Farmers During The Gilded Age

Through the period of 1865-1900, America’s agriculture underwent a series of changes .Changes that were a product of influential role that technology, government policy and economic conditions played. To extend on this idea, changes included the increase on exported goods, do the availability of products as well as the improved traveling system of rail roads. In the primate stages of these developing changes, farmers were able to benefit from the product, yet as time passed by, dissatisfaction grew within them. They no longer benefited from the changes (economy went bad), and therefore they no longer supported railroads. Moreover they were discontented with the approach that the government had taken towards the situation.

By the late 1800s, America was transitioning from an economy based on agriculture to one based on industry. Although this transformation made the United Stated richer and more powerful than it had ever been before, it caused farmers to face numerous problems to which they found themselves unable to successfully overcome. Even though many farmers moved into the industrial workforce, the ones who wished to continue agricultural work faced problems such as overproduction and tariff policies. Also, the farmers lost their political power due to the decreased focus on agriculture.

Despite the flushed predictions of prosperity that had lured new settlers to the plains, the reality was more difficult. The farmers claimed that they did not have enough land, money, and transportation (Doc C). The farmers went into in a never ending cycle if they did not have a good harvest. As Booker Washington explains the farmers had no money so they had to borrow money from the banks which charged 12 to 30 percent interest. The interest the farmers were hit with was nearly impossible to repay so they had to mortgage everything and if the mortgage wasn’t paid the land was foreclosure which led the yeomen to become tenant farmers (Doc B). With periods of drought growing good crops was hard. Leading Economic Sectors shows how the farmers predicament of not being able to make a very

During the Gilded Age both labors and farmers had very strong reasons to have these complaints. Labors were treated as minorities, controlled by their bosses and weren’t getting paid what they deserved so this led to the unionizations, strikes and vandalisms. Farmers were in declined because bigger farms were taking over and they were getting less money. They didn’t understand why this was happening if they had new machines, so this led to the Green Revolution and several political activities. However, these complaints that both labors and farmers have, have their similarities and differences.

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

Other than overproduction, another economic issue that drastically effected farmers was the Panic of 1893 that left millions of Americans unemployed, hungry, and homeless. In Susan Orcutt’s leter to Lorenzo D. Lewelling, she states, “I had the prettiest garden that you ever seen and the hail ruined it and I have nothing to look at my husband went a way to find work and came home last night and told me that would have to Starve he has bin in ten countys and did not get no work.” (Document H). Economic conditions such as overproduction, the Panic of 1893, and sharecropping systems that developed from it only led to the downfall of farmers.

The Gilded Age was characterized by rapid industrialization, reconstruction, ruthless pursuit of profit, government, corruption, and vulgarity (Cashman 1). After the Civil War, America was beginning to regroup as a nation. There were many other changes developing in the country. Industrialization was taking over the formerly agricultural country. The nation’s government was also in great conflict (Foner 20). Many changes occurred during the Gilded Age. These changes affected farmers, labor, business, and politics.

The Gilded Age was one of the most dynamic and controversial periods in American history. With the growth of factories in the north, America’s economy increased at an unbelievable rate. This growth created a series of new opportunities for some but also left many workers and farmers to struggle in poverty and harsh conditions. As one groups continued to grow more and more wealthy, the other continued to grow poorer and poorer. This created a huge disparity between the rich and the poor. As this phenomenon continued it created many problems such as monopolies, racist and sexist laws, filthy city conditions, and child labor. To try to remedy these problems, the Progressive Movement was started. By initiating reforms in many aspects of American

The Farmer’s Plight During the late nineteenth century, the Western United States had already been settled and people were starting to move to urban cities in the East, but farmers stayed out in the West and suffered from many different issues. At this time, there was a massive influx of immigrants coming from Southern and Eastern Europe and many of these immigrants settled in the Mid West and became farmers. Prior to this time period, the United States used the Gold Standard which meant that gold was the only form of currency. big business was very powerful due to the Laissez-faire government system which allowed big business to operate without regulation.

After the compromise of 1877 and after slavery was destroyed a new farming style emerged. This was the agricultural ladder. In said ladder were five “steps.” The first step was the landless laborer. Normally these people were freedmen, poor whites, and (sometimes) immigrants who did not have enough money to buy their own farms to operate. Next was the sharecropper; this person was responsible for a crop but would still borrow what they needed from stores on a crop lien basis. This meaning they would earn one third to one half of their designated crops income. The goal of this person was to gain enough to buy a mule and other equipment so that they could move up in the agricultural ladder; which meant becoming the renter. The renter normally

The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) restricted the production of crops. The AAA encouraged farmers to not only limit, but also to “destroy their crops” in an effort to help the economy (“Farm Relief”, 2002, p. 10). While the government attempted to support unsuccessful farmers, landlords took advantage of the opportunity to make a profit. The AAA’s scarcity program allowed for landlords in the cotton-growing regions of the South to force sharecroppers and tenant farmers off of the land (Watkins, 1970, p. 193). As some landowners were outraged at the thought of ruining their produce, others went through with the

Despite the fact that many people in America from the early 19th century to the early 20th century lived in poverty and discrimination, the overall condition of American economy, technological advancement, and standard of living improved. Furthermore, the many reform movements that came out of the Gilded Age led to a more tolerant American

The Gilded Age came down for you to decide your fate, from staying as an older guy and knowing how to farm or evolving into a new industrial hardworking man using your hands to bend, shape, twist, and melt huge iron beams Farming goes way back to early 1800’s unfortunately after the Civil War the economy needs a more efficient process for it to boom back up and the old farming technique wasn’t doing it anymore. Therefore, the Industrial business came to idea and here was the spark for the stock market skyrocketing back up; its no walk around the park, wits and devoted men are required for this task although their hard work and determination, paying off at the end of the day taking home an extra dime.

Each of these sections tried to find stability in different ways; however, one similarity was that all of them formed some kind of organization. Laborers formed unions, while farmers formed organizations like the Farmer’s

American farmers found themselves facing hard times after the Civil War. In the West, the railroad had opened up enormous opportunities. Farmers were now able to cultivate land that had previously been to far from the Eastern markets to make a profit. However, that opportunity came at a price. The farmers increasing dependence on the railroads and other commercial