McCormick reaper

President Andrew Jackson

Summary and Definition of McCormick reaper
Definition and Summary: The McCormick reaper was a mechanical horse-drawn reaping machine invented by Cyrus McCormick in 1831. The McCormick reaper speeded the process of harvesting wheat and other small crops by replacing the manual process of cutting of grain crops using scythes and sickles to harvesting with a machine. This invention saved farm workers from hours of back breaking labor, increased productivity and revolutionized farming methods. Although the McCormick reaper was invented in 1831 it did not come into general use until 1845 and was a Important invention in the American industrial revolution.

McCormick Reaper for kids
Andrew Jackson was the 7th American President who served in office from March 4, 1829 to March 4, 1837. One of the important events during his presidency was the invention of the McCormick reaper.

 

     
   

McCormick reaper

The McCormick reaper

The McCormick reaper for kids: What is a reaper?
A reaper is a person, or a farming machine, that reaps (gathers and cuts) crops at harvest, when they are ripe. The McCormick mechanical reaper replaced the manual cutting of the crop with scythes and sickles.

The McCormick reaper for kids: Wheat in the North
The climate of the Northern states was ideal for the production of wheat. The early farmers only had wooden plows to break the grass cover and roots of the turf. In 1819 Jethro Wood patented an iron-bladed plow then in 1837, John Deere engineered a plow with sharp-edged steel blades that cut cleanly through the sod. This invention reduced the amount of labor required to prepare an acre for farming by half. However, the invention of the mechanical reaper by Cyrus McCormick, and its use in the Northern states, equaled the importance that the 1793 Eli Whitney Cotton Gin and the development of the Samuel Slater cotton mills had made to the Southern States.

The McCormick reaper for kids: What crops are reaped?
The grain crops that are reaped include wheat, rye, oats and maize.

Cyrus McCormick Mechanical Reaper for kids: Wheat
The
success of wheat growing on the agriculture industry depended upon the ability quickly to harvest the crop. The process is as follows:

● Wheat must be allowed to stand until it is fully ripened
● When ripe it had to be quickly reaped and stored away out of the reach of the wet rain which would ruin the crop
● Every year at harvest time this led to a few weeks in which there was there was a huge demand for labor on the wheat farms
● The problem was that there was little labor to be had and the cost of the labor was high

Cyrus McCormick solved this problem for the wheat farmers by inventing a horse drawn, mechanical reaper. His design was pulled by horses and cut the grain to one side of the horse team.

McCormick reaper for kids
The info about the McCormick reaper provides interesting facts and important information about this important event that occured during the presidency of the 7th President of the United States of America.

Cyrus McCormick Mechanical Reaper for kids: Facts, Biography and Timeline
Interesting Cyrus McCormick Mechanical Reaper Facts and Timeline for kids are detailed below. The history of the Cyrus McCormick Mechanical Reaper is told in a factual timeline sequence consisting of a series of short facts providing a simple method of relating the
history of the Cyrus McCormick Mechanical Reaper.

Cyrus McCormick Biography and Mechanical Reaper Timeline and Facts for kids

Mechanical Reaper Timeline Fact 1: The inventor of the mechanical reaper was Cyrus Hall McCormick (1809–1884)

Mechanical Reaper Timeline Fact 2: 1809: Cyrus McCormick was born on February 15, 1809 in Rockbridge County, Virginia. He was the eldest of 8 children born to Robert McCormick and Mary Ann "Polly" Hall

Mechanical Reaper Timeline Fact 3: Cyrus McCormick was raised on the 1200 acre family farm in "Walnut Grove", north of Lexington, Virginia

Mechanical Reaper Timeline Fact 4: Cyrus McCormick had a limited education at local schools

Mechanical Reaper Timeline Fact 5: His father, Robert McCormick, had a family blacksmith shop and Cyrus worked with his father as he tried various methods to invent a mechanical reaper.

Mechanical Reaper Timeline Fact 6: 1824: Cyrus McCormick invented a lightweight cradle for carting harvested grain at the age of 15

Mechanical Reaper Timeline Fact 7: Robert McCormick was unsuccessful in his efforts to invent an efficient mechanical reaper but Cyrus, realizing the importance of a mechanical reaper, continued the quest using his father's basic design

Mechanical Reaper Timeline Fact 8: 1831: Cyrus McCormick invents the horse drawn, McCormick mechanical reaper

Mechanical Reaper Timeline Fact 9: 1833: Obed Hussey of Ohio patented a mechanical reaper called the Hussey Reaper

Mechanical Reaper Timeline Fact 11: Hussey's machine used a saw-like cutter bar which cut stalks far more effectively than McCormick's. It was therefore deemed of better quality than the invention of Cyrus and achieved a greater financial success
Mechanical Reaper Timeline Fact 12: 1837: The Panic of 1837 left Cyrus in considerable debt - he turned his attention to improving his harvesting machine

Mechanical Reaper Timeline Fact 13: 1843: Cyrus McCormick had increased his sales to 50 machines a year - but they were local sales.

Mechanical Reaper Timeline Fact 14: 1846: Cyrus McCormick moved to Chicago, a central hub for wheat growers with good transportation links that was a good location to expand his market

Mechanical Reaper Timeline Fact 15: 1847: He opens a factory in Chicago - his goal is to sell 500 machines for the 1848 harvest

Mechanical Reaper Timeline Fact 16: 1850: Cyrus McCormick acquires the rights to Obed Hussey's cutter-bar mechanism and improved the quality of his own machines and his business boomed

Mechanical Reaper Timeline Fact 17: 1851: The Crystal Palace Exhibition in London. McCormick and Hussey went head to head in a competition between their machines - Cyrus won

Mechanical Reaper Timeline Fact 18: 1855: The use of the horse reaper was adding £55 million dollars to the wealth of the country every year

Mechanical Reaper Timeline Fact 19: 1858: Cyrus McCormick married Nancy Maria Fowler, they would have 7 children together

Mechanical Reaper Timeline Fact 20: 1884: Cyrus McCormick died in Chicago on May 13, 1884

Mechanical Reaper Timeline Fact 21: 1902: McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. amalgamated with other companies to form International Harvester Company

Cyrus McCormick Biography and Mechanical Reaper Timeline and Facts for kids

McCormick reaper for kids - President Andrew Jackson Video
The article on the McCormick reaper provides an overview of one of the Important issues of his presidential term in office. The following Andrew Jackson video will give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 7th American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1829 to March 4, 1837.

McCormick reaper

● Interesting Facts about McCormick reaper for kids and schools
● Key events McCormick reaper for kids
● The McCormick reaper, a Important event in US history
● Andrew Jackson Presidency from March 4, 1829 to March 4, 1837
● Fast, fun, interesting timeline about Important events
● Foreign & Domestic policies of President Andrew Jackson
● McCormick reaper for schools, homework, kids and children

McCormick reaper - US History - Facts - Important Event - McCormick reaper - Definition - American - US - USA History - McCormick reaper - America - Dates - United States History - US History for Kids - Children - Schools - Homework - Important - Facts - History - United States History - Important - Events - History - Interesting - McCormick reaper - Info - Information - American History - Facts - Historical - Important Events - McCormick reaper

ⓒ 2017 Siteseen Limited First Published Cookies Policy Author
Updated 2018-01-09 Publisher Siteseen Limited Privacy Statement