What were some of the major problems facing farmers during the Gilded Age ??

1. What were some of the major problems facing farmers during the Gilded Age ??

2. Populism & the Election of 1896 APUSH Chapter 26

3. Allowed settler to acquire up to 160 acres of land Land was kept after 5 years if: It was difficult to last 5 years in the dry dusty western plains Deeply flawed act allowed for massive corruption The Homestead Act of 1862 p. 606 It was lived on It was improved Occupant paid $30

4. Self-sufficient small farmers disappear in the American West What are they replaced with? Large-scale farmers = specialists and business people Tied closely with rails, banks, manufacturing Focus on one large scale commercial crop p. 613 Farm Becomes Factory“agribusiness”p.612

5. The Silver Issue • “Crime of ’73” demonetization ofsilver (govt. stopped coining silver). • Bland-Allison Act (1878)  limitedsilver coinage to $2-$4 mil. per mo.(based on the 16:1 ratio of silver togold). • Sherman Silver Purchase Act (1890) • The US Treasury must purchase$4.5 mil. oz. of silver a month. • Govt. deposited most silver in theUS Treasury rather than circulation.

6. What is Populism? Political ideas and activities that are intended to represent ordinary people's needs and wishes. Populism: An Agrarian Revolt

7. Price Indexes for Consumer & Farm Products: 1865-1913

8. Founder of the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry (1867)

9. The Grange Movement • Union first organized in the 1870s in the Midwest, the south, and Texas. • Set up cooperative associations where farmers pooled money & resources. • Social and educational components. • Succeeded in lobbying for “Granger Laws.” • Rapidly declined by the late 1870s.

10. Supreme Court Decisions & congressional laws • Munn vs. Illinois (1877) • Wabash, St. Louis, & Pacific Railroad Company vs. Illinois (1886) • Interstate Commerce Act -regulated rates of railroads

11. The Farmers Alliances p. 523 & 616 • Begun in the late 1880s (Texas first  the Southern Alliance; then in the Midwest  the Northern Alliance). • Built upon the ashes of the Grange. • More political and less social than the Grange. • Ran candidates for office. • Controlled 8 state legislatures & had 47representatives in Congress during the 1890s.

12. United We Stand, Divided We Fall • In 1889 both the Northern andSouthern Alliancesmerged into one—the Farmers’ Alliance.

13. Coxey’s Army, 1894 • Jacob Coxey & his “Army of the Commonweal of Christ.” • March on Washington  “hayseed socialists!”

14. The Pullman Strike of 1894 Led by Eugene V. Debs Socialist union leader who challenged George Pullman forcutting wages. Pullman IL, was totally controlled by the Pullman Company The town was entirely self-sufficient

15. Town went on strike in 1893 to protest low wages What would be the affect of the strike on the nation as a whole? How could this situation be fixed quickly? The Pullman Strike of 1894 George Pullman

16. President Grover Cleveland If it takes the entire army and navy to deliver a postal card in Chicago, that card will be delivered!

17. McKinley Tariff  Populist Party Populism: Political movement that tried to help out the nation’s struggling farmers Why were farmers struggling?- Mechanization- More land (on credit) = more debt - Specialization of Crops - Nature, - Corporate Greed Farmers’ Alliance  "The Iron Horse Which Eats Up The Farmers' Produce.” 1873

18. The Populist (Peoples’) Party • 1890 Bi-Election: • So. Alliance  wanted to gain control of the Democratic Party. • No. Alliance  ran 3rd Party candidates. • 1892  800 met in St. Louis, MO • majority were Alliance members. • over 100 were African Americans. • reps. of labor organizations & other reformers (Grange, Greenback Party).

19. Platform of Lunacy

20. The Populist (Peoples’) Party • Founded by James B. Weaverand Tom Watson. • Omaha, NE Convention in July,1892. • Got almost 1 million popularvotes. • Several Congressional seatswon. Tom Watson James B. Weaver, Presidential Candidate

21. Heyday of Western Populism

22. 1892 Election

23. The Panic of 1893

24. Causes of the 1893 Panic • Begun 10 days after Cleveland took office. • Several major corps. went bankrupt. • Over 16,000 businesses disappeared. • Triggered a stock market crash. • Over-extended investments. • Bank failures followed causing a contractionof credit [nearly 500 banks closed]. • By 1895, unemployment reached 3 million. • Americans cried out for relief, but the Govt.continued its laissez faire policies!!

25. Written by a Farmer at the End of the 19c When the banker says he's brokeAnd the merchant’s up in smoke,They forget that it's the farmer who feeds them all.It would put them to the testIf the farmer took a rest;Then they'd know that it's the farmer feeds them all.

26. Please Complete Section E - putting things in order. Use letters A-E instead of numbers 1-5 How did the rise of Populism influence the outcome of the Election of 1896?

27. Results of 1892 Election Returns • Populist voteincreased by40% in the bi-election year,1894. • Democratic party losses in the West werecatastrophic! • But, Republicanswon control of the House.

28. American Spirit p. 159

29. How did the rise of Populism influence the outcome of the Election of 1896? The 1896 Election P. 618

30. The Candidates William McKinley William Jennings Bryan The “Idol of Ohio” The “Great Commoner”

31. Bimetallism Issue What is it? Who supports bimetallism? Who supports thegoldstandard?

32. Gold / Silver Bug Campaign Pins Who is supported by the GoldBugs? Who is supported by the Silver Bugs?

33. Democratic Party Taken Over by the Agrarian Left (Populists) Platform  tariff reductions; income tax; strictercontrol of the trusts (esp. RRs); free silver.

34. William Jennings Bryan(1860-1925) Prairie avenger, mountain lion, Bryan, Bryan, Bryan, Bryan, Gigantic troubadour, speaking like a siege gun, Smashing Plymouth Rock with his boulders from the West. • Revivalist style of oratory. • Populists briefly merge with Democrats for Election of 1896.

35. Bryant’s“Cross of Gold” Speech You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns; you shall not crucify mankind upon across of gold!

36. Bryan: The Farmers Friend(The Mint Ratio) 18,000 miles of campaign “whistle stops.”

37. Civil War vet Member of Congress from Ohio Member of the “billion dollar” congress Supported high tariffs Favored the gold standard William McKinley (1843-1901)

38. Robber Baron of the Iron industry “trickle down” econ Bankrolled McKinley's campaign “I love McKinley” The “President Maker” Mark Hanna: The “Front-Porch” Campaign

40. Mark Hanna to Candidate McKinley

41. “A Giant Straddle”: Suggestion for a McKinley Political Poster

42. The Seasoned Politician vs. The “Young” Newcomer

43. Joshua A. Levering: Prohibition Party

44. Into Which Box Will the Voterof ’96 Place His Ballot?

45. 1896 Election Results Begins the 4th party system p. 623

46. The 1896 victory of William McKinley ushered in a long period of Republican dominance that was accompanied by diminishing voter participation in elections The 1896 presidential election marked the last time that a serious effort to win the White House would be made with mostly agrarian votes The Fourth Party System p. 623

47. Why Did Bryan Loose?American Spirit P. 171 • His focus on silver underminedefforts to build bridges to urbanvoters. • He did not form alliances withother groups. • McKinley’s campaign was well-organized and highly funded.

48. Gold Triumphs Over Silver • 1900  GoldStandard Act • confirmed thenation’s commitment tothe gold standard. • A victory for the forces ofconservatism.

49. Why Did Populism Decline? The economy experienced rapid change. The era of small producers and farmers was fading away. Race divided the Populist Party, especially in the South. The Populists were not able to breakexisting party loyalties. Most of their agenda was co-opted bythe Democratic Party.

50. 1964: Henry Littlefield’s “Thesis”?