Compare And Contrast The Populist Movement

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The populist movement organized in St. Louis in 1892 led by the chief organizer Ignatius Donnelly was designed by the common people to assist them. The progressivist party was created at the beginning of the 19th century as a way to effect change within the government for educated people. The differences between the two seem vast with only minor points that are similar. The start of both of these movements seemed to define how different they are in structure, with one starting from poverty during the 1800’s seeking a resolution to level the playing field and the other beginning in the 1900’s from the educated and rich. The direct election of senators seems to be the only way in which these two groups are the same but the direct election of …show more content…

A drought devastated the Midwest’s crops and without these crops they did not have the ability to pay debts accrued. The Southern farmers were also dealing with issues during this time from being crushed with the falling price of cotton who were also unable to pay their debts. With these occurring at the same time along with some technical advances this led these farmers to come together and organize their efforts in order to interject much needed change within the financial institutions. As a result of their combined efforts two organizations were formed; The Farmers Alliance and the Colored Farmers Alliance were …show more content…

Combined they came together to change issues within the financial institution but at the beginning they were focused on smaller issues on what could change immediately. These two organizations began focusing on buying items needed in bulk in order to receive discounts and to challenge the marketing issues specifically because of the downward spiral of prices for their crops. The Farmers Alliance platform’s stance was that they demanded coinage or a fair exchange based on the current market in order to exchange their gold for silver coin. The desire for a graduated income tax was created so that the rich would pay in more to taxes and the less fortunate would pay less. This belief was thought to keep the country’s money in the hands of the people, and also that the government should own and operate the railroad it serves by transporting people and their goods. The Farmer’s Alliance also wanted the telephone and telegraph to be owned and operated by the government so as to bring news to the people. The railroad should only be allowed to own enough land in order to operate and to stop alien ownership of land including all natural resources. Money should be printed as legal tender but not to exceed $50 per person so as not to lose its