What Was The Impact Of The Populist Movement

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A collective group of Americans, feeling disenfranchised by the political system and constantly burdened by economic hardships, joining together to form the foundation of a movement with ramifications that would be relevant more than a century later. The Populist movement, springing from the idea of more Americans living a better life, is regarded as giving credence to the notion of United States government being “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” Thought the actual “movement” lasted only decades, ideas conceived by self-described Populists live on in current policies, and have a beneficial effect on every American in their daily lives. The more well-known Populist movement came to fruition from the lesser known Grange …show more content…

Starting in the early part of the 1890s, the Farmers Alliance rose in prominence in the south and Midwest, mainly as a continuation of advocating against monopolies and their persistent and ever-growing power. With the Farmers Alliance movement, Populism was born and grew into the movement of significance it is still noted for to this day. Two important facets of the Populist economic plan included what was known as the Sub-Treasury plan. This called for a series of government owned warehouses to store agricultural products as a mechanism to control prices. The U.S. government would assess the non-perishable crops, and give U.S. Treasury loans to the farmers, thus providing a stimulating effect on local economies in rural parts of the nation. Farmers would wait for demand for the goods, selling gradually, and as they made money, would subsequently pay off the initial government loan. With no surprise, banks were very much opposed to this plan. Other initiatives supported by Populists included a progressive income tax and reform for the railroad system, replacing a system in which political leaders road on trains at a discounted rate, or for free, while others paid full price. Among the reforms laid out by the Populists was the creation of the 8 hour work day, something that would have a lasting effect on U.S. labor law for years to come. These efforts would lead to legislative changes, albeit gradually, and would lead to policy enactments that would be in effect in the United States of America to this

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