American Farmer Dbq

The lifeblood of a successful society is the ability to feed its families. The greatest civilizations were those who were able to harness the power of agriculture and promote it for the expanding power of their region. From ancient Mesopotamia to Jeffersonian America the government advocates and supporters of agriculture had positively benefitted those civilizations and helped them reach greater heights. Thomas Jefferson’s America was an overall pro-agrarian state; however, it was not until the 1890’s in which the United States began the modern era ideals of government justly assisting the agricultural forces in America. The American farmer during the late 1800’s was one who was struggling severely to make ends meet due to massive overproduction,

which in a 27 year period caused the price of wheat to fall from $1.06 a bushel to 63¢ a bushel, corn from 43¢ to 30¢ a bushel, and cotton from 15¢ a pound to 6¢ a pound (Farmers/Populist). This began a devastating period for the farmer, and while the industries and banks of the United States boomed, the farmer was left behind in a heap of despair and poverty. This era of great economic pangs for the farmer gave birth to one of the most renowned political forces in American history: the Populists.

The Populists demanded better treatment for the farmer and demanded that the government begin to intervene on behalf of the agricultural industries in order to allow farmers the ability to live. The Populists began a crusade against the forces which they saw were destroying the interests of the farmer, most notably the banks and the railroads. The railroads gave unfair deals to the farming community and charged them substantially higher compared to other industries, and banks continued to facilitate extreme interest rates for agricultural enterprises. It was this climate for agriculture, coupled with overproduction, that left the farmer in a situation of great economic woe. Thus, the Populists rallied behind the message of regulation of the groups that threatened the livelihood of success agriculture and began to make huge gains in government, controlling twelve state governments, electing three senators, six governors, and over fifty house representatives. From here the Populists continued to gain steam and eventually dissolved to join the Democratic Party and began to promote the pro-agricultural message on America’s biggest

stage. Through the efforts of the Populists, a new era of progress was achieved that would forever change America, and through Populist set government reforms various industries that were once hostile to the farmer were now obliged to demonstrate fair business practices to their agricultural counterparts. Not only did the Populist farmers defend their rights against vast monopolistic corporations, but as well fought for the American people and helped bring new regulations and reforms concerning food preparation, manufacturing, labor rights, suffrage expansion, and a myriad of other amazing advancements for America.
Yet, the fight for the rights of farmers was far from over.

Even after the end of the rise of Populist Party, the farmer still faced problems economically throughout the United States. In the 1920’s the world economy collapsed and with it the agricultural industries were left in a wake of destruction that would require vast reform in order for the country’s farmers to continue to sustain. During the Hoover administration, the government began a program of buying various crops en masse to ensure that the farming industries were able to stay afloat amongst the turmoil of the Great Depression. Sadly, this initiative failed due to farmers growing more in order make more money by selling to the government, which continued to flood the market and drive prices down. In 1932 the agricultural industry changed forever with the election of the pro-farmer governor of New York, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Roosevelt’s New Deal gave life to the downtrodden farmer and through various legislative initiatives such as the Agricultural Adjustment Act, Civilian Conservation Corps, Farm Security Administration, and Soil Conservation Service. It was through these acts by Roosevelt that the present day government interaction with the agricultural industries began under the principle of helping keep prices high and production low in order to maximize monetary output of the farmers. Roosevelt’s reforms also gave strength to the farming community by giving them access to better interest rates. As well,

the pro-union policies gave strength to the country’s largest labor union, the National Farmer’s Union. The National Farmer’s Union represents the power of the farming community and throughout its long and historic tenure has fought for the rights of the average farmer. It was from the power of the unified voice of the farmer demanding just treatment that change was able to take place. And it was from this unified voice that a bunch of angry farmers changed the United States of America.