Populism
During the late nineteenth century, the agrarian movement evolved into a political force that energized American farmers to voice their political and economic grievances like never before. Although the movement essentially died after William Jennings Bryan's loss of the 1896 Presidential election, many of the reforms they fought for were eventually passed into law. American farmers found themselves facing hard times after the Civil War. In the West, the railroad had opened up enormous opportunities. Farmers were now able to cultivate land that had previously been to far from the Eastern markets to make a profit. However, that opportunity came at a price. The farmers increasing dependence on the railroads and other commercial interests made them an easy target for exploitative business practices. The growth in land also contributed to overproduction, which was another factor contributing to the farmer's hardships. The expansion of farmland combined with the mechanical advances in agricultural technology greatly increased production in the west. In the south, sharecropping and the cycle of debt it generated led to overproduction. In order for a tenant farmer to get out from under debt to the landowner they needed to increa
The Grange became the head of a nationwide agrarian movement, serving a purpose similar to that of a union to industrial laborers. Weaver received a million votes and won five states, but his appeal was limited to the farming community. The chief political goal of the Grangers was relief from the exorbitant carriage fees charged by the railroads and warehouses. The Farmer's Alliance and the Grangers differed in that the Alliance was political from its inception. Their campaign for government regulation of the railroad led to their most significant victory. The panic of 1893 made the debate even tenser as banks failed, crop prices fell, and many lost their jobs and farms. Their intentions, however, were not socialistic but were a rooted in an opposition to industrial capitalism and the threat it posed to the traditional agrarian way of life. Some wanted to merge with the Democrats, who had begun to incorporate the farmer's message into their own. The increase would create inflation, therefore lowering the value of the debts that plagued American farmers. During the Omaha Convention the Populists wanted to bring the American political system back to its democratic roots and away from the political corruption spawned by the interests of wealthy industrial and commercial interests. The Omaha Platform they formed at the convention called for extensive government as a way to end the domination of big business in the economy so as to give small farmers a chance to compete in the market. Loosely modeled after the Masons, the Grange originally set out to be more of a social and educational outlet to help combat the isolation felt by many farming families and included women among its members. In this case it upheld the power of the states to regulate the rates of railroads and other businesses since their conduct affected the community at large. The Alliance advocated a sub treasury plan from the government. Membership rose rapidly after the Panic of 1873, peaking at one and a half million members in 1875.
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Acceptance Essays
