At the time of the American revolution, roughly 90% of the population in our original colonies said they were farmers. To be clear, the vast majority of the 4 million people counted in the 1790 census were small-scale, self-sufficient family farmers. They grew crops and raised livestock primarily to feed their own families, rather than for commercial sale.
Looking specifically at our founding fathers, historians heavily debate the exact number of “farmers” among this group due to the distinction between a hands-on agriculturalist and a wealthy “planter” who relied on enslaved labor.
Out of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, estimates range from nine to 24 signers who primarily identified as or operated as farmers and planters. No matter which number you take, that’s a much higher percentage than today’s farming population.
George Washington & Thomas Jefferson both were incredibly active in their farms. Washington managed Mount Vernon using advanced seven-year crop rotations and livestock breeding. Jefferson ran Monticello, introduced hundreds of new crop varieties to America, and even redesigned the moldboard plow.
James Madison and James Monroe both were Virginian Presidents and both were prominent planters. Madison was an early advocate for ecological balance, warning his fellow countrymen to farm in “symmetry with nature” to avoid ruining the soil.
Benjamin Franklin was certainly not a farmer, but a printer and diplomat by trade. Yet Franklin was fascinated by agricultural science. He pioneered early experiments using gypsum as fertilizer to restore depleted soils.
I suppose the one founding father that home gardeners today would be most aligned with is John Adams. Unlike the large-scale Southern planters, Adams owned a smaller, traditional New England farm in Quincy, Massachusetts. He was deeply passionate about hands-on gardening, composting, and the physical labor of working the earth.
Unlike the ornamental or highly experimental gardens of his contemporaries, John Adams viewed farming and gardening as a moral discipline and civic exercise. He cherished getting his hands in the dirt and manure, believing agriculture was the most honest way to acquire wealth and the true foundation of American independence.
His core philosophy and practices around his farm were varied. Adams believed that agricultural labor naturally grounded an individual, and his wife Abigail famously welcomed his gardening obsession as a way for him to work off his fiery temper.
Unlike Jefferson, who experimented from his desk, Adams insisted on doing the heavy, practical work himself. He focused on practical, staple crops like corn, beans, and squash, and spent hours daily digging and planting.
He loved scientific experimentation on his land. He dedicated significant energy to improving soil health, specifically experimenting with various fertilizers.
Ideologically, Adams believed that small-scale, independent farmers were the foot soldiers of the infant nation and the true guardians of liberty. He even chiseled the promotion of agriculture into the Constitution of Massachusetts in 1779.
Today, fewer than two percent of Americans make their living in production agriculture. Most of us buy our food from a grocery store and rarely think about the people, the land, or the work behind it.
Yet many of the principles our founders admired still hold true. The concept of stewardship of the land and self-reliance easily come to mind. There is such an incredible satisfaction of growing something with your own hands.
Here in our part of the world, we may not all farm for a living, but thousands of families still tend a vegetable garden, raise a few chickens, manage timber, fish in a farm pond, or care for a few acres they’ve worked hard to own. In many ways, that connection to the land hasn’t disappeared—it has simply changed.
I just learned a quote from John Adams that I like very much: “I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.” He hoped future generations would have the freedom to pursue whatever calling they chose.
Two hundred fifty years after the Declaration of Independence, perhaps one of the best ways to celebrate that freedom is to spend a little time outdoors—working in the garden, walking your property, or simply appreciating the land that continues to sustain us.
Happy Independence Day.
