In the period 1865-1900, technology, government policy, and economic conditions all changed American agriculture a great deal. New farming machinery had a large role in the late 19th century, giving farmers the opportunity to produce many more crops than they had ever been able to previously. The railroads had an enormous influence on agriculture. They were able to charge the farmers large fees, expenses that farmers barely had enough to cover, in order to transport their goods throughout the expansive country. The booming industry also changed American agriculture, creating monopolies and gaining incredible wealth with which the farmers simply could not compete. Economically, the monetary policy along with the steadily dropping prices of agricultural produce led farmers further into debt, eventually producing outcomes such as the crop-lien system and sharecropping. All of these tie into government policy, which, more often then not, favored the large and wealthy industries and monopolies over the farmers.…
Towards the end of the 19th Century, agricultural discontent was growing among the nation's farmers. In the South, cotton that was selling for roughly 30 cents per pound after the Civil War was, at times, worth under six cents in the 1890's. Wheat from the Midwest that had sold at $1.50 per bushel after the Civil War brought in 60 cents in the 1890's. The nation's agricultural base was tired of getting the raw deal from politicians, and finally made their voice heard through the Populist Party. When it first stepped onto the public stage, the party was very successful. However, the success was relatively short lived. While a number of factors contributed to the demise of the Populist Party, the failed election of 1896 played an integral role in its fall due to its inability to find a strong figurehead.…
Captain Alfred Mahan and his book “The Influence of Sea Power Upon History” said that control of the sea was the key to world dominance…
In the late 1800’s, the farmers of America faced many serious financial problems, so they decided it was time to restructure the nation. In the 1860s the first reform movement, was a collection of farmers that were unhappy with the way they were being treated by the government, and met together to discuss their problems. As the years went on, more farmers joined these reform movements. There were many reasons for the emergence of the Populist, or People's, Party in the late nineteenth century, such as The Government ownership of railroads, the terrible economic state of the farmers, and government indifference. These factors along with others inevitably caused an agricultural depression, leading to the formation of farmer groups such as the Populist Party, which would help to reduce the problems troubling the farmers. Some problems that these farmers felt threatened their way of life included transportation, such as trains, monopolies and trusts, money shortage and the demonetizing of silver.…
As the United States advanced into the twentieth century, the Populists and Progressives saw numerous economic, political, and social problems in need of reform. The Populist movement was a result of a campaign by the Farmer's Alliance. Their chief organizer was a man named Ignatius Donnelly whose proposals were passed into law in the Progressive era. The Omaha Platform was adopted by the newly formed party and it called for the free coinage of silver. From an economic standpoint, the Populists hoped that this inflationary measure would eradicate the financial burden that plagued the nation's farmers. It also demanded reformation of the banking system, the graduated income tax, the secret ballot, the direct election of senators, and the eight-hour workday.…
Farming in the late 19th century was financially binding; most farming families relied on merchants to supply them with food, with interest being added for every dollar’s worth of provisions. Over the course of the year, the total added up to amounts that couldn’t possibly be paid with the amount of income farmers had. Essentially, farming families would “take one step forward and two steps backward”, causing farmers to contend with their poor financial situations, which in turn, changed national politics. Farmers, lawyers, and authors were all affected and changed by this difficult situation. Farmers, for example, argued that although the farmers did what they were told to, their hard work was laughed at when crops were selling for little to nothing. Lastly, authors were responsible for conveying the farmers’ opinions and viewpoints for others to see. These groups of people played key roles in the politics of the time, causing controversy and change to politics and farming.…
The Populist Party was formed because farmers and laborers called for the abolition of national banks, a graduated income tax, direct election of Senators, civil service reform, a working day of eight hours and Government control of all railroads, telegraphs, and telephones. Many people in the nation were upset with the fact that senators were elected unfairly, and they wanted a direct election so that chances of reforms happening were possible. Farmers wanted to regulate railroads because they needed fair prices on their crops. The party was founded when The Farmers Alliance promoted collective economic action by farmers and achieved widespread popularity in the South and Great Plains. The Farmers Alliance joined with the National Grange. Low cost insurance was offered through the Alliance, as well as other benefits were promised. The Alliance and the National Grange, along with other labor groups, met in 1891 and 1892 to think over plans for a Political Party. James B Weaver was appointed as the Populist Presidential Candidate in the 1892 election to run against Benjamin Harrison and Grover Cleveland. Obviously Weaver lost, but he did have 22 electoral votes and over One Million Popular Votes.…
Farmers knew that industrialization had been successful during this time, this allowed them to modernize their farming techniques. Farmers began to use new farming machinery which made growing wheat much faster and efficient. The farmers had to buy new tools such as the thresher, which was very expensive. Farmers went to the banks to borrow money. Banks would take advantage of the farmers and raise the interest rates. This made the farmers fall into debt. Farmers began losing more and more money and were then forced their mortgages foreclosed on. Farmers became sort of like slaves to the banks. Banks eventually took away everything the farmers owned. (Doc. D) The farmers’ complaints were justified because of the bankers’ injustice toward the farmers. Bankers let them fall into debt with higher interest rates and then seized everything they owned.…
During this time period, the large businesses were greatly influencing America politically, socially and economically. It was the large companies that were making all the money while farmers found themselves in poverty due to the overproduction of products. The farmers thought that government should produce more money by adding silver to the Gold Standard. By creating this inflation, there would be a more economic balance between the farmers and large companies. The people in the cities of course did not favor changing the Gold Standard because then they would lose power because the value of their money would go down (Document J). As a result of the industrialization in America, there was an increase in economics because of smart business people like Rockefeller and Carnegie that was able to use their knowledge to increase wealth in the nation. Farmers were being left behind in this economic advancement because they were no longer the primary economic influence in America. As a result of farmers getting into more and more debt, it led to the crop-lien system and sharecropping (Document E). The crop-lien system allowed farmers to gain credit before the planting season by borrowing from merchants the anticipated value of their harvest. The economic conditions were hard on the farmers due to the freight rates and high land prices. A radical supporter of the agricultural movement, Mary…
The Populist Party grew out of the agrarian revolt that rose after the collapse of agriculture prices following the Panic of 1873. The Farmers' Alliance, formed in Lampasas, Texas in 1876, promoted collective economic action by farmers and achieved widespread popularity in the South and Great Plains. The Farmers' Alliance was ultimately unable to achieve its wider economic goal of collective economic action against brokers, railroads, and merchants, and many in the…
Farmers united to protect their interests, even creating a major political party. The party was called the peoples party which became known as the populist party. Populists drew its strength from rural areas. Populists tended to be poor and uneducated. They had ideas such as government ownership of major industries. The Populists supported labors demand for an eight hour work day. The most controversial Populist demand concerned the money supply. Farmers being both sellers and debtors, saw inflation as a way to improve their standard of living, but they wanted to expand the money supply. Farmers convinced the government to use silver as well as gold to back the money supply. The congress passed the Bland-Allison Act and the Sherman Silver Purchase. Populist platform urged congress to authorize free and unlimited minting of silver. The Populists were united in favoring the minting of silver to expand the money supply. Democrats agreed with the Populist, but most Republicans favored the gold standard and a smaller money supply. Democrats agreed on a presidential candidate that was with the mint silver, which was William Jennings Bryan. Having joined the Democrats in a losing cause, their party collapsed. The attempt to unite urban workers and farmers into a mass movement for economic reform had failed.…
Documents A-H reveal some of the problems that many farmers in the late nineteenth century(1880-1900)saw as threats to their way of life.(a)explain the reasons for agrarian discontent and(b)evaluate the validity of the farmers' complaints.…
While driving past factory farms, anyone would assume that animals live a satisfying life style. At first sight, the animals look very robust and one would think that they have a healthy diet. Appearances can always be deceiving. What one observes while driving past these farms is not what factory farms actually are. Behind closed doors, many things go on that society would never expect. Every year, animals on factory farms encounter unimaginable suffering and go through horrid living conditions.…
1. The removal agricultural tariffs and subsides, according to Oxfam, would benefit developed nations because their consumers would benefit from lower domestic agricultural prices and the elimination of the taxes they must pay in order to support the subsidies. The producers in the developed world would lose this government protection from competition as well as the financial incentives. I believe there would be a net benefit from changing our agricultural policy because:…
Is it really worth living in America if you’re an immigrant? In Jean de Crevecoeur’s Letter from an American Farmer he talks about how living in America is better than living in Europe in 1763. During this time, countless Europeans wanted to leave Europe because of increased poverty, religious freedom, and poor harvest seasons. Immigrating to America was a good idea during the 1700’s, but now its not. Many changes have occurred since 1763 like discrimination, lack of jobs, and requirements to be a US citizen.…