Farmers and the Populist movement Unrest in Rural America The growth of urban America made possible because farmers were so productive Farmers felt poor compared to city people Farm life seemed boring compared to the exciting opportunities of the city

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Farmers and the Populist movement

Unrest in Rural America

The growth of urban America made possible because farmers were so productive

Farmers felt poor compared to city people

Farm life seemed boring compared to the exciting opportunities of the city

 

Hard Times for Farmers

1867 - Oliver H. Kelley started the Patrons of Husbandry, better known as the ___________ 

 

                  - Hoped to fight the loneliness of farm life & farming methods

     - Open to both men & women

Meetings were held at local schools

                   - Both social & educational

Late 1800's - most farmers weren't self-sufficient

     - Grew cash crops

Most in debt

     -   _____________farmers owed banks money for their land & equipment 

     -  _____________ farmers had taken on debt to rebuild farms destroyed in the Civil War

Problems of Farmers

Low Prices and High Cost

Farmer's lives were hard

    - droughts, floods, insects, and animal diseases

1870's - faced another problem

    - Low prices for their crops

    - Sank farther into  _________  Caused by  ____________

 

     - More people became farmers

     - Farming methods improved

Became more expensive to operate a farm

     -   __________ on imported farm equipment

     - Railroads raised prices

The Granger Movement

Turned their attention to economic and political issues

Economic goal - avoid using middlemen

   - People who made a living storing, transporting, and selling a product 

   - Cut into farmers’ profits and added to cost for the buyer

Grangers created cooperatives

    - An organization owned and operated by those who use its services

    - They shared crops in some places

    - Allowed them to set their prices

Politically - they elected legislatures that put limits on railroad and storage prices

    - Called  _________

 

 

The Populist Party

1880's - Several political parties combined 

 

  _______________ - the movement of the people

 

Populist Party wants reforms

 

____________: increase the money supply, graduated income tax, & federal loans

 

_____________: Senate elected by popular vote, secret ballot & 8-hour day

1892 -  Populist candidates elected at different levels of government

 

What Is Populism? 

 

 

 

  _____________ Party eventually adopted/takeover the platform

 

Debate Over Money Policy

Pitted debtors against creditors

Debtors wanted more money to be put into circulation

Wanted the government to coin more silver_________   

 

Bimetallism - a system using both silver & gold to back currency

 

  ______________ -  would create more money, stimulate the economy

Creditors wanted to limit the amount of money

    - Favored  __________ standard

Gold standard - backing currency with gold only

Paper money considered worthless if cannot be exchanged for metal

Gold bugs - gold only would create more stable with an expensive currency

 

 

Election of 1892

1892 - Populist nominate James B. Weaver for president 

He had the following proposals

   - Gov. to control & operate railroads, telegraph & telephone systems

   - the secret ballot in elections

   - graduated income tax

   - U.S. senators to be elected directly by the people rather than state legislatures

   -  Demanded shorter working hours for labor

 

 

  _________________ won the 1892 election 

 

The Panic of 1893

Railroads expanded faster than markets

   -  Some went bankrupt

The government’s gold supply became ___________ 

 

   - Led to rush on banks

   - Businesses, banks collapse

   - Panic became depression  

Election of 1896

Money was the central issue

Republicans nominated  ______________

 

   - Supported big business (gold standard)

Democrats nominated  ______________

 

   - Supported silver

Populists endorsed  _____________

 

  & chose own VP to maintain party identity

 

US President William McKinley bribed by corporate titans

The End of Populism

 

1896 -  __________ elected president Populism collapsed 

Left legacy: 

    -  Showed the powerless could organize & have a political impact

   - Agenda of reforms enacted in the 20th century

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