The West and the Populist Movement 1865 1896

The West and the Populist Movement 1865 - 1896

HOW 19 TH C. FARMERS FEEL ABOUT CHANGES • Bewildered: Cities? Machines? Pace of life? • Isolated: Rural emptiness • Powerless: monopolies, trusts, bankers • Misunderstood: “Hicks”, “ignorant”, not as self-reliant as myth holds • Politics: What is going on? ?

Farmers are Struggling • Complaints of Farmers: • prices are falling • RRs and other middlemen are charging too much • In debt due to loans • Tariffs on manufactured goods • Drought, insects, lonely lifestyle

National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry (1865) • Beliefs • Should organize like workers had • Unite farmers • Share ideas/methods • Social interactions • Government should regulate RRs and utilities • Actions and Impact • community • cooperative warehouses and methods • politics : “Granger Laws” • control RRs (rates and shipping) • Wabash v. Illinois – Granger Laws of Illinois governing RR prices are ruled unconstitutional • Congress will later pass the Interstate Commerce Act

Farmers’ Alliance (1880 s) • Goals: • Grows from Grange Movement • Improve Education • Gov’t Action against RR and Industry • Community ownership • Silver to back currency • Actions / Impact • Improve education • Attempt to support politicians who will fight RR and industrial monopolies • Establish stores (warehouses), banks, and processing plants

Crisis in the 1890 s • Panic of 1893 • Caused by: • Agricultural depression • Decline of U. S. Gold Reserve • Unsound railroad financing • Effects • Banks fail • Railroad companies declare bankruptcy • Strikes • 20% unemployment

Silver Issue • Lack of gold to back money • Want to use silver • Gov’t buys silver, but does not coin it • Farmers want free and unlimited coinage of silver • Inflation = higher farm prices = farmers pay off debt

Populist Party • Supported • Free and unlimited coinage of silver • Gov’t ownership of RR, telegraph/telephones • Graduated income tax • More money you make, the higher the percentage you pay in taxes • Direct election of senators by public • Senators had been chosen by state gov’ts (this allowed for political machines to have power)

Election of 1896 • Rep. William Mc. Kinley • Money back by only gold • Laissez faire economics • Support big business • Does not campaign • Dem. /Pop. William Jennings Bryan • “Bimetallism” – money backed by gold and silver • Gov’t should regulate the economy • Supports farmers and lower classes • Campaigns Extensively – “Cross of Gold” Speech

“You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns; you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold” – William Jennings Bryan

Results • Mc. Kinley Wins • Supported by big business and upper class • What happens to the Populist Party and their goals? • Farmer’s life improves (Europe needed crops) • Money crisis fades (Gold in Alaska) • Populist begin to disappear, but their ideas DO NOT • Populist ideals adopted by some politicians who will be called the “Progressives” – in the early 1900 s many of the populist ideas will become actual laws

Mc. Kinley • Assassinated in Buffalo on 9/6/1901 • Theodore Roosevelt becomes president