Final answer:
The Farmers' Alliance, founded in Texas in the late 1870s, sought to empower farmers through cooperative efforts and address economic concerns, eventually contributing to the rise of the Populist Party. Despite its large membership, its exclusionary policies led to the establishment of the Colored Farmers' National Alliance.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Farmers' Alliance was an impactful agrarian movement in the late 19th century that arose as groundswell from the declining influence of the Grange and the Greenback Party. It was founded in Texas during the late 1870s and quickly expanded, to break the stranglehold of railroads and manufacturers through cooperative buying and selling.
At its apex, the alliance had nearly 4 million members; however, it weakened due to excluding tenant farmers and African Americans who formed a significant subset of farmers. Despite these shortcomings, the Farmers' Alliance played a critical role in shaping rural political activism and set the stage for the eventual rise of the Populist Party, advocating for monetary reform and regulation of railroad prices.
The alliance movement not only emphasized self-help for farmers but also became politically active, organizing the Ocala Convention in 1890 to forge a unified national platform. It was innovative in its inclusion of women and other marginalized groups within its structure, offering them political engagement opportunities. Notably, the exclusionary practices of the Farmers' Alliance led to the formation of the Colored Farmers' National Alliance by African-American farmers, which reached a membership of over a million.