How did the Grange movement affect farmers?
The financial crisis of 1873, along with falling crop prices, increases in railroad fees to ship crops, and Congress’s reduction of paper money in favor of gold and silver devastated farmers’ livelihoods and caused a surge in Grange membership in the mid-1870s.
Why was the Granger movement important?
The Granger movement was founded in 1867, by Oliver Hudson Kelley. Its original intent was to bring farmers together to discuss agricultural styles, in an attempt to correct widespread costly and inefficient methods. Kelley promoted his movement all over the country, but it only caught on in the West.
Why were farmers angry at railroad companies?
RAILROAD ABUSES Farmers were angry with railroad companies for a host of reasons. They were upset by misuse of government land grants, which the railroads sold to other businesses rather than to settlers, as the government intended.
What did the Granger Laws of the late 1800s accomplish?
The Granger laws were a series of laws passed in western states of the United States after the American Civil War to regulate grain elevator and railroad freight rates and rebates and to address long- and short-haul discrimination and other railroad abuses against farmers.
What impact did the Granger Laws have?
This act forced railroad companies to publish their rates with the government and banned railroads from charging different rates for short and long hauls. This 1887 act also created the Interstate Commerce Commission, which regulated the rates of railroads and ensured the rates remained “reasonable and just”.
Is the Grange still active today?
Over the years, members fought for many issues like railroad regulations, farm loans and universal suffrage, and the National Grange still exists today with 2,000 local community Granges across 41 states and nearly 80,000 members.
What challenges were faced by the Granger Laws?
The Granges soon evolved into the national Granger Movement. By 1873, all but four states had Granges. The main problems confronting the Granger Movement concerned corporate ownership of grain elevators (used for the storage of crops) and railroads.
What caused many farmers to go into debt?
Farmers believed that interest rates were too high because of monopolistic lenders, and the money supply was inadequate, producing deflation. A falling price level increased the real burden of debt, as farmers repaid loans with dollars worth significantly more than those they had borrowed.
What was the result of the Granger Laws?
The Illinois granger laws focused primarily on eliminating the discrimination between long- and short-haul rates of railroads and regulating the maximum price charged by grain storage facilities. The Illinois granger laws led to several important court cases, two of which were Munn v. Illinois and the Wabash Case.
Who did the Grange blame for farmers problems?
Bankers, railroad companies, and Eastern manufacturers. Whom did the farmers of the late 1800s blame for their troubles? If they didn’t do well with their crops then they couldn’t pay their loan, then their farms could be taken away!
What was the purpose of the first Granger law?
The Granger laws were a group of laws enacted by states off Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois in the late 1860s and early 1870s intended to regulate rapidly rising crop transport and storage fees railroads and grain elevator companies charged farmers.
Why was the Grange so unusual?
The organization was unusual at this time, because women and any teen old enough to draw a plow (aged 14 to 16) were encouraged to participate. The importance of women was reinforced by requiring that four of the elected positions could be held only by women.
What was the biggest complaint of the farmer during the Grange movement?
The Complaints of Farmers First, farmers claimed that farm prices were falling and, as a consequence, so were their incomes. They generally blamed low prices on over-production. Second, farmers alleged that monopolistic railroads and grain elevators charged unfair prices for their services.
What did the Granger Laws regulate?
The Granger laws were state laws passed in the late 1860s and early 1870s regulating the fees grain elevator companies and railroads charged farmers to store and transport their crops. Granger laws were enacted in the states of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois.
What did the farmers Alliance stand for?
Farmers’ Alliance, an American agrarian movement during the 1870s and ’80s that sought to improve the economic conditions for farmers through the creation of cooperatives and political advocacy. The movement was made up of numerous local organizations that coalesced into three large groupings.
