Final answer:
Farm organizations and labor movements advocated a variety of policies to lessen the dominance of big business and empower the common man, including the creation of the Populist Party, the promotion of the unlimited coinage of silver, and the fight for improved working conditions and collective bargaining.
Step-by-step explanation:
Policies Advocated by Farm Organizations and Labor Movements
Farm organizations and labor movements played pivotal roles in American history, advocating for policies to curtail the power of big business and lift up the common man. For farmers, the challenge was to overcome economic hardships due to factors such as overproduction and high tariffs. Organizations like the Populist Party and the Farmers Alliance sought to influence legislation to address their specific needs.
The Populist Party, emerging from the Farmers Alliance, pushed for policies including a graduated income tax, the direct election of U.S. Senators, and single terms for the presidency. They also advocated for an eight-hour workday, loan programs to assist with the costs of food, and the unlimited coinage of silver to increase the monetary supply and assist farmers and workers alike.
Labor movements, on the other hand, focused on worker rights within an industrialized landscape. They fought for fair wages, reasonable work hours, improved safety conditions, and the end of child labor. Unions such as those developing from the industrial labor movement sought to use collective bargaining to enhance their negotiating power with employers. The federal government's intervention to regulate consumer prices and ensure that inflation did not undermine worker wages also represented a victory for labor movements.
Collectively, these policies were aimed at elevating the economic status of farmers and workers and empowering them to resist the dominance of large corporations. The demands and actions of farm organizations, such as the Farm Holiday Association, and labor unions played key roles in shaping American policies during periods of social and labor unrest.