American Farmers History Lab for high school PDF

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Building Blocks for History Lab: SS.912.A.3.1 Analyze the economic challenges to American farmers and farmers’ responses to these challenges in the mid to late 1800s. Essential Question: Who was to blame for the problems of American farmers after the Civil War? Before introducing this history lab to students, they must be familiar with the challenges American farmers faced in the late 1800s, including high shipping prices charged by railroad companies and falling crop prices due to deflation after the Civil War. They should also be familiar with the various ways that farmers responded to these problems, including forming alliances such as the Grange and pushing for reforms such as an end to the gold standard, regulation of railroads by the government, among others. Students should also have a sense of the historical context of the presidential election year of 1896, in which William Jennings Bryan ran as presidential candidate for the Democratic Party and delivered his famous “Cross of Gold” speech. That year the Democratic Party essentially borrowed the Populist Party platform to appeal to farmers and workers alike. Ultimately, the Republican Party’s candidate William McKinley won the election and the gold standard remained. Related content they should know: Populist Party William Jennings Bryan “Cross of Gold” speech Bimetallism Gold standard Sod house ● Grange movement ● Railroad regulation ● Farmers’ Alliances ● ● ● ● ● ●

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SS.912.A.3.1 Analyze the economic challenges to American farmers and farmers’ responses to these challenges in the mid to late 1800s.

Essential Question: Who was to blame for the problems of American farmers after the Civil War? Source

Main Idea / Message / Important Details

Source 1

William Jennings Bryan is a large snake named "Populist In the image, it shows that the populist Party" twisted around a donkey labeled "Democratic party negatively affected the farmers due Party." The snake is about to swallow the donkey. to the misuse of government land grants as railroads sold their businesses rather than settlers. Railroads also had formal agreements to fix prices that kept farmers in their debt. Railroads also charged different customers different rates and charged more for short hauls than long hauls. Bryan blames the railroad companies, banks, big corporations, governments for the problems facing the American farmers

Political Cartoon “Swallowed” from Puck Magazine

Source 2 Cross of Gold Political Cartoon

The image represents the Cross of Gold speech that was delivered by William Jennings Bryan, a former United States Representative from Nebraska. The speech took place at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago

How does this document answer the essential question?

The speech Cross of Gold delivered by William Jennings Bryan increased world demand for gold coincided with a slowing in the rate of increase of the world's stock

Source 3 Photograph of a sod house

on July 9, 1896. In the address, Bryan supported bimetallism or "free silver", which he believed would bring the nation prosperity

of gold and rising output of goods and services. The result of these economic factors was deflation. This deflation became a serious concern for farmers in the United States. As it exacerbated the ongoing problems with sharecropping and foreign competition. Farmers are affected both by the falling prices (the things they are selling are worthless at the market) and also the rise in the real value of their debt (most farmers are debtors, meaning simply that they must borrow money to prepare their farm before they can hopefully sell enough products at harvest time to make a profit and pay off their loans).

Sod houses were first built when homesteaders began settling towards the western United States. Sod houses accommodated normal doors and windows. The resulting structure featured less expensive materials and was quicker to build than a wood frame house. However, sod houses required frequent maintenance and were often vulnerable to rain damage, especially if the roof was also primarily of sod. Because of the thickness of the walls and the insulating ability of the material, sod houses did an excellent job of keeping the heat of a stove in the house during winter. They also helped keep the heat out during the summer. Settler

The reason for settlers to live in these "sod houses'' was the effect of the Homestead Act of 1862 passed by President Abraham Lincoln. The act granted 160 acres of free land to claimants, it allowed nearly any man or woman a "fair chance." On the other hand, blizzards, intense winds, and tornadoes occurred often. People were given land that was unfit to be farmed on, which made them suffer from hunger, especially during the colder months. Livestock suffered from hunger as well, as

Source 4 Political Cartoon, “The Grange Awakening the Sleepers” 1873

families tended to live in their sod houses for six or seven years. This photograph is trying to show you the conditions the farmers lived in

the vegetation was hard to find out West. The farmers blamed the wealthy, railroads and big corporations

The cartoon was inspired by the Vanderbilt system of secret rebates, showing a farmer trying to rouse the country to the railroad menace. The Grange or 'Patrons of Husbandry' was an organization formed to help and educate the farming community. They were against railroads because of their anti-farmer practices.

Cornelius Vanderbilt was an American business tycoon who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. Until railroads were built, transportation was a very huge problem for farmers living in the west. It was very difficult for farmers to move their crops to a town where they could be sold, and it was also very difficult for farmers to buy things that were made in the cities. Because of this, most farmers had to raise their food and had to make many of the things needed on their farms.

Thesis: Farmers worked hard to produce crops and livestock. But when prices fell they tried to produce even more to pay their debts, taxes, and living expenses. which resulted in poverty and foreclosures. The main problems of American farmers after the Civil War can be blamed for rising costs and falling prices, grasshoppers, drought, boll weevils, especially in the South. Many farmers blamed railroad owners, grain elevator operators, land monopolists, commodity futures dealers, mortgage companies, merchants, bankers, and manufacturers of farm equipment.

Source 1 – Political Cartoon “Swallowed”

Source 2 – Political Cartoon featuring William Jennings Bryan

carrying the “Cross of Gold”

Source 3 – Photograph of a Great Plains “sod house”

Source 4 – Political Cartoon “The Grange Awakening the Sleepers” 1873...