The Farmers Alliance was an organized agrarian economic movement amongst U.S. farmers that flourished in the 1880s. One of the goals of the organization was to end the adverse effects of the crop-lien system on farmers after the American Civil War.Lawrence Goodwyn. The Populist Moment: A Short History of Agrarian Revolt in America. Oxford University Press, 1978 First formed in 1876 in Lampasas, Texas, the Alliance was designed to promote higher commodity prices through collective action by groups of individual farmers. The movement was strongest in the South, and was widely popular before it was destroyed by the power of commodity brokers. Despite its failure, it is regarded as the precursor to the Populist Party, which grew out of the ashes of the Alliance in 1892.
History
The beginnings, expansion and attempt for a united alliance
The agrarian movement of the late 19th century witnessed the emergence and eventual amalgamation of numerous farming unions and alliances. Among the most popular and influential groups were (in order of origin) were :
The Grange, or Order of Patrons of Husbandry (1867)
The National Farmers` Alliance (1880)
The National Farmers` Alliance and Industrial Union (1875 – official charter in 1880)
The Colored Farmers` Alliance and Co-operative Union......