Essentially, it was during the nineteenth century that an increasing number of people began to move away from rural farming communities and into the city. This was made possible by the vast distances that goods and foods could be transported. In other words, cities were able to be supported by larger areas of land because these new modes of transportation could supply people's needs with greater efficiency. The move to the city was also fostered by what came to be known as the Industrial Revolution. This revolution began in cloth factories in England, but soon spread throughout Europe and the Americas, and altered the manner in which many previously home made goods were produced. Businessmen discovered that they could increase production and lower costs by setting up massive plants by which products could be manufactured far more quickly. This generated far more urban jobs, thus contributing greatly to the swelling western cities.

             The Populist Movement emerged out of these growing economic concerns, which were acutely felt by white farmers in the post Civil War era. However, the actual form and ideology that the movement generated was not uniformly accepted by all of its proponents. Although the concrete economic woes of the individual farmer were enough motivation for one sect of society to solidify politically, what attracted many other learned people to the Populist cause was a sort of nostalgia summarized by the "agrarian myth." The agrarian myth became the bedrock of the moral backing for the pull away from industrialization and commercialization of agriculture, and towards the traditional, self-sufficient farmer. Generally, the practical backing for the Populist Movement came from the fact that foreign demand for American products increased and this, in turn, built increased competition between individual farmers and, more importantly, between regions. It became essential for eastern farmers to expand their lands far outside of the cities, and for all farmers to employ more modern tools and techniques to keep pace with the demands of competition.