Agricultural Problems and Gilded Age Politics
Problems of the American Farmer During the Gilded Age Overproduction Tariff Policy Monetary Policy Hard Money vs. Soft Money Gold vs. Silver “Greenbacks” Inflation vs. Deflation/Money Supply Tax and Bank Policies Differential Freight Rates Tenant Farming and Share-Cropping Loss of Status and Power
The Government Laissez-Faire: The Government was unresponsive to agrarian needs.
The Agrarian Reaction The Grange Self-Help Cooperatives (Patrons of Husbandry) The Farmers’ Alliances The Populist Party
Populist Party Platform (1892) Australian (or Secret) Ballot Popular Election of U.S. Senators 17th Amendment Direct Democracy Initiative Referendum recall Banking Reform Federal Reserve System (1913) Government Ownership of the Railroads Graduated Income Tax 16th Amendment Free and Unlimited Coinage of Silver Increase money supply=Inflation