Sharecroppers were unable to pay off debts and fell deeper into debt. The weight of the debt
bound the sharecropper to the landowner as completely as they had been bound by slavery.
Farmers in the Midwest formed granges and those in the West and South established Farmers'
Alliances. These groups bargained for farmers as labor unions bargained for workers. The Alliances
soon evolved into the Populist Party. Highlights of the party platform include government
regulation and ownership of railroads, coinage of silver to produce inflation, and loans to farmers.