The Populist Movement In The Nineteenth Century

Radicalism, something that often blossoms as the result of a rough period of time and fueled by those who believe they are entitled to change. In the nineteenth century, it stemmed from a collective group being angered and resulted in an organized questioning of government and the emphasis of the common man.

Revolts do not happen sporadically, they are always caused by an upset to a specific group of people. The populist movement specifically was a left winged movement that demonstrated the organization of farmers angry about the conditions they suffered from. Debt was a huge issue as they often focused solely on cash crops, which meant they needed expensive machinery and to buy their own food. Another subject of discontent were the increased shipping rates, which made the necessity of shipping by railroads much more expensive. Finally, bonanza farming also brought discontent as they took land and resources away from the smaller farmers. The congregation of not only these hardships, but of a multitude of people facing these hardships is what definitely led to the creation of the radical populists. …show more content…
The first example of their organization was the National Grange, which was founded by farmers in 1867 and aimed to reform economic and political policies to push the well being of farm families. More local examples were the Farmers’ Association, which consisted of community stores that kept the tools and farming equipment at a reasonable price, and overall local support for farmers. However, the most significant congregation was the creation of the Populist Party in 1891, meaning ordinary people, especially farmers, were now represented within their governments. Ultimately, communities banded together to support farmers and the work they provide and gave back to the locals near