The Revolt of the Farmers and the Rise of the Populist Party (1880’s – 1890’s) (1880’s – 1890’s)

Problems of the Farmers  Agricultural Revolution  Use of science and technology applied to farming  Overproduction of crops led to lower prices and lower profits  Fewer farmers were needed  Added expense – lower profit  Need for more education

(Problems)  Cycle of Debt  Agricultural prices declined  Railroad rates increased  High prices for manufactured goods  Debts increased  Gold standard made it expensive to borrow money and/or repay debts

(Problems)  Farmers numbers decreased  Fewer farmers could grow more food  Size of farms increased  More pressure on individual farmers  Less political influence for farmers

What did the farmers do?  The Grange  Social organization to end isolation of farmers  Economic Cooperatives to buy supplies in bulk and share expensive equipment  Political activities – support “granger laws” at state and local levels to address farmers concerns

Formation of the Populist Party  Dissatisfied with the Democratic and Republican parties  Concerned with the political corruption in government  Slogan – “Raise less corn and more hell”

Issues of the Populists  Unlimited coinage of silver in the ratio 16:1  Graduated Income Tax  Secret ballot  Direct Election of US Senators  Initiative, Referendum & Recall  Government ownership of Railroads, Telephone, & Telegraph systems  Shorter work day  Immigration limits  Sub-treasury system