What was the major objective of the alliance movement?
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Show An interactive timeline on ICA milestones(Microfilm Edition) Nebraska State Historical Society Additional information at https://history.nebraska.gov/collections/nebraska-farmers-alliance-guide-microfilm-rg2623am The Farmers' Alliance was one of several agrarian protest organizations which were prominent during the last half of the 19th Century in the United States. The Alliance was a complex movement which was characterized by its wide geographical appeal, ranging from the Far West to the Middle West and Southern portions of the nation. This broad base of support encompassed people of different ethnic, political, economic and social backgrounds. Some of the leaders of the Alliance movement, including Ignatius Donnelly, Jerry Simpson, Mary Elizabeth Lease, and Tom Watson, were known for their frank and somewhat uninhibited methods of expressing dissatisfaction with life in the late 19th Century America. The papers of the Nebraska Farmers’ Alliance include correspondence, reports, daybooks, and ledgers. 7 reels, 10-page guide As farmers pushed westward into Texas, Kansas, and other western states and territories after the Civil War, they experienced some difficult times. To meet these problems they began to form organizations such as the Farmers' Alliance. Besides facing such neutral problems as drought, farmers experienced low commodity prices, high freight rates, high interest rates, and other difficulties. They were very critical of the larger corporations, especially the railroads. These conditions and complaints were familiar to farmers in Indian Territory and to those who rushed into Oklahoma Territory in 1889 and later. The Farmers' Alliance was first organized in Texas in the mid-1870s and soon spread to other states and territories in the South and Midwest. One of the group's main goals was to form cooperatives. Farmers set up cooperatively owned retail stores and marketing organizations. The idea was to give producers more influence in buying their supplies and marketing their products. The Farmers' Alliance was very strong in Texas and Kansas. Lying between these two states, Oklahoma and Indian territories, not surprisingly, offered alliance organizers an opportunity. In 1889 the alliance was organized by "outlanders," or non–American Indian farmers who had moved into the territory. The organization established a number of cooperatively owned businesses and published its own newspaper, the Alliance Courier, in Ardmore. However, the cooperative enterprises soon failed because of lack of capital, poor management, and insufficient patron support. With the failure of the cooperatives and the rise of the Populist Party most of the Alliance members shifted their emphasis to politics. The settlement of Oklahoma Territory came too late for the Farmers' Alliance to have much impact among farmers. By 1890, when the territorial government was organized, the main political issues were free homes and statehood. However, farmers were strongly interested in the growing demands of the Populists. The farmers' movement in both territories gradually blended into the larger farmer-protest activities that coalesced into Populism at the national level. Farmers demanded free and unlimited coinage of silver to inflate the currency and raise farm prices, government ownership of the railroads, taxation of income, abolition of national banks, prohibition of alien land ownership, and other reforms. Although the Farmers' Alliance in the Twin Territories served as a background for the Populist movement, its more important influence may have been on the subsequent organization of the Farmers' Educational and Cooperative Union in 1902, which, among other objectives, strongly supported the formation of farmer cooperatives. Overall, however, the Farmers' Alliance did not play a significant role in Oklahoma's protest history. Gilbert C. Fite BibliographyHoward L. Meredith, "The 'Middle Way': The Farmers' Alliance in Indian Territory, 1889–1896," The Chronicles of Oklahoma 47 (Winter 1969–70). Theodore Saloutos, Farmer Movements in the South, 1865–1933 (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1960). Terry Paul Wilson, "The Demise of Populism in Oklahoma Territory," The Chronicles of Oklahoma 43 (Fall 1965). CitationThe following (as per The Chicago
Manual of Style, 17th edition) is the preferred citation for articles: © Oklahoma Historical Society Copyright and Terms of Use No part of this site may be construed as in the public domain. Copyright to all articles and other content in the online and print versions of The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History is held by the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS). This includes individual articles (copyright to OHS by author assignment) and corporately (as a complete body of work), including web design, graphics, searching functions, and listing/browsing methods. Copyright to all of these materials is protected under United States and International law. Users agree not to download, copy, modify, sell, lease, rent, reprint, or otherwise distribute these materials, or to link to these materials on another web site, without authorization of the Oklahoma Historical Society. Individual users must determine if their use of the Materials falls under United States copyright law's "Fair Use" guidelines and does not infringe on the proprietary rights of the Oklahoma Historical Society as the legal copyright holder of The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and part or in whole. What was the alliance movement?Farmers' Alliance, an American agrarian movement during the 1870s and '80s that sought to improve the economic conditions for farmers through the creation of cooperatives and political advocacy. The movement was made up of numerous local organizations that coalesced into three large groupings. Date: c. 1875 - c.
What was the main goal for the Farmers Alliance?One of the group's main goals was to form cooperatives. Farmers set up cooperatively owned retail stores and marketing organizations. The idea was to give producers more influence in buying their supplies and marketing their products. The Farmers' Alliance was very strong in Texas and Kansas.
What was the primary purpose of farmers alliances quizlet?What was the main goal of the Farmers' alliance? Allow farmers the opportunity to join together for the purpose of purchasing equipment and exhibiting political strength. You just studied 8 terms!
Who was the leader of the Alliance movement?Charles W. Macune, the son of a Methodist preacher, emerged as the leader of this Texas organization when he was elected Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Texas organization in 1886.
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