During the late 19th and early 20th centuries both the Populist Party and the Progressive movement wanted to preserve some things, while at the same time addressing the need for reform. Although many of the ideas and goals of these “Third Parties” were initially not regulated by law and were considered far-fetched, many of these ideas later became foundational laws throughout American history. Populists and Progressives were both grassroots movements and addressed the needs of the poor and powerless, for Populists it was farmers and for Progressives it was middle and lower class urban workers. These two movements attempted to bring the issues of powerless people into national politics. Populists and progressives wanted to preserve some American ideals of the past, such as a sense of community and the ability for farmers and workers to live happily without economic strain. Populists were more oriented towards the plight of the farmer, while progressives included women's rights and consumer and labor protections. The Populist movement was founded in 1891. It grew primarily from the agrarian sector of the economy and was based primarily among white farmers. Farmers feared that Eastern industrialists and bankers were gaining too much influence, power, and control over the government. During the bust cycle and in times of difficulty, farmers came together, talked about their problems and formed the Populist Party. Populists were formed because of the challenges and difficulties they were forced to deal with every day. These challenges included crop failures, falling prices, and the inability to pay loans. The populist party called for reforms wanting the government to intervene and ease the impact of economic depressions, regu...... middle of paper ......which was a democracy and also wanted to limit the rise of big business and capitalists. Progressives sought to reform American institutions while preserving past ideals, such as a sense of community. A major concern of progressives was the way “Corporate America” did business. Progressives called for new reforms and proposed policy measures to make government more responsive to voters' wishes. Progressives also believed in the power of science and technology to solve social problems. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries both the Populist Party and the Progressive movement wanted to preserve some things while addressing the need for reform. Although many of the ideas and goals of these “Third Parties” were initially not legislated and were considered far-fetched, many of these ideas later became foundational laws throughout American history..