6.4 populism

“What you farmers need to do is raise less corn and more Hell!” Mary Elizabeth Lease (1890) Populist Organizer

6.4PopulismUnrest in Rural

America

“Which Will Win”

Farmers in the West are in Serious Trouble

• Mechanization & competition amongst farmers• Mechanization and need for land = debt• Specialization of crops (leads to trouble if that one

crop has trouble)• Disasters (floods, boll-weevil, grasshoppers)• Corporate greed (a system setup by the US

government were banks and the railroads seemed to be in control of all the money)– Rebates, short v. long trip rates– Mortgages, interest rates, etc

The Farmers Feeding, The Bankers Milking

The Money Supply…• After the Civil War the US began printing

greenbacks – paper money• This caused Inflation – the value of money

decreases• To fight this government stopped making money

and this caused deflation – value of money goes up• Sounds good right?• When in debt…inflation is good, deflation is bad• Farmers wanted the government to either print

more greenbacks or put more silver into circulation

Criticizing Inflation

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The Grange

•Farmer’s Union founded by Oliver Kelly (MN)

What?

•Cooperative movement - farmers pooled their crops together for market to stop competition and raises prices

•Worked for pro-farmer laws

• Ex. Interstate Commerce Act - regulated rates of railroads

How?

The “Granger Laws”•Seeing the need for reform, many states in the West begin passing “Granger Laws”• Granger Laws set maximum railroad rates to restrict the government from taking advantage of farmers• US government ruled in Wabash v. Illinois that the government couldn’t interfere in interstate commerce•Another big win for big business

• Ultimately the Granger movement fails, but it does get a reform movement started…

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Populism:• What? •Political movement that tried to

help out the nation’s struggling farmers

•The People’s Party

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Populist Party & Free Silver• Why?

•Populists believed that this would solve nearly all of the farmer’s problems

•They wanted to use both silver and gold coins, thus increasing the amount of money in the country

What?

•All money would be worth less, a situation that was bad for creditors (big banks) and good for debtors (farmers)

Populist Reforms• -Free coinage of silver and issuance of large amounts of

paper currency to help debt ridden farmers -Abolition of the national banking system -Nationalization of railroads -Graduated income tax -Direct election of senators -Government ownership of the telephone and telegraph -New federal subtreasury for farmers -Australian ballot -Further restriction of immigration and contract labor -Rigid enforcement of the 8 hour law

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

BY 1890 THE US HAS A LEGITIMATE 3rd PARTY TO RUN AGAINST THE

REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS.

1892 Election – James WeaverGrover Cleveland Benjamin

Harrison

WINNER!!!!

Weaver = Green States

William Jennings BryanDem/Pop. Candidate

1896

William McKinleyRepublican Candidate

1896

VS

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A Populist President?• William Jennings Bryan

•Ran as a Populist President in 1896 on platform of Free Silver

•Big business opposes his run, Republicans win the white house, & Populists fade away

“Cross of Gold” Speech"Having behind us the producing masses of this nation and the world, supported by the commercial interests, the laboring interests and the toilers everywhere, we will answer their demand for a gold standard by saying to them: You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.“

At the conclusion of the speech, Bryan stretched out his arms in a Christ-like manner for five seconds, while the crowd remained quiet.

Recording of the Speech

ELEC

TORAL V

OTES!

!!

Populism in 10 Minutes