Farmers' Unrest and the Populist Movement in the Late 1800s

Farmers, particularly in the South and West, faced significant economic challenges.
South: Sharecroppers and tenant farmers struggled with persistent debt and poverty.
Global Cotton Production: Oversupply led to decreased prices, exacerbating debt and poverty, especially for cotton farmers.
West: Farmers mortgaged farms for equipment and seed but struggled to repay loans, leading to foreclosures.

Farmers attributed their difficulties to:
- Railroads: Accused of charging excessive freight rates, burdening farmers.
- Banks: Criticized for high interest rates on loans.
- Federal Government: Blamed for reducing the money supply.

Organization: Farmers organized to address their concerns, forming the Farmers' Alliance, the largest citizens' movement of the 1800s.
Foundation: Founded in Texas in the 1870s and spread to 43 states by 1890.
Objectives: Pursued cooperative financing and exchanges to provide loans and facilitate the sale of farmers' products.
Sub Treasury Plan: Advocated for a warehousing system where the government would store crops and issue loans using crops as collateral.

Evolution: The Farmers' Alliance evolved into the People's Party, also known as the Populist Party.
Constituency: Attracted farmers, miners, and industrial workers.
Movement Characteristics:
- Resembled a religious revival with large meetings and charismatic speakers.
- Emphasized the image of Americans as independent producers.
- Promoted the dignity of workers and individual farmers.
- Embraced modern advances like railroads, telegraph, and scientific agriculture.
- Advocated for government regulation of markets and public goods like electricity.

Significance: Considered a crucial document in American political history.
Assertions: Claimed the US was near moral, political, and material ruin due to political corruption and economic inequality.
Proposals: Advocated for:
- Direct election of US senators.
- Government control of currency.
- Graduated income tax.
- Low cost financing to assist farmers in marketing crops.
- Established rights for laborers to form unions.
- Public ownership of railroads to improve market access for farmers.

Cross-Racial Efforts: Populists in some states attempted to unite blacks and whites, recognizing that racial division hindered progress for all farmers and laborers.
Colored Farmers Alliance: Black populists organized separately in some areas.
Tactics: Some farmer's strikes occurred, mimicking tactics from the labor movement.

Electoral Performance: Populist presidential candidate James Weaver received over 1,000,000 votes in the 1892 election.
Increased Support: The economic depression of 1893 drew more people to Populist ideas.
Fusion with Democrats: In 1896, Populists supported Democrat William Jennings Bryan for president.

Free Coinage of Silver: Bryan advocated for the unrestricted mining and coinage of silver to increase the money supply and alleviate farmers' debt.
Rejection of the Gold Standard: Bryan opposed the gold standard.
Champion of the Common Man: Seen as a proponent of ordinary citizens, he supported policies like progressive income tax, banking regulation, and the right to unionize.
Campaign Against McKinley: The 1896 election pitted Bryan against Republican William McKinley.

Republican Advantage: The Republican Party significantly outspent the Democrats, raising over $10,000,000$ compared to Bryan's approximately $300,000$ .
Republican Concerns: Republican bankers and industrialists feared Bryan's proposals would increase inflation and criticized corporate behavior.
Outcome: McKinley won, carrying the industrial Northeast and Midwest, while Bryan won the South and West.
Republican Policies: After 1897, Republicans shaped US economic policy by raising tariffs and establishing the gold standard.

Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz: Some writers contend that the 1900 work is a commentary on the 1896 election.
Allegorical Elements:
- The Emerald City (green, the color of money) represented Washington DC.
- The Wizard of Oz, hidden and ruling through illusion, symbolized President McKinley.
- The yellow brick road, a gold road, symbolized both money and the gold standard.
- The wicked witches represented oppressive industrialists and financiers.
- Dorothy, representing the common person from the Midwest, wore silver slippers (in the book), symbolizing the silver preferred by the Populist movement.