Page 1 - Fighting Back and the Grange Movement (Vocabulary)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from Page 1 notes on farming struggles, prices, middlemen, tariffs, and the Grange movement.

Vicious circle (farming debt cycle)

A self-reinforcing loop where falling prices increase debts, leading to foreclosures and more production, which further lowers prices.

Tenants and sharecroppers

Farmers forced to work land owned by others, in exchange for a portion of the crops they produce.

Monopolistic trusts

Industrial corporations joining to control prices and reduce competition.

Middlemen

Wholesalers and retailers who take a cut before farmers receive payment, cutting farmers' profits.

Railroad rate discrimination

Railroads charging higher rates for short hauls or less competitive routes, squeezing farmers' profits.

Warehouses and elevators

Facilities that store and ship grain and often charge high or discriminatory rates.

Tariffs

Taxes aimed at protecting industries; farmers view them as unfair taxes that benefit industrialists and raise costs for consumers.

Oliver H. Kelley

Founder of the National Grange, organized in 1868 as a social and educational movement for farmers.

National Grange of Patrons of Husbandry

Nationwide organization for farmers and their families; evolved to defend members against middlemen and railroads and promote economic cooperation.

Granges

Local chapters of the National Grange; spread across almost every state, with many in the Midwest, later owning/cooperating to save costs.

Cooperatives

Farmer-owned enterprises established to save costs by eliminating middlemen.