Agrarianism

Definition

Agrarianism is a social and political philosophy that emphasizes the importance of agriculture and rural life, often advocating for the rights and interests of farmers and agricultural communities. It is a belief system that values the virtues of rural living, self-sufficiency, and the connection between people and the land they cultivate.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Agrarianism was a central tenet of Jeffersonian Democracy, which sought to promote the interests of small, independent farmers over the commercial and industrial interests of the Federalists.
2. Agrarians believed that the virtues of rural life, such as self-reliance, moral virtue, and connection to the land, were essential for a healthy and stable society.
3. The Populist movement of the late 19th century was heavily influenced by agrarian ideals, as farmers sought to address economic and political issues affecting their livelihoods.
4. Agrarians often opposed the growth of industrialization and urbanization, seeing them as threats to the traditional way of life and the autonomy of rural communities.
5. The agrarian vision of a decentralized, agricultural-based economy was seen as a counterpoint to the Federalist vision of a more centralized, commercial and industrial-based economy.

Review Questions

• Explain how agrarianism was a key tenet of Jeffersonian Democracy and how it contrasted with the Federalist vision for the country.
  • Agrarianism was a central component of Jeffersonian Democracy, which emphasized the virtues of rural life, self-sufficiency, and the importance of small, independent farmers. Jeffersonians believed that the decentralized, agricultural-based economy and society envisioned by agrarians was essential for maintaining the moral and political health of the nation. This stood in contrast to the Federalist vision, which favored a more centralized, commercial and industrial-based economy that Jeffersonians saw as a threat to the traditional way of life and the autonomy of rural communities.
• Describe the role of agrarian ideals in the Populist movement of the late 19th century and how they influenced the farmers' efforts to address their economic and political concerns.
  • The Populist movement of the late 19th century was heavily influenced by agrarian ideals, as farmers sought to address the economic and political issues affecting their livelihoods. Agrarians believed that the virtues of rural life, such as self-reliance and connection to the land, were essential for a healthy and stable society. The Populists, many of whom were farmers, championed the rights and interests of the common people, including agrarian concerns, in opposition to the perceived elites or establishment. This agrarian-influenced Populism played a significant role in the farmers' efforts to address the economic and political challenges they faced during this period.
• Analyze how the growth of industrialization and urbanization was seen as a threat to the agrarian vision and the traditional way of life in rural communities.
  • Agrarians often opposed the growth of industrialization and urbanization, seeing them as threats to the traditional way of life and the autonomy of rural communities. The agrarian vision emphasized the virtues of rural living, self-sufficiency, and the connection between people and the land they cultivate. However, the rise of industrialization and the concentration of economic and political power in urban centers were perceived by agrarians as undermining these values and the independence of agricultural communities. Agrarians believed that the decentralized, agricultural-based economy and society they advocated for was essential for maintaining the moral and political health of the nation, in contrast to the more centralized, commercial and industrial-based economy that they saw as a danger to the traditional agrarian way of life.

Related terms

Yeomanry: A class of small, independent farmers who own and cultivate their own land, seen as the backbone of an agrarian society.

Jeffersonian Democracy: A political philosophy that emphasized the virtues of agrarian life and the importance of a decentralized, agricultural-based economy and society.

Populism: A political approach that champions the rights and interests of the common people, often in opposition to the perceived elites or establishment, which can include a focus on agrarian concerns.