The Plantation Hoe: The Rise and Fall of an Atlantic Commodity, 1650–1850

What is it about?

The plantation hoe was ubiquitous in the early Atlantic world. Yet it has no history. Indeed, it appears not to need one. It was a crude, archaic tool requiring no explanation. This article argues otherwise. The records of manufacturers & planters reveal the hoe as a dynamic article, well adapted to different plantation environments and undergoing successive re-designs across the 17th & 18th centuries.

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Why is it important?

This research argues that the making of hoes relied upon product innovation, flexible manufacturing networks, and niche marketing targeted at (and responsive to) transatlantic customers – features more commonly associated with high-end consumer goods.