Because of economic changes, farmers wanted the US government to to fix their problems through currency changes. After slavery was abolished with the Emancipation Proclamation and the government focused on rebuilding America’s infrastructure, prices for many crops began to drop. Across the nation, farmers began to lose money. In addition, this drop in prices only applied to crops, and not to the other services like shipping and transportation, which remained high. Farmers continued to lose profits until 1892, when a depression sent many farmers into deep debt. Farmers expected the government to help them with their debts by using silver to back the US dollar. The abundance of silver would cause enough inflation to raise prices for crops. However, politicians did not directly respond to these requests. …show more content…
The industrialization of America led to lots of new technology for farming being developed, which further drove farmers into debt. New plows and tools were created and although they made farming significantly easier, they were also very expensive. Farmers were forced to buy these tools by their landlords and they struggled to find cheaper ways to compete with larger farms. Unlike farmers earlier in the century, these farmers did not grow many crops, even for sustenance. Instead, they grew only a couple cash crops, which could bring a lot of money, but also could bring in none if there was a drought or other problem. As the government ignored farmers and as their debts grew, farmers began no receive no reward for their works in the fields. Farmers found that unity would be the only way for them to overcome their challenges. However, as these challenges built up, many quit their jobs as farmers and moved to the northern cities and became factories