Tenant Farming in Oklahoma
World War I
Barnyard of an Oklahoma tenant farmer (image courtesy of the Library of Congress).
Despite the protests of some, World War I did offer a brief period of relief for struggling farmers as prices increased due to wartime demand. Farmers and other workers were targeted with patriotic calls to support their nation through their labor and were urged to put aside their activism for the sake of the country. This period saw a lapse in union involvement, as there wasn’t a pressing economic burden that needed addressing. A fundamental driver of labor reform is simple financial need, and farmers found themselves in a good position, if only temporarily.
This prosperity was not to last, however. In response to the high crop prices brought on by the war, many farmers greatly increased production, sometimes by purchasing expensive machinery on loan. This resulted in an excess crop supply, causing prices to plummet. This event would herald a period of deep economic hardship for farmers that would linger through the 1920s and 1930s, only ending with the rise of a new model of agriculture that made tenants unnecessary and pushed family farms out of business.
World War I posters directed at farmers and other workers, tying their work to the war effort (images courtesy of the Huntington Library and the Library of Congress, respectively).
