Volume 45 of the Chronicles of America Series ∴ Allen Johnson, Editor Assistant Editors Gerhard R. Lomer Charles W. Jefferys
New Haven: Yale University Press Toronto: Glasgow, Brook & Co. London: Humphrey Milford Oxford University Press 1920
Rapid growth accompanied by a somewhat painful readjustment has been one of the leading characteristics of the history of the United States during the last half century. In the West the change has been so swift and spectacular as to approach a complete metamorphosis. With the passing of the frontier has gone something of the old freedom and the old opportunity; and the inevitable change has brought forth inevitable protest, particularly from the agricultural class. Simple farming communities have wakened to find themselves complex industrial regions in which the farmers have frequently lost their former preferred position. The result has been a series of radical agitations on the part of farmers determined to better their lot. These movements have manifested different degrees of coherence and intelligence, but all have had something of the same purpose and spirit, and all may justly be considered as stages of the still unfinished agrarian crusade. This book is an attempt to sketch the course and to reproduce the spirit of that crusade from its inception with the Granger movement, through the Greenback and Populist phases, to a climax in the battle for free silver.
In the preparation of the chapters dealing with Populism I received invaluable assistance from my colleague, Professor Lester B. Shippee of the University of Minnesota; and I am indebted to my wife for aid at every stage of the work, especially in the revision of the manuscript.
The Agrarian Crusade Chapter Chapter Title Page Preface vii I. The Inception of the Grange 1 II. The Rising Spirit of Unrest 11 III. The Granger Movement at Flood Tide 25 IV. Curbing the Railroads 43 V. The Collapse of the Granger Movement 60 VI. The Greenback Interlude 77 VII. The Plight of the Farmer 99 VIII. The Farmers' Alliance 111 IX. The People's Party Launched 125 X. The Populist Bombshell of 1892 142 XI. The Silver Issue 154 XII. The Battle of the Standards 172 XIII. The Leaven of Radicalism 194 Bibliographical Note 203 Index 207
