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

Explore the major issues farmers encountered during the Gilded Age, including the Silver Issue, Supreme Court decisions, Farmers Alliances, Panic of 1893, the 1896 Election, and the decline of Populism.

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

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

  2. 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).

  3. Populism: An Agrarian Revolt

  4. The Grange Movement • First organized in the 1870s in the Midwest, the south, and Texas. • Set up cooperative associations. • Social and educational components. • Succeeded in lobbying for “Granger Laws.” • Rapidly declined by the late 1870s.

  5. Supreme Court Decisions • Munn vs. Illinois (1877) • Wabash, St. Louis, & Pacific Railroad Company vs. Illinois (1886)

  6. The Farmers Alliances • 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.

  7. Giftfor theGrangers: The FarmerPays for All!

  8. 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).

  9. The Panic of 1893

  10. 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!!

  11. The 1896 Election

  12. Gold / Silver Bug Campaign Pins

  13. William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925) The “Great Commoner”

  14. William Jennings Bryan 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.

  15. 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!

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

  17. William McKinley (1843-1901)

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

  19. 1896 Election Results

  20. Why Did Bryan Loose? • 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.

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

  22. The Wizard of Ozby L. Frank Baum

  23. 1964: Henry Littlefield’s “Thesis”?

  24. “Parable of the Populists”? • Tornado  ? • Dorothy  ? • Toto  ? • Kansas  ? • Wicked Witch of theEast  ? • Tin Woodsman  ? • Scarecrow  ? • Cowardly Lion  ? • Yellow Brick Road  ? • Silver Slippers  ? • Emerald City  ? • Oz  ? • The Wizard  ? • Munchkins  ? • Wicked Witch of the West  ? • Flying Monkeys  ? • Yellow Winkies  ?

  25. Heyday of Western Populism

  26. 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.

  27. But, Populism Still Lives! Sarah Palin 2009

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