The Ocala Demands was a platform for economic and political reform that was later adopted by the People's Party. In December, 1890, the National Farmers' Alliance and Industrial Union, more commonly known as the Southern Farmers' Alliance, its affiliate the Colored Farmers' Alliance, and the Farmers' Mutual Benefit Association met jointly in the Marion Opera House in Ocala, Florida, where they adopted the Ocala Demands. Context in the Farmers' Movement The Ocala convention was part of a trend in the Farmers' movement of moving from its fraternal and mutual benefit roots towards an increasingly political and radical position. Earlier in the year the Farmers' Alliance had successfully backed a number of candidates for state and Federal office, and the convention delegates hoped that future political gains would lead to major economic and political reforms. Background in Florida The Grange, and other activities prior to the Farmer's Alliance Starting in 1873, The Grange would arrive in Florida and grow to 100 lodges. The local lodges would at some point agree to form a state level lodge meeting in Monticello, Florida to do so with B. F. Wardlaw serving as the State Master. A newspaper would established named the Florida Agriculturist for The Grange. A variety of campaigns were undergone by The Grange with some being successful with others being unsuccessful. One successful campaign done starting in 1874 by them would be against those who were stealing produce and livestock which eventually resulted in them talking the Florida legislature into prohibiting the sale of cotton from sunset to sunrise. An ambitious campaign would be launched in 1875 to launch a cooperative, Florida Cooperative Stock Company but it would not end up being successful. The Grange would start to decline in the late 1870s, similarly to the rest of the United States and The Grange had left Florida by 1880. A predecessor to the Populist Party would be the Independent movement in 1884. This would come as a result of several factors. The first being that African Americans in eastern Florida had grown less fond of the Republican Party which most of them were part of because they had been voting for the party for many years but not getting anything out of it. However, African Americans did not want to vote for the Democratic party because they would not let them hold office. A second reason behind its formation would be that