The Populist Party

Platform Develops

Problems facing American

Farmers in the late 1800s…

Overproduction Due to:

New and more land being developed

New machinery that allowed farmers to farm more land, faster

…Falling prices!

WHY? Supply and

Demand!

Overproduction led to…

Falling Prices for Farm Products

supply greater than demand

deflation – prices going down

Activity:Calculate a farmer’s profit and

loss as crop prices fluctuate

Falling prices led to lower incomes

BUT… Farming costs remained high

Mortgage payments stayed the same

Cycle of debt worsened

Interest rates for farmers went up

Outsiders caused problems for farmers as well

Middlemen were taking much of the profit

RailroadsHad monopolies in certain areasRebates (discounts) were offered

to larger farmers

Also… the “money issue”

Money was ‘tight’ Gold Standard

Scarcity of gold meant scarcity of money

Value of money went up

Page 404 in The Americans Gold Bugs Silverites

Who They Were

What They Wanted

Why

Effects

Quickwrite:

Do think city dwellers would be gold bugs or

silverites? Explain.

…THEY FORMED UNIONS!

When laborers had problems…

…THEY FORMED1. LOCAL ALLIANCES

2. NATIONAL GROUPS FOR POLITICAL ACTION

3. THE POPULIST PARTY

When farmers had problems…

THE POPULIST

PARTY PLATFORM

Farmers felt the rich ran the country

Wanted more democracy

Not more wealth, more commonwealth

Wanted to change the democratic system

Goals of Populists: End farmer debt

Give people a greater voice in government

Expand power of Federal government

Platform of the Populists

Economic Reform:Increase supply of moneyGovernment loan programProgressive, or graduated, income

taxGovernment control of RR and

warehouse prices

Government Reform:Vote by secret ballot

Election of Senators by popular vote

Right to propose and vote directly on laws

Government Reform (cont…):Single term for presidentReferendumRecallInitiative

Quickwrite: How would these government reforms give common people more power in government?

Labor Reform:8-hour workday

Immigration restrictions

No government aid to corporations

Election of 1896 Who were the candidates?

Reading: A Voice for the Farmers

What were the results?How do they show the continued

regionalism of the U.S.?

WHAT IS THE LEGACY OF THE

POPULIST PARTY?

Most influential 3rd party in U.S. political history

Government viewed as responsible for reforming social injustices

Almost all original Populist demands were eventually put into law

Led to the Progressive Movement