17: This chapter covers the period between 1890 and 1900, essentially a time of redefinition of the boundaries of freedom. Cotton has struggled to regain its place on the world market and Western farmers have suffered their own downfalls. Southern sharecroppers were now locked in poverty, a seemingly irreversible spiral of despair. Western farmers often mortgaged their properties to obtain essential supplies. The People's Party taught others about the evils of banks and big business, trying to use their best financial interests to unite farmers. This party wanted a regulated rail system, to restore democracy and more economic opportunity. William Jennings Bryan wanted unrestricted extraction of silver, creating a more versatile market. Segregation in the South continued where whites did not accept blacks. A group of conservative white Democrats called the Redeemers claimed the South, closed hospitals and asylums, cut taxes, and new laws took effect..