105k views
4 votes
Briefly explain an event from the gilded age that supports the farmers were up in arms

2 Answers

0 votes

Final answer:

The Farm Holiday Association during the Gilded Age exemplifies how farmers were aggressively demanding change due to economic hardships through actions such as farm holidays, barricading roads, and penny auctions as a form of protest against government neglect.

Step-by-step explanation:

A poignant event from the Gilded Age that supports the notion that farmers were up in arms is the formation and actions of the Farm Holiday Association. This group, led by Milo Reno, gained notoriety for its aggressive tactics, which included not just organized strikes such as farm holidays where farmers refrained from selling or buying goods, but also escalated to violent acts, such as barricading roads, attacking nonmember farmers, and staging "penny auctions" to recover foreclosed farms.

The association's demands were direct: a federal government plan that would set agricultural prices high enough to cover costs and a commitment to offloading farm surpluses in the international market. These demands emerged from the struggles farmers faced, such as overproduction, high tariffs not reciprocated on agricultural products, and currency issues related to silver and gold that affected buying power and debt management. The farmers were frustrated by the government's neglect and sought to influence change forcefully, sometimes through acts deemed unlawful, to underscore their plight and force a governmental response.

User Hattenn
by
6.7k points
1 vote

An event form the Gilded age that supports that “farmer were up in arms” is when a national organization of farmers met in Ocala, Florida, in 1890 to address the problems of rural America and create a platform. They demanded that Treasury notes and silver be used to increase the amount of money in circulation and they attacked the two major parties as loyal to big businesses and Wall Street Bankers. Evidence that would support the statement about farmers in this era “His burdens are heavier every year and his gains are more meager” is the falling prices of wheat, cotton and other crops due to increased American production. As prices fell, farmers needed to grow more and more to pay off old debts, which caused even lower prices. This vicious cycle led to more debts and foreclosures.What the writer most likely had in mind when he stated, “he is beginning

User Levi Rosol
by
5.9k points