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Downward Migration DBQ

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Following the Civil War, westward migration increased rapidly; this was mainly due to acts such as the Homestead Act, which provided 160 acres of land for anyone who settled on it for a period of five years, the Morrill Act, and the Transcontinental Railroad, which ignited the transportation revolution. Nevertheless, life was difficult for farmers in the west, as they faced droughts, severe weather, and loneliness, leading many to leave their Western homesteads. However, often the greatest difficulty for farmers was competing with industrial farming, large corporations, and the global economy. As production increased and global prices decreased, many farmers fell into poverty, burned with debt they could not pay off due to deflation. As farmers …show more content…

In a popular rallying song of the 1890s called “The Farmer Is the Man”, westerners declared that “The middleman’s the one who gets it all / ...They forget that it’s the farmer who feeds them all,” (Doc H). Farmers viewed themselves as invaluable to American society; though the “middleman” is the person who made the most profit, it was often at the expense of farmers, who saw themselves as the great providers. This common outrage shared by farmers caused them to unite with one another in order to advance their common interests. This is demonstrated in the formation of the National Grange Movement, an organization that was important in the economics and politics of frontier life. As westerners began to unite with one another and take collective action, it was clear that farmers were dedicated in their pursuit of changing the pro-corporation system that existed in the West. In a testimony at the Chicago Conference of Trusts, Aaron Jones, head of the Grangers, said that, “Every citizen of this Republic should be free to use his labor as will best contribute to his benefit of happiness,” (Doc C). It’s clear that farmers and westerners were not only enraged by the actions of corporations and monopolies, but were also outraged by their loss of security of life and property. Their way of life was being significantly altered by big business, and many westerners …show more content…

Many westerners fought for political actions as solutions to their problems, as notably demonstrated by the Interstate Commerce Act. Furthermore, westerners formed groups such as the Granger Movement and Farmer’s Alliances in order to promote the protection of their way of life and right to their property, which aided in shaping democracy and helped farmers find a role in society. Finally, the Populist Movement was widespread across the West and was viewed by many as a revolution, demonstrating the importance of it in shaping American government and society. Overall, the Populist and Granger Movements had a major impact not only on American democracy and politics, but also the development of the Western

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The Grange & The Populists were a party that came into the spotlight around the late 19th century. The Grange was a farmer’s association set up in 1867 with its main purpose was to help stabilize the economic situation of farmers and also at the same time try and improve their current conditions. Similarly The Populist, or also known as the People’s Party, they have tried to alleviate the unfair conditions of the late 19th century so that it was beneficial for the lower class citizens. The Grange and the Populist were crucial towards understanding the social and economic aspect of farmers and workers in the late 19th century.

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From 1865 to 1900 agriculture was at war, shifting from small, individual farms to larger commercialized farms because of the devaluing of currency, competition from corporate farms with more land and better technology, and government policies that proved detrimental to those clinging to old ways of life. To escape debt and seek profit in new lands, many farmers started working westward but so did corporations looking to expand. Because of westward expansion, companies like the union pacific railroad company built railroads that connected lands all across the U.S. and earned 10 miles of land in either direction of the railroad. This land put the railroad in control of many western lands and in control of the prices of land, travel and resource transportation.

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Farmers of the late 19th century faced several struggles as they attempted to feed themselves and a growing nation. Though they were undeniably crucial to the country, the country often abandoned them to fend against their problems themselves. These desertments lead to the creation of several movements, such as The Grange, and of political parties such as the Populists. The challenges of American farmers were often intertwined and difficult to get to one cause of the problem. Increasing railroad use and inflated prices hurt the farmers tremendously, which then lead to widespread debt and the cry for silver to be used in the money standard, which then resulted in overproduction of goods to try to overcompensate for the burgeoning debt, but only made it worse.

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, the businessmen gave millions to build schools, colleges, hospitals, art institutes and parks. What were the main complaints of farmers in this time period? How did they lead to the rise of the Populists? United States experienced a tremendous growth in industrialization in the 1800.

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During the 19th century, the American people were experiencing a revolution concerning both the economy and religion, in what is recognized today as the Market Revolution and the Second Great Awakening. A rapid increase in the population within the countryside, and the development of new technology outburst a change in the economy from one of local exchanges to one governed by capital and capitalists. Family owned businesses began to expand and sold their items not only among a small community, but now products were being shipped to different ports along the colonies. The industrialization movement was rapidly approaching that “Indian removal was necessary for the opening of the vast American lands to agriculture, to commerce, to markets, to

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The 19th century was a period of widespread social, economical and political problems in the United States, from the 1890s to the 1920s in need of reform. Both parties were created by the people’s dissatisfaction with the government and its ability to appeal to the majority. The Populist movement was founded my farmers, laborers and middle class civilians that wanted government regulation in the economy, more authority in the government, educating immigrants, to prevent government corruption and high positions to be based on experience.

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Thomas Jefferson, a former president’s, statement in Query XIX about his admiration of the Yeoman farmer was hypocritical. Jefferson declared that “venality suffocates the germ of virtue” (QUERY XIX). Work motivated by trade and profit is not a righteous practice. Although he claimed to value a life of self-sufficiency, Jefferson owned substantial amounts of slaves in his lifetime. In this case, contradicts the claim that one should provide for themselves.

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The economy suffered terribly without the support of the farmer’s profits circulating. This created the beginning of the most widely known suffrage of the American people. Wheat became no longer a demand since half of the country could not afford even their mortgages or anything besides what they could ration on their own (Wik). Since the farmers stripped the land of the prairie grass, soil throughout the Great Plains became dry and wilted. Winds became avid and blew the dust into the air creating a brown atmosphere.

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Throughout American History, revolutions in transportation have affected the American society politically, socially and economically. Soon after the war of 1812, American nationalism increased which leads to a greater emphasis on national issues, the increase in power and prevalence of the national government and a growing sense of the American Identity. Railways, canals, and Turnpikes began to increase making many people employed. The era of 1830-1860 represents a shift from agrarianism to industrialism. Overall, during the transportation revolution, construction of turnpikes, roads, canals, and railroads led to the market economy expansion, an increased population in America and alternations of the physical landscape of America.

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The contrasts between the American West and East in the nineteenth century range from a new start to the adventure of the living in the Wild West. The east had become overcrowded and did not allow much opportunity for people of lesser wealth. “In 1893, the historian Frederick Jackson Turner gave a celebrated lecture, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History,” in which he argued that on the western frontier the distinctive qualities of American culture were forged: individual freedom, political democracy, and economic mobility. The West, he added, acted as a “safety

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Frederick Jackson Turner’s frontier thesis leaves many Americans questioning what is to come, while Sam Foss and Carl Sandburgs’ poems support Turner’s view. The dissolution of the frontier ignited a fear in many Americans because it is what initially gave settlers a sense of prosperity and independence from the industrialized world. For several, the West offered the opportunity for a fresh start from the ongoing wage cuts and layoffs. Turner explains in his speech that the frontier forced settlers to adapt to new ways of life due to the fact that there was no aristocracy in America as there had been in Great Britain for many years. It was essentially the “meeting point between savagery and civilization” (Turner).

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Farmers in the West, both before and as the Depression hit, frivolously worked to farm their land and produce as much agriculture as possible, aiming to fulfil their duty as a “proper” American citizen in fulfilling their role as a hard and productive worker. The ideas of hard work ultimately led to over-working the American farmland in the western United States. As the overworked land was uprooted, displacing these farmers, the ideas of a strenuous American work ethic continued to remain in the minds of these

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Migration DBQ The United States of America has, and will always be, a country where immigrants and refugees can migrate to, internally and internationally, to vastly improve their lives. During the late 19th century in the US, there was a massive influx of immigrants from all over the world, as well as movement of people already living in the US to different areas. These people were primarily seeking better job opportunities due to numerous economic issues in foreign countries and social tensions in the post-Reconstruction US.

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