The People's Party, otherwise known as the Populists, formed in the late 19th century in hopes of changing the common people's social status for the better. The People's Party evolved from the original Farmers' Alliance. As a result, much of the People's Party's efforts were for bettering the lives of the producing class, such as farmers, miners, and industrial workers. To do this, the Populists believed that America must rethink the relationship between freedom and government. Prior to the Populists' efforts, the government had no control over significant things like the railroad, telegraph, currency, and the national market. Populists were not against these things, but they wanted the federal government to regulate them (Foner, 2013, p. 641-642).
