ShmoopTube

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[ musical flourish ]

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And here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by the gold standard,

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the latest trend in Andean fashion.

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The Andes Mountains? Yeah, like that.

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All right. The organization shown in the image worked

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to change the American economy by what?

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And here are your potential answers.

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[ mumbles ]

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All right. Well, if that strapping young man in the image is any indication,

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farming isn't just good for the land; it's good for the soul.

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And also the return of high-waisted pants.

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We won't go there.

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All right, so let's see how the Grange movement planted the seeds of change

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in its promotion of agriculture's, uh, healthy benefits.

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Did the organization in the image work to change the American economy by A -

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advocating the closing of the national bank?

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Hmm. Well, abolishing the national bank was a

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goal of the Farmers' Alliance, a group that was more focused

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on economic policy than on the Grangers.

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So we can take A off the payroll.

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Did the Grangers attempt to reform the American economy by B -

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setting a strict number of hours farmers could work each week?

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Well, eight hour workdays eventually became an important issue

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in the farmers' movement, but it was pushed more by the

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Populists, not by the Grangers.

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Looks like time's up for B.

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Could the Grangers have attempted economic reform by C -

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emphasizing the importance of silver over the gold standard?

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Well, that's the Farmers' Alliance again, which favored the use of silver

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over the gold standard. So if we can't cash in on C,

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then that means the Grangers worked to change the American economy

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by D - fighting for governmental control of railroads and grain warehouses.

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The Grange movement's major goal was to return

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railroads to government control and to allow for fair

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pricing, since the fixed rates of railroad monopolies

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placed a huge burden on farmers.

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So D is the correct answer.

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They may not seem super connected at first glance,

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but agriculture really depended on the railroad system to, uh,

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help keep things on track.

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Choo choo.

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[ train whistle ]

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