1. FARMING AND THE CREATION OF THE POPULIST PARTY

2. CONSERVATIVES DO NOT HELP THE SMALL FARMERS An agricultural depression continued after the end of Reconstruction and the Conservative government did nothing to help small farmers. Small farmers continued to work as sharecroppers or tenant farmers. Cotton growth continued to dominate the South but it did not bring economic prosperity. Conservatives passed the crop lien law that allowed creditors to have first claim on a farmer’s crop. This crop lien system kept farmers in debt.

3. COTTON PRICES FALL Although cotton was still picked by hand new fertilizers did increase cotton production, but Southern cotton growers were competing with foreign suppliers. Worldwide supply exceeded the demand for cotton and the price for cotton fell. Farmers were unable to make payment on the loans that they had taken out to purchase land and equipment. Crop lien laws and sharecropping made the problem of debt in SC even worse.

4. FARM FAILURE Farmers try to overcome their debt by planting more cotton, but more cotton production made the price of cotton fall. Farmers lost their land to bank foreclosures and because they could not pay their taxes Drought and pest such as the army worm and boll weevil caused crops to fail.

5. FARMERS CREATE THE GRANGE Farmers organized the Grange as a social organization to help farmers. Over time it turned into a political organization. In the South the farmers did not have political power. The elite Conservative still controlled the state governments. In SC the farmers alliances were divided by race. There was a white Farmers’ Alliance and a Colored Farmers’ alliance. In the 1890s Farmers’ Alliances around the country united to form the Populist Party.

6. POPULIST PARTY The Populist Party supported: -Regulation of RRs and banking, unlimited coinage of silver (to help pay debts and increase the price of their crops), and a system of federal farm loans - They also wanted a popular election of Senators, a secret ballot, and a graduated income tax (those with highest income pay more). The Populist party also tried to ally with industrial workers by advocating an eight-hour work day and restrictions on immigration In SC farmers did not form a separate party but worked to control the Democratic Party.

7. BEN TILLMAN SC farmers accepted the leadership of Ben Tillman because of his great speaking and political skills He was considered a Populist because appealed to the common people but he did not really advocated for the ideals of the Populist Party and he worked to gain control of the Democratic Party Unlike other Populists Tillman did not support the idea of more popular control of the government or the vote of the African American farmers

8. CLEMSON IS CREATED The Tillmanites (supporters of Tillman) and the Conservatives argued over the establishment of Clemson as an agricultural college Tillman supported the establishment of Clemson and opposed the elitism of the University of South Carolina Tillman wanted to create the college to teach farmers better crop management and ways to develop new crops Thomas Green Clemson (son-in-law of John C. Calhoun) left the land and some money to establish Clemson College after his death South Carolina State University received limited financial support for African American Farmers

9. NATURAL DISASTERS CHANGE FARMING The 1886 Earthquake affected the Low Country more than the Up Country. This earthquake was the largest, most destructive, and lethal earthquake to ever strike east of the Mississippi river The city developed new modern practices in construction and disaster preparedness The hurricane of 1893 that struck Charleston wiped out the rice fields and along with foreign competition ended the production of Carolina Gold While the Up Country was still growing cotton the Low Country turned to truck farming (growing fruits and vegetables)