During the late 19th century, farmers' faced hard times. Falling prices and rising costs led many farmers to join the Grange and Farmer's Alliance movements, which sought economic and political change.
Your Assignment:
Imagine you are selected to speak before a Senate committee on the plight of debt-ridden farmers in the Midwest. Write a compelling description of the problems farmers face. Be as specific as possible.
Due: Sunday 1/11/09 by 11:59p.m.
Monday, January 5, 2009
15 comments:
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Dear Senate,
ReplyDeleteIt is not fair that us farmers have been working hard all our lives only to have our hard earned money get stolen from us right in front of our face. As we make more crops are prices go down, so what are we supposed to do, stop our work and let everyone starve?I have been forced to form a cooperative just to get a little income for my family. I should get my fair share of the money, so I am insisting that you also back my money with silver if you do not have enough gold to do the job...I want what is rightfully mine.That way i can make sure my family has enough to get some food on the table and we can have the good life that we want to have.
Dear Senate members,
ReplyDeleteI am here to represent the low trodden farmers and ranchers in which you and every other member has forgotten about. Just to make you think, did you know the average farmer having everything he needs and yields a good year feeds and supplies up to ten families a year? Now think about this, what if we committed a day strike? No food shipment, no supply trains and most of all no economic fiesta so to speak.
We need to have some assistance. We can't do all his work for absolutely nothing. We are not requiring higher prices on goods but to lower costs and tzxes that we endure every year. Its killing us in financial and economic situation.
I have given you what we as a union of farmers has committed to be the ideal statement, the rest is up to you. Before you decide, imagine the hardship you will face if we don't get assistance and we do strike. Whether for a day or a month, it will be rather stressful for such high political powers such as yourselves.
The problems that farmers face our gas prices are high so its hard to run machines to farm and the oil prices and propane keeps going up and all along with that the crop prices are low and cattle prices are ok
ReplyDeletemy name is Flanny McFlannerson. I am an all American farm boy definitaly not Irish. Anywho, my family is a farm based family and just like the many other families like us we are struggling to keep our land. the the supply of farm goods has exeeded the demand so we are not making money but actually loosing it. it sucks.
ReplyDeleteMost farmers faced losing there farm because they couldn't pay there taxs because they weren't getting enough for there harvest. And they also had to pay for the water so they could grow there crops. They also were losing all of there land to the drought so please help them congress.
ReplyDeleteSome things farmers faced in this hard time was falling prices and rising costs. Which led farmers to join the Grange and Farmers' Alliance movements. The national grange was founded by Oliver Hudson Kelley in 1867. It began primarily as a social organization. The farmers' alliance offered a strong message of solidarity and hope, the movement had attracted some 400,000 members by 1890. These things organized the sought economic and political change. Some people turned to the populist party which drew attention to problems faced by the farmers and laid ground work for later reforms.
ReplyDeleteDear Senate,
ReplyDeleteI wish to enlighten you on the plight of debt-ridden farmers in the Midwest. With all the falling prices and rising costs, farming is getting more and more difficult. As you well know, though, food is necessary more than ever to feed our country's evergrowing cities. As farm prices are plunging, they are trying to produce more than ever trying to break even. All this is doing for them, however, is making the pprices shoot down even lower. I hope you will take it upon yourselves to help the situation.
Sincerely,
Kelsi
Falling prices and rising costs led many farmers to join the Grange and Farmer's Alliance movements-organisations that sought economic and political change.
ReplyDeleteFarmers also demanded for expand the money supply by printing more greenbacks, the paper money used during the war.
Greetings Congressmen, I am a poor midwest farmer struggling to earn enough th keep my family alive. As our cities grow so does our need to produce food unfurtunatly becasue of the price of supplies and equiptments all the contracts we as American farmers need to stay in business are being taken by over-seas farmers. The growing price of everything we need financial aid and if possibly a tariff on incoming over sea crop products.
ReplyDeleteThank you esteemed congresses for your time.
Dear Senate Committee:
ReplyDeleteI am here today to speak on account of the farmers in the Midwest. We are having many problems and its leading into debt. We farmers are facing many dificulties. To begin with, the rapidly growing population in the nation's cities caused us to have to produce larger crops. Then, other countries started producing larger crops, making the prices drop majorly. So many of us ended up borrowing money to pay for crops and new machinery. This lead to many people becoming tenant farmers or labor workers.
As you can see, we are having many problems. If you could just think of a way to bail us out, that would be great! Thanks for your time.
Bill John Frank
The rising cost and falling prices are ridiculous. Its hurting everybody ecspecial the farmers. We long hard days a year and in the end barely make enough for one person to live off of let alone a family. Rising cost are killing everybody and the falling prices are right along those lines as well.
ReplyDeleteDear Senate,
ReplyDeleteI would like to propose the problems farmers face everyday to you. First of all rising prices make it hard for us to purchase needed equipment. We’re not able to buy certain things that we must have because we can’t afford it. Also sometimes the crops don’t turn out the way we want. A lot of times droughts affect our crop production along with bugs and other animals. So therefore we need some Alliance with the government to help us out in these situations so that we are not in so much debt. If you help us this will keep crop prices down and affordable to everyone.
I am here today to discuss my concerns for the farmers of our nation, being one myself. We are being treated unfairly and not being given proper resources to run our farms. We need to be able to get loans and be able to pay them back at a reasonable rate. If you would back money with silver and gold, this would be possible. Unless you want to be starving sometime in the near future, I say we need to see some changes in our government. If we were giving proper loans at a reasonable rate and givin resources to run the farms, production would increase greatly and it would make the costs of food lower and in turn boost our economy. I see no negative aspect to this idea, therefor, I think it would be in everyone best interest to get something accomplished!
ReplyDeletePlease help us with our time of need. After the civil war all the troubles started for us. There wasnt enough good land to farm and alot of people wanted the food were growing. With the high of demand and alot of crops ruined, we can't pay off our depts to the banks. Were joining the Grange or the Farmer's alliance to see if they can help, but we need you to be able to help us farmers. Remember with out us there would be no food to feed all the rest of America. Crops would be scarse and people would have to pay big money to get food. So if you help us, we would appreciate it alot. Peace.
ReplyDeleteDear Senate,
ReplyDeleteIt is very unfair the way we, as farmers, have been treated. We have done what you have asked of us. You ask for more food for the rapid growing cities, we supplied more food. Each year we have responded by growing larger crops and the way you respond is by lowering our income. Our prices have tumbled but railroad freight prices have spiraled upward. How do you expect us to make a living? This is outrageous. We can't even produce enough to break even on money. To make our matters worse almost all of us have borrowed money to pay for the land or the equipment we have bought. Many of us will lose our farms then there won't any farmers and the food supply will decrease rapidly.
Sincerely
Concerned Farmers