1.4 – RISE & FALL OF

POPULISM

UNIT 1 – EARLY REFORM, WESTERN

POLITICS, AND THE GILDED AGE

SECTION 4

TSWBAT:

Identify the key factors leading

to success and failure for

farmers in the American West

Trace the rise of the Populists

and evaluate their effectiveness

as a political party

LEARNING TARGETS & KEY WORDS

Key Words:

Political platform

Graduated income tax

Political party

Farmer’s All iance

Populism

EQ: What were the major

changes in the attitudes and

political interests of America’s

farmers in the mid 19th century?

What caused these changes?

I. RISE OF POPULISM

BUT FIRST… A DISCUSSION ON POLITICAL

PARTIES

What is a political party?

What is the purpose of a

political party? Why do

people join them?

What political parties do we

know about?

What do they stand for?

PRELUDE TO POPULISM

Farmer’s Alliance’s purpose was to take political action to break the grip of the railroads

Railroads had MONOPOLIES, aka TRUSTS (to be discussed in more detail later…)

Out of the Farmers Alliance came the Populist Party

Populist farmers were focused against:

Railroads

state gov’ts, banks

grain elevator operators

both political parties (Repubs & Dems)

POPULIST PLATFORM

(POLITICAL BELIEFS)

Populist Platform

Graduated income tax

Gov’t Ownership of

RR & telephone

Bimetalism & free coinage of

silver

Loans to farmers based

on crops stored in gov’t warehouses

DEF. OF GRADUATED INCOME TAX:

You pay taxes based on how much money you make

If you make more, you pay more

DEF. OF BIMETALLISM

Currency backed by silver and gold.

It creates Inflation and reduces farmers loans.

How will this benefit the farmers who have outstanding loans?

II. FALL OF POPULISM

WABASH V. ILLINOIS, 1889

The Wabash Railroad company (with others) sued to overturn a previous court case.

They stated that the federal gov’t needs to regulate trade (not the states)

Victory for Wabash created the Interstate Commerce Act

ICA said federal government could regulate trade.

1892 ELECTION

Populist Party 1 million votes

James B. Weaver

Populists electoral votes in the election of 1892

KS, CO, ID, NV

POPULIST PARTY ENDS (1896)

Populists join the Democrats to unite against the Republicans.

Election of 1896 about gold currency.

William Jennings Bryan = Populist/ Democratic candidate

Gave Cross of Gold speech against the Gold currency standard.

Populists lost even though they secured the farmer vote

They could not capture the eastern workers vote.

Populist party dies as it is absorbed into both major parties.

POPULISM AND THE ELECTION OF 1896

ACTIVITY EQ: WHY DID THE POPULIST PARTY ATTRACT MILLIONS OF SUPPORTERS?

1. PowerPoint overview

2. Close Reading: Document A (as a class)

Sourcing: Who wrote this? When?

Contextualization: What was going on for farmers at the time? Lease is a

woman who is speaking to a group of women. What does this say about

women’s involvement in politics in the 1890s?

Close reading

1st Paragraph: How is this supposed to make the audience feel? Why

might she use religious references?

2nd and 3rd Paragraphs: How was this supposed to make the audience

feel? Who are the good guys? Who are the bad guys? What emotions

does she appeal to?

Final Paragraph: How was this supposed to make the audience feel?

ACTIVITY, CONTINUED EQ: WHY DID THE POPULIST PARTY ATTRACT MILLIONS OF SUPPORTERS?

3. Close Reading: Document B (Independent)

Read Document B

Answer the questions in complete sentences

To be turned in for a grade

4. Discussion:

Why were speakers like Lease and Bryan popular in the 1890s?

Do the themes from these speeches resonate today? Which parts of these

speeches could we expect to hear from today’s politicians? Which part seems

outdated?

15

FARMERS’ PROBLEMS

• Crop prices fell

• Farmers had no cash, went further into

debt, and their lenders foreclosed on

their mortgages

• The railroad companies charged

outrageous prices to ship crops (no

regulation!)

FARMERS’ DEMANDS

• Regulate the railroad companies (Stop them

from charging such high rates)

• Make cash more available (back the dollar with

silver, not gold, so dollar would be worth less)

• Constitutional demands: single term for President

and Vice-President, secret ballot, popular election of

Senators

• To get industrial workers to support them:

8-hour workday, restrict immigration

17

DIFFERENT GROUPS REPRESENTING

FARMERS’ INTERESTS

• 1867: The Patrons of Husbandry

(The Grange)

• 1880s: Farmers’ Alliance and

Colored Farmers’ National Alliance

• 1892: Birth of the Populist, or

People’s Party

1892 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: POPULIST

CANDIDATE WON OVER A MILLION VOTES!

1896 Election

Democrats – 1890s Republicans – 1890s

• Southerners

• Wealthy farmers

• Supported low tariffs (wanted

other countries to buy their

crops)

• Northerners

• Wealthy business men

(connected to the railroad)

• Southern African Americans

(poor farmers)

• Supported high tariffs (didn’t

want to compete with other

countries’ products)

20

1896 ELECTION

Populists decide to improve their

chances by supporting the

Democratic candidate, William

Jennings Bryan, who agreed to

support the silver-backed dollar.

1896 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: BRYAN LOSES

BUT CARRIES MOST OF THE SOUTH AND WEST

QUESTIONS

VOCABULARY