The problems facing the farmer of the late 19th Century were very broad. They ranged from falling crop prices, to unfair treatment by the railroads, and also the fight to have silver coined as money, in effort to increase the value of a dollar. These problems spurred the creation of the Populist Party, whose goals were to bring redemption to the agricultural community. First off, the most severe problem being battled by the farmers was that of falling crop prices. There were many contributing factors to this, with farmers blaming the government for a multitude of reasons. One overlooked factor when considering this though is that the amount of farms in the United States increased drastically after the civil war. With more farms came more products, which simply apply the idea of supply and demand. The deflation in prices was a direct result of more products, but less demand. As America was becoming a much more industrialized nation, farmers were also following suit, becoming much more commercial in their business.
