The American Society of Equity or Farmers Equity was an American agricultural cooperative and political

organization An organization or organisation (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), see spelling differences), is an legal entity, entity—such as ...

, founded in 1902, which aimed to organize farmers as a "Third Power" in the United States, able to compete with capital and organized labor on equal terms. Equity inspired the creation of many farmers' cooperatives still in existence. Equity forces became involved in the politics of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, and

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...

, leading in the latter state to the eventual rise of the

Nonpartisan League The Nonpartisan League (NPL) was a left-wing political party founded in 1915 in North Dakota by Arthur C. Townley, a former organizer for the Socialist Party of America. On behalf of small farmers and merchants, the Nonpartisan League advocat ...

.Bahmer, Robert H. (1940) "The American Society of Equity." ''Agricultural History'', Vol. 14, No. 1; pp. 33-63 Leaders of Equity (such as U.S. Senator

Magnus Johnson Magnus Johnson (September 19, 1871September 13, 1936) was an American farmer and politician. He served in the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives from Minnesota as a member of the Farmer–Labor Party. Johnson is the on ...

and Wisconsin State Senator

Henry Kleist Henry Kleist (September 29, 1860 – November 13, 1929) was a farmer from Rantoul, Wisconsin, United States, who served one term as a state senator. He was a member of the Socialist Party. Kleist was born on a farm in the Town of Eaton, Manitowoc ...

) were elected to numerous local political offices. In 1934, it merged into the Farmers' Union.

References

1902 establishments in the United States 1934 disestablishments in the United States Agricultural organizations based in the United States Collective farming Political history of North Dakota Nonpartisan League American Society of Equity {{US-org-stub