Gilded Age Farmers' Struggles

Economic Challenges for Farmers

• During the Gilded Age, American farmers faced severe political and economic hardships as federal policies favored industrial growth.
• Prices for agricultural goods fell significantly due to international economic pressures affecting market dynamics.

Farmers' Organizing Efforts

• Farmers initially organized through the Granger movement, focusing on community and cooperative efforts to enhance their bargaining power.
• This movement evolved into the more politically focused Farmers' Alliances, which aimed to address monopolistic pricing by railroads and exploitative federal policies.

Legal and Political Ramifications

• Granger laws, designed to protect farmers' interests at the state level, were struck down by a Supreme Court ruling in 1886, limiting state intervention.
• The setback led to a search for national reform, culminating in the formation of the Populist Party, which sought broader systemic changes.

Goals of the Populist Party

• The Populist Party advocated for the free coinage of silver to increase currency supply and facilitate debt relief for farmers.
• Other reform goals included implementing a graduated income tax and establishing direct election of U.S. senators to enhance democratic representation.

Election Outcomes

• In the 1892 presidential election, Populist candidate James Weaver garnered over 8% of the vote, indicating a growing support for the Party's platform.
• The emergence of the free silver issue significantly influenced the political landscape, ultimately leading to Democratic candidate William Jennings Bryan adopting it during the 1896 election.

Decline of the Populist Movement

• The co-opting of the Populist agenda by the Democratic Party, particularly through Bryan's nomination, marked the decline of a distinct Populist movement and the integration of their goals into broader political discourse.