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...