to save the farmer class, a very invalid statement.
to save the farmer class, a very invalid statement.
Nearly all of the reasons for agrarian discontent in the late 19th century stem from three areas: land, transportation, and money. The farmers were fighting the perceived threats posed by monopolies and trusts, railroads, and the demonetization of silver. The American farmer during this period already had his fair share of problems which, compared to the success of the industrialized businessmen, resulted in much of the animosity between the two groups. The fact of the matter was farmers had entered a viscous cycle. Wheat and cotton, once the staples of American agriculture were selling at such low prices that it was almost impossible for a farmer to make any profit off of them. This was only made worse by the modern equipment many farmers had invested huge sums of money into that would double or even triple the amount of crops produced each season. Farmers were finding it impossible to compete in this new global market that was helping America’s budding industry so much. Finally, the panic of 1893 devastated many of the nation’s farmers already struggling to hold on. As a result, many farm groups, most notably the Populist Party, arose to fight what farmers saw as the reasons for the decline of agriculture. The decline of agriculture was caused by these factors, not the banks, the railroads, or the government. However, the first two preyed on the weak farmers while the latter stood by. Therefore, most of the farmer’s complaints were valid.…
As Document A shows, over the course of the 35 years from 1865-1900, agriculture went from good to bad. Wheat went from $2.16 a bushel to $.62. Cotton and corn both followed in a similar suit, dropping from $.83 to $.10 a pound and $.52 to $.35 a bushel, respectively. As farmers began getting less and less profit from their produce, they tried to compensate more and more by producing more. Over time, this caused overproduction, driving prices down even more. The trend of overproduction is also demonstrated in Document C. However, as Mary Elizabeth Lease points out in Document G that even though they were producing more crops they were still cheated. The farmers were barely being paid for their crops and yet they were being told they were suffering from overproduction and when ten thousand children were starving every year in the United States. Poverty was affecting every citizen, whether they were white or black. This was demonstrated in Document E. This document shows how…
In the late nineteenth century shortly after the Civil War and Reconstruction, farmers in the Midwestern United States found themselves in quite a predicament. During the second industrial revolution of the United States that contained mass introduction of: railroads, oil, steel, and electricity, the risk-taking entrepreneurs of this era took an adventure into the world of cutthroat capitalism. In just a little time, a handful of monopolies arose in all these industries which hurt both the consumer of the product and the producer of the material (Doc. F). Because of the corrupt politicians in Washington DC, the absence of regulation on the monopolies put into place by bribes and greed or moderation from them, and the devious ways of the US Mint to support the wealthy elite, the overwhelming anger from the hard-working farmers of the United States had a just cause and was a strong voice that needed to be heard across the land.…
Over the course of two centuries, the ways that wars and battles are fought have changed drastically, and yet the end goal has always remained the same, to win and not be defeated no matter at what cost. As the progression of the Industrial Revolution escalated, it paved the way for what could be produced to help military forces win in battle. Industrialization during the 18th & 19th centuries caused the battles of Waterloo and the Somme to be a great example of how industrialization helped evolve war tactics and weaponry to effectively defeat the enemy.…
In the time of the late nineteenth century, the telecommunication revolution, or globalization, was beginning to make its start in American history. Communication and transportation was becoming faster with the new advances in the technological world. This made large businesses grow, creating large fortunes from the new railroad business However, the farmers if America took a hard hit ti these advances. Food prices were decreasing, and farmers were producing more crops than the economy could consume. Because if the changes in economy, the farmers had grown in discontent with the government, and the fingers were being pointed at the large scale business leaders. In the late nineteenth century, the farmers had a valid reason that big businesses were decreasing away the profits of their work, and into the railroad companies and that banks were taking advantage of the farmers, causing the great agrarian discontent.…
During this time period, the large businesses were greatly influencing America politically, socially and economically. It was the large companies that were making all the money while farmers found themselves in poverty due to the overproduction of products. The farmers thought that government should produce more money by adding silver to the Gold Standard. By creating this inflation, there would be a more economic balance between the farmers and large companies. The people in the cities of course did not favor changing the Gold Standard because then they would lose power because the value of their money would go down (Document J). As a result of the industrialization in America, there was an increase in economics because of smart business people like Rockefeller and Carnegie that was able to use their knowledge to increase wealth in the nation. Farmers were being left behind in this economic advancement because they were no longer the primary economic influence in America. As a result of farmers getting into more and more debt, it led to the crop-lien system and sharecropping (Document E). The crop-lien system allowed farmers to gain credit before the planting season by borrowing from merchants the anticipated value of their harvest. The economic conditions were hard on the farmers due to the freight rates and high land prices. A radical supporter of the agricultural movement, Mary…
In the late nineteenth century, twenty years after the Homestead Act, farmers used their land in the western plains to produce both crops and profits. The farmers of this time struggled in the agricultural way of life by facing economic and political obstacles that were impossible to avoid, requiring them to do something about their complaints. Although the farmers had plausible arguments for most of their criticisms, their beliefs of the silver standard and overproduction sometimes could not be backed up. However, farmers continued to struggle between inevitable issues like the currency debate, constant debt and rising costs.…
After the Civil War, the United States owned an abundant amount of natural resource, an expanding market for manufactured goods, a growing supply of labor and availabilities of capital for investment. In addition, the federal government vigorously promoted industrial development which stimulated the American economy to change dramatically from the Gilded Age to the Progressive Era. However, the progress of the industrialization affected every aspect of the American society in either positive or negative way.…
In the period of time following the end of the Civil War in 1865 to the turn of the century some 35 years later, American’s bore witness to the demise of an almost entirely rural and agricultural nation dominated by farmers to the rise of an urban and industrial society dictated by bankers, industrialists and city dwellers. This momentous transformation enabled the United States to mature into the wealthiest and most powerful it had ever been before. The progress was achieved, however, only with immense adversity for those in the American agricultural community. Farmers, faced numerous obstacles and…
Industrialization grew in many ways during the 1800’s. “It was largely pioneered by the northeastern cities in the united states” (Lecture 11). Many factors made Industrialization in America possible, including Natural Resources, New Transportation Systems, Industrial and Mechanization. The Industrial Revolution began in England because it had the resources that were needed. It all started with cloth industry. Making cloth by hand for pants, shirts, socks, bedspreads and other domestic items always required lots of skill and time. But this domestic production system could not keep up with the growing demands of England’s growing population. Instead, a series of innovations shifted textile production to a new factory system. As a result of the Industrial Revolution,…
The ingenious idea of the railroad, quickly became a burden to farmers as they were unable to ship goods throughout the nation, therefore limiting their clientele. and local market (Document C). Also, due to technological advancements that increased production throughout the nation, prices of goods began to fall dramatically. Document A exhibits the agricultural prices in both wheat, cotton, and corn. As the production of these goods increases, the prices unfortunately did not.…
Transportation was one of the major developments during Industrialism by connecting cities through railroads. Existing railroads were improved upon as well as expanding westward. Railroads were essential for transporting both goods and people. They brought raw materials to city factories, which would then be converted to consumer goods and redistributed by the trains. The expansion of tracks encouraged settlers to migrate, and build more cities out west. By the 1900’s over two thousand miles of railroad tracks were laid down. Over time, the railroad industry was able to overcome these flaws and be the first to professionalize in the United States, which led other industries to follow their example. The improvements they made to organize through the hiring of trained managers. Further reforms in scheduling led to the founding of the four time zones of the United States. Another major improvement was to standardize track gauges among companies to create a more universal network. This allowed trains to share tracks and deliver cargo more quickly. Iron tracks were replaced with steel, which assisted in preventing derailing…
Industrial revolution: The Industrial revolution started in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. It was a period in time when rural societies around the world became urban and all manufacturing was now done in factories rather than in human homes due to the invention of basic machinery. It began in England and spread into the rest of Europe, The United States and Japan. Its foundation lies in the invention of the steam engine which was used in the mining industry and in textile fields. It replaced the human and animal power, thereby increasing the rate of production. The discovery of fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum facilitated the use of the new steam engine. Therefore, the rural society in Europe and America was transformed to industrialized…
In the 1800's there were major negative and positive changes to the U.S. The negative changes that were sweaping the nations was population and transportation. the negative changes that were changing the U.S. was harsh working conditions in industrial cities during the industrial revolution, and diseases that spread through the cities.…
A Watt steam engine, the steam engine fuelled primarily by coal that propelled the Industrial Revolution in the United Kingdom and the world.[10]…