Farmers and the Progressive Era

As more and more settlers moved onto the great plains, crops began being overproduced resulting in---

• plenty of food to feed the local community

• farmers selling their crops for large sums of money

• farmers trading and bartering their crops with other settlers

• the price of the crops decreasing

Railroad companies made it difficult on farmers by---

• only picking up crops from farmers once a year

• making the farmers pay extremely high rates to ship their crops

• making farmers pay annual dues of $1,000 to the railroad company

• accepting bribes from state governments and large corporations

What was the primary purpose of The Grange?

• to provide railroad workers with an organization that fought to imp

• to help farmers fight problems they faced

• to provide rural farmers with a place to socialize

• to provide loans to farmers

The Grange lobbied congress to pass a law that forced the railroad companies to charge fair rates to farmers. As a result Congress passed---

• Interstate Commerce Act

• Homestead Act

• 5th Amendment

• Sherman Antitrust Act

How did the expansion of railroad transportation most benefit farmers in the USA?

• By raising the consumer price of agricultural products

• By increasing the variety of locally grown crops

• By providing farmers with affordable access to distant markets

• By encouraging farmers to form the first agricultural cooperatives

The Populist Party was supported by---

• bankers, government employees, factory workers

• farmers, factory workers, other common laborers

• business owners, factory workers, teachers

• immigrants, farmers, bankers

One of the policies that was a part of the Populist Party Platform was---

• the same tax rate for everyone

• increase pay for factory workers

• decreased interest rates

• coinage of silver

One of the reasons people supported coinage of silver was they believed it would--

• increase the amount of money in circulation in the economy

• increase wages of all laborers by 10%

• provide an alternative to gold should our gold reserves be spent

• allow banks to increase interest rates

Even though the Populist Party never won a presidential election in 1892, they still influenced America---

• because the major political parties adopted issues brought up from the Populists

• by uniting the working class of people and giving them a voice on a national scale

• because union membership grew across the nation

• leaders of the Populist Party later became American presidents

Regulation of railroad shipping charges, graduated income tax, free and unlimited coinage of silver were all Populist Demands in the Late 1800s. These demands most reflected the concerns of---

• small farmers in need of affordable credit

• robber barons pursuing higher profits

• prominent bankers who controlled the money supply

• immigrant workers seeking economic justice