Western Farmers and Industrial Revolution
Intro
Industrial Revolution was a huge wave that swept every individual and changed their lives forever. No one could deny the impacts of Industrial Revolution were inescapable. In the tsunami of change called Industrialization, American farmers, especially those who lived in Middle West, had to sail through the tough market competition and dismay. Suffering enough from the tyranny of monopolistic railroads and grain elevators, the farmers started to form a political assembly to represent themselves properly (Brinkley. 488). The movement later called Populism was first emerged from discontented farmers who were unsettled by “crop failures, falling prices, and poor marketing and credit facilities” (Encyclopedia Britannica) becomes one of the most powerful political movement throughout the American history. Two people, Oliver Hudson Kelly and Mary Elizabeth Lease fought against the big corporations and the government on the Populists’ side on their own way and made changes that will acheive their goals.
Oliver Hudson Kelley and the Grangers
During Industrial Revolution, with the expansion of the railroads and the evolution in the technology, the market for the farmers has expanded enormously. However, a set of events such as the overproduction of the crops caused by Homestead Act and improved agricultural techniques, protective, high tariff supported by the Republican government, and the monopoly of railroad and grain elevators soon started to cause the economical hardships for Western farmers (Encyclopedia Britannica). Several trials to establish the political farm organizations failed, until the Oliver Hudson Kelley, the formal clerk of the Department of Agriculture founded the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry (Atkeson, 316). Kelley believed that the organization will serve as a school for the farmers to exchange their techniques and discuss social issues in mean of education. However, the National Grange started with 7 members started to grow exponentially to about 800,000 with the decline in farm prices in 1873. As the number of the members increase the purpose of the organization started to shift to the political movement of aliened farmers against the big corporations (Brinkley, 488). The smaller unit of the organization was called “Grangers” and the grangers spread through every state gathered together for one need: political figure that can stopped the outrageous amount of charge for the handling of the crops (Encyclopedia Britannica). Grangers who declared monopoly railroads as “the Economic enemy of the farmers” stood for urged farmers to engage in crop diversification and economic cooperation, finally gained power in the congress of the Midwestern State and passed Granger Laws in early 1870s (Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture). Granger Laws regulated and restricted the railroad rates and practices and calm downed the sharp decline of the crop prices. However, not far later, the Supreme Court announced that the law is unconstitutional for the government does not have power to regulate the enterprises. After the event and the rising of new organization called the Farmer’s Alliances, which more focused on the political matter than the Grangers, Grangers started to lose power until 20th century revival.
Mary E. Lease and Populism
After the decline of the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry, the Farmers’ Alliance gained power based on the support of Western farmers. Soon, the farmers learned that the small alliance cannot do as much as they want in national scale and created the Populist or People’s party in 1892. Populist Party demanded an increase in the circulating currency (supported by silver), a graduated income tax, government ownership of the railroads, abolition of the protective tariff, the direct election of U.S. senators, and other policies that will achieve political equality among farmers, businessmen and industrial workers (Encyclopedia Britannica). Among the supporters of the Populist Party, there was Mary E. Lease, the best known orator of the party. She was born in western Pennsylvania and later moved to the Kansas. After her harsh life caused by her father’s early death, she became not only Populist but also women’s suffrage and temperance supporter (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History). She believed that by appealing directly to the heart and soul of the nation’s farmers, she can promote political action form the farmers from entire nation to protect their own rights and interests. While she travel through the country and actively use her elaborated speech skills to support the party, the Populists started to suffer with the internal conflicts around the Depression of 1893 (Encyclopedia Britannica). When the Populists sided with Democrats and supported William Jennings Bryan for the president, Mary disappointed on her party and later moved to Republican party and wrote articles on the newspapers until the day she dies (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History). And the Populist Party started to fade after losing election of 1894.
Conclusion
Kelley and Lease started from the different start points. While Kelley was originally purposed to enhance the education and communication of farmers when he founded the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry, the flow of the history led him to the different shore. Lease was bigoted to change the world by fighting and appealing to the human mind by joining the party and strongly claims civil rights. However, what they intended was same. The Western farmers’ right and life was threatened by the Industrial Revolution and their voice did not reached to the congress. Although both party ended with decline, the partly achieved their claims and made people to be aware of the status of local farmers. It is hard to say the Western famers’ action was successful but it is also undeniable they changed and achieved some important things such as Granger Laws. The effort they put in took little while to bloom, but eventually caused changes.
Bibliography
Please check Bibliography section on the top.
Industrial Revolution was a huge wave that swept every individual and changed their lives forever. No one could deny the impacts of Industrial Revolution were inescapable. In the tsunami of change called Industrialization, American farmers, especially those who lived in Middle West, had to sail through the tough market competition and dismay. Suffering enough from the tyranny of monopolistic railroads and grain elevators, the farmers started to form a political assembly to represent themselves properly (Brinkley. 488). The movement later called Populism was first emerged from discontented farmers who were unsettled by “crop failures, falling prices, and poor marketing and credit facilities” (Encyclopedia Britannica) becomes one of the most powerful political movement throughout the American history. Two people, Oliver Hudson Kelly and Mary Elizabeth Lease fought against the big corporations and the government on the Populists’ side on their own way and made changes that will acheive their goals.
Oliver Hudson Kelley and the Grangers
During Industrial Revolution, with the expansion of the railroads and the evolution in the technology, the market for the farmers has expanded enormously. However, a set of events such as the overproduction of the crops caused by Homestead Act and improved agricultural techniques, protective, high tariff supported by the Republican government, and the monopoly of railroad and grain elevators soon started to cause the economical hardships for Western farmers (Encyclopedia Britannica). Several trials to establish the political farm organizations failed, until the Oliver Hudson Kelley, the formal clerk of the Department of Agriculture founded the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry (Atkeson, 316). Kelley believed that the organization will serve as a school for the farmers to exchange their techniques and discuss social issues in mean of education. However, the National Grange started with 7 members started to grow exponentially to about 800,000 with the decline in farm prices in 1873. As the number of the members increase the purpose of the organization started to shift to the political movement of aliened farmers against the big corporations (Brinkley, 488). The smaller unit of the organization was called “Grangers” and the grangers spread through every state gathered together for one need: political figure that can stopped the outrageous amount of charge for the handling of the crops (Encyclopedia Britannica). Grangers who declared monopoly railroads as “the Economic enemy of the farmers” stood for urged farmers to engage in crop diversification and economic cooperation, finally gained power in the congress of the Midwestern State and passed Granger Laws in early 1870s (Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture). Granger Laws regulated and restricted the railroad rates and practices and calm downed the sharp decline of the crop prices. However, not far later, the Supreme Court announced that the law is unconstitutional for the government does not have power to regulate the enterprises. After the event and the rising of new organization called the Farmer’s Alliances, which more focused on the political matter than the Grangers, Grangers started to lose power until 20th century revival.
Mary E. Lease and Populism
After the decline of the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry, the Farmers’ Alliance gained power based on the support of Western farmers. Soon, the farmers learned that the small alliance cannot do as much as they want in national scale and created the Populist or People’s party in 1892. Populist Party demanded an increase in the circulating currency (supported by silver), a graduated income tax, government ownership of the railroads, abolition of the protective tariff, the direct election of U.S. senators, and other policies that will achieve political equality among farmers, businessmen and industrial workers (Encyclopedia Britannica). Among the supporters of the Populist Party, there was Mary E. Lease, the best known orator of the party. She was born in western Pennsylvania and later moved to the Kansas. After her harsh life caused by her father’s early death, she became not only Populist but also women’s suffrage and temperance supporter (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History). She believed that by appealing directly to the heart and soul of the nation’s farmers, she can promote political action form the farmers from entire nation to protect their own rights and interests. While she travel through the country and actively use her elaborated speech skills to support the party, the Populists started to suffer with the internal conflicts around the Depression of 1893 (Encyclopedia Britannica). When the Populists sided with Democrats and supported William Jennings Bryan for the president, Mary disappointed on her party and later moved to Republican party and wrote articles on the newspapers until the day she dies (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History). And the Populist Party started to fade after losing election of 1894.
Conclusion
Kelley and Lease started from the different start points. While Kelley was originally purposed to enhance the education and communication of farmers when he founded the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry, the flow of the history led him to the different shore. Lease was bigoted to change the world by fighting and appealing to the human mind by joining the party and strongly claims civil rights. However, what they intended was same. The Western farmers’ right and life was threatened by the Industrial Revolution and their voice did not reached to the congress. Although both party ended with decline, the partly achieved their claims and made people to be aware of the status of local farmers. It is hard to say the Western famers’ action was successful but it is also undeniable they changed and achieved some important things such as Granger Laws. The effort they put in took little while to bloom, but eventually caused changes.
Bibliography
Please check Bibliography section on the top.