It did not directly impact the agricultural or (granger) community. They may have applauded it as as source of tax revenue in the more sparsely populated zones- which would included farms, right..
debtors
The Free Silver Movement, backed most strongly by Western miners and their employees and by wheat and cotton farmers, wanted the U.S. to continue using silver as well as gold for its coins. This would have created more money and therefore caused inflation (when there is more money available, people are willing to pay higher prices). Because of inflation, farmers would have received more money for their products and would have been more easily able to pay their debts to banks, manufacturers and suppliers of farm equipment, and the railroads that transported their goods, with money that was worth less than when they had borrowed it. The Free Silver Movement was allied to the Populist Party and then became part of the Democratic Party. "Free silver" became the principal issue in the unsuccessful presidential campaigns of William Jennings Bryan, Democratic Party nominee in 1896 and 1900.
As westward expansion was becoming more popular, so was farming the western land. Wanting to be represented, these farmers created the Farmer's Alliance, which fought for rights and privelages of farmers. The Farmer's Alliance later turned into the Populist Party.
The Populists Party represented the views of the ordinary people. It mostly consisted of farmers and those who preferred the free coinage of silver.
People in the Populist party had interest in the free coinage of silver, were mostly created by labor and farmers, wanted a graduated income tax, and government control of monopolies.
why did western farmers want free silver?
why did western farmers want free silver?
Yes, the Populist Party, established in the 1890s, strongly advocated for the free silver movement as part of its platform. They believed that allowing the unlimited coinage of silver would increase the money supply, leading to inflation, which would benefit farmers and working-class citizens burdened by debt. This movement aimed to counter the deflationary policies that favored creditors and to promote economic equality. Ultimately, the free silver movement was significant in shaping political debates during that era, although it did not achieve lasting success.
farmers
Farmers supported free silver because they believed it would increase the money supply, leading to inflation that would raise crop prices. This would help them pay off debts more easily and improve their financial situation amid economic struggles. Additionally, the free silver movement aimed to counteract the deflationary effects of the gold standard, which they felt disproportionately favored banks and creditors over agricultural producers.
Increase crop prices.
debtors
The movement that called for the unlimited minting of silver coins is known as the Free Silver movement. It gained prominence in the late 19th century in the United States, advocating for the adoption of a bimetallic standard that would include both gold and silver to increase the money supply and combat deflation. Supporters believed that this would help farmers and working-class citizens by making it easier to pay off debts. The movement was a key issue in the 1896 presidential election, notably championed by William Jennings Bryan.
The southerners and the westerners primarily favored the free coinage system.
The Free Silver Movement, backed most strongly by Western miners and their employees and by wheat and cotton farmers, wanted the U.S. to continue using silver as well as gold for its coins. This would have created more money and therefore caused inflation (when there is more money available, people are willing to pay higher prices). Because of inflation, farmers would have received more money for their products and would have been more easily able to pay their debts to banks, manufacturers and suppliers of farm equipment, and the railroads that transported their goods, with money that was worth less than when they had borrowed it. The Free Silver Movement was allied to the Populist Party and then became part of the Democratic Party. "Free silver" became the principal issue in the unsuccessful presidential campaigns of William Jennings Bryan, Democratic Party nominee in 1896 and 1900.
In the late 1800s, a political party emerged known as the Populists that was comprised dominantly of farmers. This group wanted the free and unlimited coinage of silver. Led by William Jennings Bryan, the Democratic nominee for the 1896 election, free silverites demanded inflation of the silver coin. The farmers supported bimetallism or free silver in the late 1800s because many of them were struggling to make ends meet, and the inflation of silver would add much needed financial respite. For example, if one were to borrow two dollars in gold, this sum could be paid back in two dollars of silver. Silver and gold, under a Populist notion, are considered equal. Yet silver is NOT equivalent to gold, and the true worth of the debt repaid in silver would be equivalent to one dollar.
The free silver movement.