What were the main problems facing farmers in the South and the Midwest after the Civil War?

At the end of the 19th century, about a third of Americans worked in agriculture, compared to only about four percent today. After the Civil War, drought, plagues of grasshoppers, boll weevils, rising costs, falling prices, and high interest rates made it increasingly difficult to make a living as a farmer.

How did farmers respond to the Gilded Age?

Farmers and industrial workers responded to industrialization in the Gilded Age from 1865-1900 by forming organizations that allowed for their voices to be recognized and by influencing political parties to help get national legislation passed.

Why did farmers become politically active?

How and why did farmers become politicized? Despite the farmers traditional reluctance to organize, many reacted to their difficulties by joining the Granger movement, which promoted farmer-owned cooperatives and, subsequently, Famers Alliances, grassroots social organization that also promoted political action.

What caused many farmers to go into debt?

Why did many farmers go into debt in the late 1800s? They took out loans to invest in new industries because agriculture was declining. They took loans out to diversify their crops because consumers demanded new varieties of produce. They took out loans to build roads to bring their produce to distant cities.

What is Republicanism in simple terms?

Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic with an emphasis on liberty and the civic virtue practiced by citizens. More broadly, it refers to a political system that protects liberty, especially by incorporating a rule of law that cannot be arbitrarily ignored by the government.

Why were farmers so frustrated during the Gilded Age?

As more and more crops were dumped onto the American market, it depressed the prices farmers could demand for their produce. Farmers were growing more and more and making less and less. If one looks at cotton production and prices during the Gilded Age, one can see the problem facing the farmer quite clearly.

Why did farmers blame railroads and other industries for their problems?

Why did farmers blame big business for their hardships? Railroads – as monopolies charged whatever rates they wanted. Farmers felt the nation was turning it s back on them. Most leaders were coming from industrial states when previously they used to come from farm states.

Why did farmers blame businesses for their hardships?

Why did farmers blame big business for their hardships? Railroads – as monopolies charged whatever rates they wanted. Farmers felt the nation was turning it s back on them. The farmers felt they performed honest labor and produced necessary goods, while bankers and businessmen were the ones who got rich.

Can American farmers make a difference in a swing state?

While farmers make up a tiny part of the national electorate—there are about 662,000 farms that are more than 180 acres in size, according to the latest US census numbers—they actually could make a difference in the election in a key swing state: Ohio, where Trump enjoys the support of 68 percent of farmers, the poll found.

How many farm workers are undocumented in the US?

In comparison, there are an estimated 2.2 million farm workers in the US, an estimated 53\% of whom are undocumented and ineligible to vote.

What happened to the American farm economy?

As for the farm economy, this US Department of Agriculture chart tells a story of long-term stagnation, briefly interrupted by the government-engineered ethanol boom from 2006 to 2013. Look at the bottom line—”net farm income,” which measures what farmers take home after expenses.

What does a multi-generational farm mean to farmers?

To farmers, a multi-generational farm is a personal, emotional thing; this is their livelihood, their home, their identity. A threat to take it away is a dire thing.