with a chain so that they can move. After harvesting, farmers placed the grains in the ground and then began to hit them with the flails to separate the grains from the plant. Finally, the millstone was used to grind the grains once they have been separated from the plant. It was made of two