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Political Reform in the late 19 th Century

Political Reform in the late 19 th Century. SSUSH13 The student will identify major efforts to reform American society and politics in the Progressive Era. . Farmers Struggle.

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Political Reform in the late 19 th Century

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  1. Political Reform in the late 19thCentury SSUSH13 The student will identify major efforts to reform American society and politics in the Progressive Era.

  2. Farmers Struggle • By the end of the 19th Century, American farmers had borrowed money heavily to buy new modern farm equipment and to guard against economic problems like locusts and boll weevils • After the Civil War, the federal government wanted to take the paper money they put in place during the War out of circulation • This paper money was called greenbacks • The farmers disagreed with this because it caused deflation, or a drop in the prices of goods nationally due to a reduction in the money supply

  3. Gold vs. Silver • All paper money was backed up by either gold or silver – the paper money was essentially traded for gold or silver • In 1873, during the worst time of economic panic to that point, the Congress put the country on the gold standard • This angered advocates of the silver policy, who advocated bimetallism (the use of both gold and silver) • Through 2 acts of Congress, the Bland-Allison Act (1878) and the Sherman Silver Purchase Act (1890), the government was required to use more silver • Another panic followed in 1893 and President Grover Cleveland blamed the Silver Purchase Act • Cleveland oversaw its repeal

  4. Populists • In the 1890s, various political parties associated with the Farmers’ Alliances began to have success in elections, especially in the South • the most successful of these movements were known as Populists

  5. The Populist platform: • an increased circulation of money • unlimited mining of silver • progressive income tax – the percentage of tax paid would rise with the amount of income – this would put a greater tax burden on the wealthy industrialists and less on the farmers • government ownership of communications and transportation systems • The populists also sought support from the workers by advocating things like the 8-hour workday

  6. The Success of the Populists • The party’s candidate in the election of 1892 had limited success and Grover Cleveland was reelected as President (Cleveland is the only President in U.S. History to have split terms – he was President from 1885- 1889, then Benjamin Harrison became President in 1889, before Cleveland became President again)

  7. Election of 1896 • The Republicans nominated William McKinley, who ran on a gold platform, and the Democrats nominated William Jennings Bryan • Bryan’s Cross of Gold speech the Democratic Convention used imagery from the Bible while advocating the silver standard and was so powerful that the Populists nominated him too • Bryan traveled around the country and made speeches while McKinley greeted visitors from his home in Ohio • Despite his best efforts, Bryan lost the Election http://www.history.com/shows/men-who-built-america/videos/presidential-election-of-1896

  8. The Legacy of Populism • In the decades to come, other reformers, known as Progressives, applied populist ideas to urban and industrial problems

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