The Populist Movement

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Recommended: Agriculture in the late 1800's or early 1900's

The Populist Movement The small farmers of America struggled through many agricultural problems during the late19th century. Their exclusion from the industrializing society, and their lagging in developments set them back from the rest of the country. Through their hardships they found a way to come together and form a political movement that would represent their rights and needs and give them a voice in the political decision making; it was called the Populist movement. However, the formation of this movement didn’t happen over night; it was a complicated process, but in the end it paid off for the small farmers of America. The agricultural problems of the small farmers, farmers organizations, and Populist philosophies all contributed to the emergence of the Populist movement in the late 19th century. The beginning of the emergence of the Populist movement started back with the farmers and their agricultural problems. For years the American farmers were isolated from society and felt ignored and left out by the growing industrialized economy. Life as a small farmer became more and more difficult as the prices for their goods dropped rapidly in the late 19th century. It was also getting more and more expensive to ship their goods to markets to be sold so they could make a profit. The large railroad corporations didn’t think twice about making outrageous, and unfair prices for short or long hauls even though the farmers couldn’t afford the high prices. Also, the European markets were going through a tough depression at the time, and as a result, the American farmers were struggling from the loss of foreign business. Farmers were constantly in debt and they had no power over the prices of the equipmen... ... middle of paper ... ...ncome tax, unlimited coinage of silver, immigration restriction direct election of US senators, end of absentee ownership of land, and other reforms that would give the people more power in controlling the political process. The populist movement wanted to do away with the laissez-faire attitude which the farmers felt was responsible for their current economic situation. They wanted the government to be involved so that the monopolies could no longer take over the American economy. The Populist movement gave a voice to the people who weren’t being heard, and gave them a chance to have a say in their community and their own lives. The Populist movement gave the farmers an out and it gave them a chance to share their views, and to put a candidate in the running that would represent their needs. This was a chance that not many other groups had ever had.

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