Farmers Grievences

Between 1880 and 1900, the common American farmer faced several severe problems as the government and the nation moved forward on the industrial trend heading into the next century. Correspondingly, these tribulations led to the farmers harboring numerous grievances against the government and industry. The farmers believed that the railroad companies were conspiring to put them out of business. Also they were angry with the government for not inflating currency and adopting the free coinage of silver in order to pay off their debts more easily. Furthermore, the farmers had bad luck with Mother Nature during these years. Some of these complaints were valid yet it seems more of them were based on emotions.

The rise of the railroad industry proved to be faulty for farmers. The conspiracy spread that the railroad industry was “out to get” the farmers and put them out of business creating more room for capital gain on their part. That is not entirely true because business is business, whether it is the farming busine

Farmers had to deal with one of the worst enemies sometimes, Mother Nature and her wrath. Many occurrences brought farms down to minimal standards. From floods that made the flourishing land into nothing more than erosion waste, to clouds of grasshoppers leaving nothing but the mortgage behind, only to be trailed by droughts, tended to agitate the farmers. But Americans in the East had no control over weather in the West, so business could not stop there. There were also suggestions that during years with good weather, farmers over produced the land resulting in the need to sell it, resulting in the decrease of price.

Another thought provokes many minds was about the money situation. The government refused to adopt free coinage of silver and inflate the monetary base of the country. Farmers saw this as a way out of debt and back on the stable market. But the government refused however stating there were provisions made in the silver issue. Provisions such as the Bland-Allison Act of 1873, which allowed the government to buy and coin up to 4 million dollars worth of silver a

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