Session #4: The Populist Movement & Politics of the Late 1800's

Democrats

• State’s rights

• Decentralized government

• Limited government

• Reduce spending/ tariffs

  • Cutting spending

• The southern states

Republicans

• Use of federal government to produce material wealth and promote moral progress

• Protect civil rights

• High tariffs

• Union veteran

• New England states

Crop-lien System

indebted to banks, furnishing agents, country merchant, who were supplying farmers with seed and tools for credit

“Movement Culture”

farmers weren’t socially isolated from society, there were many institutions, veteran organizations, churches, schools, they were all connected and mounted a movement from these institutions

Farmers’ Alliances

Set lectures to raise awareness about farmers’ problems

Sharecroppers

someone that doesnt own their own property, working on the large estates of white landowners

Colored Farmers’ National Alliance

Effort to organize black farmers but unfortunately unraveled after sharecroppers went on strike and were lynched, the strike unraveled and so did the organization

Sub-treasury System

farmers would be able to store their crop in a government warehouse, and get a loan based on market value of the crop, then pay the loans back

People’s Party

Populists Party

Pullman Strike (1894)

• wage cuts up to 28%

• blocked railway traffic through Chicago and shipping was tied up from Ohio to California

• Asked American Union to represent them

National League for the Protection of the Family

Called for compulsory education laws to get children out of factories and in the classroom

Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens

Mark Twain

Nation’s most outstanding realist author

“The Battle of the Standards”

the Election of 1896

William Jennings Bryan

• favored silver

• captivating public speaker

• actively campaigning, gave 600 speeches

McKinley

• favored gold

• railroads brought listeners to his porch

• won 54% of the vote