During the late 19th century, American farmers began to congregate together to fight for justice in the Agrarian community. They complained of how middlemen and furnishing merchants would take advantage of their solidarity and charge them outrageous prices adding to the large sum of debt farmers had accumulated during the depression of 1873. In order to combat the large companies and get a say in government, groups like the Grange and the Farmers’ Alliances were created. The Grange, also known as the Patrons of Husbandry, was the first major farm organization, making it’s appearance during the 1860’s shortly after the Civil War. The Grange’s popularity soared when the depression hit, causing a major decline in farm prices, and from there the Grange
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The Grange’s efforts didn’t all go to waste because the government then created a committee, the Interstate Commerce Committee, to help regulate railroads on a national level, but it was soon realized that the ICC was not going to solve the farmers’ problems. Still, the farmers fought tirelessly for the treatment they thought they deserved. The Grange, instead of a social group, became a political party known as the Populist party. The Populist party got started immediately on trying to infiltrate the federal government. They created a platform called the Omaha Platform which listed all that they wanted to happen in government like strict regulation of railroads, a graduated income tax, and the remonetization of silver. The Populist party managed to put a party representative in the Senate and have a candidate for president, William Jennings Bryan. Bryan presented his famous “Cross of Gold” speech to the U.S. to promote bimetallism for U.S. currency. Bryan did not win the election of 1892, his opponent William McKinley of the Republican party did which marked the end of the Populism. The Agrarian revolt wasn’t an entirely successful movement, but it did help show the U.S. government that not all was
The Grange’s efforts didn’t all go to waste because the government then created a committee, the Interstate Commerce Committee, to help regulate railroads on a national level, but it was soon realized that the ICC was not going to solve the farmers’ problems. Still, the farmers fought tirelessly for the treatment they thought they deserved. The Grange, instead of a social group, became a political party known as the Populist party. The Populist party got started immediately on trying to infiltrate the federal government. They created a platform called the Omaha Platform which listed all that they wanted to happen in government like strict regulation of railroads, a graduated income tax, and the remonetization of silver. The Populist party managed to put a party representative in the Senate and have a candidate for president, William Jennings Bryan. Bryan presented his famous “Cross of Gold” speech to the U.S. to promote bimetallism for U.S. currency. Bryan did not win the election of 1892, his opponent William McKinley of the Republican party did which marked the end of the Populism. The Agrarian revolt wasn’t an entirely successful movement, but it did help show the U.S. government that not all was