Agrarianism

1
Agrarianism Populism
2
What Changed in Farming?

• Farmers switched from small-scale farming to
• Became increasingly more
• Dependent on

3
The Business of Farming

• Farming became tied to banking, railroading, and
  manufacturing.
• Farmers increasingly used machinery such as
• Farmers often blamed their situation in the
  global marketplace on banks and railroads they
  often felt
• detached from the new
• business-like nature of their
• agrarian business.

4
Effects of Factory Farming

• The changing of farming to a big business forced
  many small farmers off their land and into
• Farming turned America into the worlds
  breadbasket and butcher shop. The mechanization
  of agriculture would be the predecessor to 20th
  century agribusiness.

5
Deflation

• Some effects of deflation on farmers were

6
Natures Challenges

• Small natural disasters also impeded production
  of farming

7
Other Hindrances to Farmers

• These other groups hindered farmers by doing
  what?
• Trusts and corporations
• Middlemen and operators
• Railroad bosses

8
The Grangers

• The National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry
  was formed in 1867 under Oliver H. Kelley.
• Objectives of the Grangers
• Included

9
Grangers and Greenbackers in Politics

• Grangers entered politicsin Illinois, they
  entered state legislature and fought for
  regulating railway rates, storage fees, etc.
• The Grangers popularity declined as decisions
  were overturned by interest lawyers.
• Greenback Labor Party also advocated labor rights
  for farmers but received very little of the
  popular vote.

10
The Farmers Alliance

• Founded in Texas during 1870s to break railroad
  grip by cooperative buying/selling. Spread
  throughout South and Great Plains. It excluded
• Separate Colored Farmers
• National Alliance formed
• to

11
The Populists

• Out of the Farmers Alliance the Populist Party
  formed (or the Peoples Party).
• Fought against Wall Street and money trust.
• Political leaders such as James Weaver ran as the
  Populist candidate in July 1892, but received few
  votes8.5 of the total votes.

12
Populist Platform

• Populists advocated

13
William Jennings Bryan

• When the Populist party began to merge with
  Democrats, William Jennings Bryan became their
  candidate, giving a stirring speech on coinage of
  silver at the Democratic National Convention
  (1896)
• You shall not press down the
• brow of labor this crown of
• thorns, you shall not crucify
• mankind upon a cross of gold.

14
The Fall of the Populist Party

• The Populist party lost support due to