The Populist Movement And The Granger Movement

In American during the 1890’s, a third party known as the Populist Party, or the People’s Party, emerged. It is a left-wing political party focusing initially on farmer’s interests. Established in 1891, as a result of the Populist movement, the Populist Party represented the interests of farmers, miners and laborers against the Eastern elites, cities, banks, and railroads. Farmers were unhappy with low agricultural prices, high interest rates on loans and high train fares, with banks and railroads controlled by a small group of elites in the East. They did not feel that the two major political parties, Democratic Party and Republican Party could represent small farmers’ interests because they were controlled by bankers, landowners and elites …show more content…
Local branches of the Granger Movement were called 'Granges' and its members were called 'Grangers. .The network provided services to the the farmers community after westward expansion. The organization aimed to help farmers achieve financial stability through the establishment of co-ops and railroad regulations using Granger Laws. What these co-ops did was to create a community in which farmers could form connections with each other and break away from the isolation they would experience. The Granger Movement bore some similarities with the Freedmen's Bureau. The Granger Movement aided farmers who were falling into debt while the Freedmen’s bureau educated former slaves hoping that they would be able to have a stable life after the end of slavery. While the Freedmen’s Bureau failed ultimately the Granger Movement was able to morph itself from a social establishment into a political movement that would earn the support of many people around the country who felt their voices were not being …show more content…
and giving it back to you, the people. For too long, a small group in our nation's capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered, but the jobs left and the factories closed. The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country. Their victories have not been your victories. Their triumphs have not been your triumphs. And while they celebrated in our nation's capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land. From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward, it's going to be only America first, America