5.3 Farmers and the Populist Movement- What problems did farmers face on the Great Plains? Rail roads were taking advantage of farmers by charging excesive prices for storage, it took their land, but mainly they charged farmers high prices to use their rail roads. Banks closing their farms, always in debt.Who were the Populists and what did they believe in? Movement of the people, the people fighting for their rights, farmers, common people, also called the people's party. They wanted to give power to the common people. Wanted increase in money supply (circulation and inflation), graduated income tax the more money you make the more money you pay to the government, direct election of US Senetors voted by the people, single terms for Presidents and VP (has never happened), secret ballot for voting nobody knows who you're voting for so there wasn't intimidation, 8 hour work day, restrictions on immagration took jobs and kept wages low.The grange was started by Oliver Hudson and they spent most of their time fighting the railroads. Farmers made up the grange and they fought to make railroad rates cheaper and the same for everybody no matter what your economic status. Membership grew to about 4 million people. The Panic of 1893 was when a lot of railroads went bankurpt.-Breann Lehr
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