The Death of the Yeoman Farmer
Baptism in Kansas by John Steuart Curry depicts an idyllic small farm with local farmers, known as Yeoman. These farmers were the backbone of the economy of early America. A large portion of the remaining independent farmers would go bankrupt in the Panic of 1873 due to currency debasement, the crop-lien system, and widespread local bank failures. This effectively crushed their farms, the banks, and the entire economy of Kansas - leading to the concentration of farm land held by large...