True to his roots as a frontier farm boy, President Abraham Lincoln signed agricultural legislation that expanded and transformed American farming, including such significant reforms as the creation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Homestead Act, and the establishment of the Land Grant agricultural university system. Read more about Lincoln's agricultural legacy.
Lincoln's Milwaukee Speech
This speech to the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society on September 30, 1859 is Lincoln’s only extended public address on agriculture. Highlighting the national importance of agriculture as well as the need for innovation and labor reforms, he spoke as eloquently on agriculture as he did on other subjects.
Read Lincoln's entire speech.
Lincoln Legislation
In a three month span in 1862, Lincoln signed into law three important pieces of legislation that would have a profound and lasting impact on U.S. agriculture and society.
An Act to Establish a Department of Agriculture
Established the Department’s basic mission “to acquire and diffuse among the people of the United States useful information on subjects connected with agriculture in the most general and comprehensive sense of the word.”
Homestead Act Stimulated Western migration by offering qualified individuals 160 acres of public land for settlement and cultivation.
Morrill Land Grant College Act Provided public lands to U.S. states and territories for the establishment of colleges specializing in agricultural research and instruction.
Agriculture Then and Now
From the country’s founding, farming and farm culture have shaped the image of the U.S. as a nation of hardworking, independent, creative people. In the 21st century the U.S. continues to be a leading agricultural producer, but the
nature and scope of American farming have changed considerably since Lincoln’s time when almost half the population worked in agriculture.
Lincoln Building of the National Agricultural Library
In 1863, the first annual report of the new Department of Agriculture recommended the creation of an agricultural library to support the Department's mission of collecting and distributing agricultural information to the American people. This vision was fulfilled by the establishment of the National Agricultural Library. Lincoln's role in the creation of USDA is commemorated in the Abraham Lincoln Building which houses the Library today.
Additional Resources Find more information
about Abraham Lincoln's life and presidency and the history of USDA and U.S. agriculture.
