Agricultural Wheel
Encyclopedia
The Agricultural Wheel was a cooperative alliance of farmers in the United States
that existed from 1882 until 1889 when it merged with the National Farmers' Alliance to form the Farmers' and Laborers' Union of America. It was initially started by W. W. Tedford, farmer and school teacher, to improve farming conditions.
On February 15, 1882, during a period of depressed farm prices and drought, a group of nine Arkansas farmers led by W.W. Tetford, W. A. Suit and W. Taylor McBee met at the McBee Schoolhouse eight miles south of Des Arc
in Prairie County in eastern Arkansas
and formed the Wattensas Farmers' Club. The club vowed to improve the lives of farmers, improve their education and knowledge, and improve communications between them. Many Arkansas farmers were suffering under what they viewed as oppressive mortgages (known as anaconda mortgages) and were heavily in debt.
Within a short time it was suggested that the organization change its name. The choices were between "The Poor Man's Friend" and "The Agricultural Wheel" which was the name finally selected.
The situation did not improve in Arkansas that year and farmers were in such desperate straits that they called upon Governor Churchill
to ask the legislature to postpone the collection of taxes.
By 1883 the organization consisted of over 500 members in Arkansas. At the organization's meeting in the spring a state Wheel was established and deputies were appointed to spread the word to neighboring states and seek to establish local wheels in those states.
In 1885 the Wheel absorbed the Brothers of Freedom, another Arkansas farm organization.
In 1886 delegates from Arkansas, Kentucky
and Tennessee
gathered at the town of Litchfield, Arkansas, to establish the National Agricultural Wheel and an official newspaper for the organization.
By the time of the 1887 meeting, the membership of the national organization was over 500,000 farmers from Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi
, Missouri
, Indian Territory
, and Wisconsin
.
The growing political clout of the organization led it to establish a political platform consisting of the following demands:
In 1888 at the national meeting in Meridian, Mississippi
a merger between the Wheel and the Farmers' Alliance was proposed. The two organizations met jointly in 1889 in Birmingham, Alabama
and merged that same year.
Among farmers' organizations of the period the Wheel was remarkable for refusal to hold segregated meetings, a policy it held until merger with the Farmers' Alliance.
Garland E. Bayliss
, a native Arkansan and retired historian
at Texas A&M University
in College Station
, wrote a dissertation in 1972 through the University of Texas at Austin
entitled Public Affairs in Arkansas, 1874-1896, which includes a study of the Agricultural Wheel.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that existed from 1882 until 1889 when it merged with the National Farmers' Alliance to form the Farmers' and Laborers' Union of America. It was initially started by W. W. Tedford, farmer and school teacher, to improve farming conditions.
On February 15, 1882, during a period of depressed farm prices and drought, a group of nine Arkansas farmers led by W.W. Tetford, W. A. Suit and W. Taylor McBee met at the McBee Schoolhouse eight miles south of Des Arc
Des Arc, Arkansas
Des Arc is a city in and the county seat of the northern district of Prairie County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,933 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Des Arc is located at ....
in Prairie County in eastern Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
and formed the Wattensas Farmers' Club. The club vowed to improve the lives of farmers, improve their education and knowledge, and improve communications between them. Many Arkansas farmers were suffering under what they viewed as oppressive mortgages (known as anaconda mortgages) and were heavily in debt.
Within a short time it was suggested that the organization change its name. The choices were between "The Poor Man's Friend" and "The Agricultural Wheel" which was the name finally selected.
The situation did not improve in Arkansas that year and farmers were in such desperate straits that they called upon Governor Churchill
Thomas James Churchill
Thomas James Churchill was a Confederate major general during the American Civil War and the 13th Governor of the state of Arkansas.-Early life:...
to ask the legislature to postpone the collection of taxes.
By 1883 the organization consisted of over 500 members in Arkansas. At the organization's meeting in the spring a state Wheel was established and deputies were appointed to spread the word to neighboring states and seek to establish local wheels in those states.
In 1885 the Wheel absorbed the Brothers of Freedom, another Arkansas farm organization.
In 1886 delegates from Arkansas, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
gathered at the town of Litchfield, Arkansas, to establish the National Agricultural Wheel and an official newspaper for the organization.
By the time of the 1887 meeting, the membership of the national organization was over 500,000 farmers from Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
, and Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
.
The growing political clout of the organization led it to establish a political platform consisting of the following demands:
- Paying off the national debt
- Repeal of laws that favored capital over labor
- Preventing aliens from owning land
- Abolishing national banks
- Government operations on a cash basis
- Ending of agricultural futures trading
- Establishing a graduated income tax
- Prohibiting importation of foreign labor
- National ownership of transportation and communication
- Direct election of national politicians
- Free trade and removal of all import duties
- Establishment of a luxury tax
- Free public education
- No renewal of patents
In 1888 at the national meeting in Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi. It is the sixth largest city in the state and the principal city of the Meridian, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area...
a merger between the Wheel and the Farmers' Alliance was proposed. The two organizations met jointly in 1889 in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
and merged that same year.
Among farmers' organizations of the period the Wheel was remarkable for refusal to hold segregated meetings, a policy it held until merger with the Farmers' Alliance.
Garland E. Bayliss
Garland E. Bayliss
Garland Erastus Bayliss is a retired historian and director emeritus of academic services at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, whose research was primarily in the history of his native Arkansas and the American South...
, a native Arkansan and retired historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
at Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
in College Station
College Station, Texas
College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...
, wrote a dissertation in 1972 through the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
entitled Public Affairs in Arkansas, 1874-1896, which includes a study of the Agricultural Wheel.
External links
- Agricultural Wheel from the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture
- Agricultural Wheel from the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture