Do Now: Although farmers had endured great hardships in helping to transform the plains from the “ Great American Desert ” into the “ breadbasket of the nation, ” every year they reaped less and less of the bounty they had sowed with their sweat…why?

Farmers and the Populist Movement

Utilizing the text book to further enhance our learning  Please turn to page 401

Why did the farmers think that an increased money supply would solve their economic problems?  Please provide specifics from the text to support your answer  During period after Civil War..the economy was marked by deflation…Farmers would receive less money for their crops & had to repay their loans & land they bought with dollars that were worth more than they paid…in turn losing money at every turn.  During a period of inflation -which is what the farmers wanted – the value of each dollar falls because there are more dollars in circulation. “Cheap money” would then be created & the prices of goods& services would rise.

What were some of the causes of farmers ’ economic problems?  Hint: Railroads (page 402)  Deflation – Money may have been worth more but they were losing money when paying back loans for land & the amount of money they were receiving for crops was reduced.  Railroads were controlling prices, therefore charging farmers very high prices to transport grain.  High rates of interests from suppliers charged to farmers also put the farmers in constant irreversible debt.

What did the creation of the Grange and the Farmers ’ Alliance do for the farmers of the Midwest?  Hint: Page 402  How did the Grange and the Farmers ’ Alliance pave the way for the Populist Party  Grange – Provided a social outlet & an educational forum for isolated farmer families. However, it changed into a alliance of farmers putting time & money into fighting the railroads.  Taught members how to organize, set up farmers’ cooperatives, & sponsor legislation to regulate railroads  From the Grange, the Farmers’ Alliance was created which included teachers, preachers, newpaper writers & editors and others who sympathized with farmers. Educated people about lower interest rates on loans, government control over railroads & banks, increase in money supply & high tariffs to protect farmers from foreign grain markets.  Eventually lead to the creation of Populism or the political party of the people.

Identify the three economic reforms proposed by the Populist Party in 1892  Identify the three governmental reforms proposed by the Populist Party  Economic reforms – increase in money supply, which in turn would produce a rise in prices of G’s & S’s; a graduated income tax, taxing people more with high incomes than those with low incomes; federal loan program  Also, called for an 8 hr work day  Governmental reforms – Elect US Senators by popular vote; single terms for the president and the vice-president; secret ballot to end vote fraud.

What caused the Panic of 1893?  Provide specific examples from the text  Economy grew too fast during the 1880’s; farmers & businessmen were in debt & had loans to pay that they couldn’t afford; Railroad construction expanded faster than markets could keep up  In turn Erie, Northern Pacific, Union Pacific, Santa Fe Railroads all failed, along iron steel & other businesses being greatly affected

During the presidential campaign of 1896 the political parties became deeply divided. Why?  Hint: Pp  Different regions & economic interests  Gold bugs vs. Silverites –Gold bugs were Republicans & wanted the Gold standard making currency more expensive –Silverites were democrats who wanted bimetallism making gold & silver backing the currency, thus making “cheap money  Gold Bugs - Loans would be repaid in stable economy - Deflation  Silverites – Products would be sold at higher prices - Inflation

What is bimetallism and how did it impact the election of 1896?  Please provide specifics from the text to support your answer  Bimetallism – policy in which the government would give people either gold or silver in exchange for paper currency or checks  Impact on election – Populist party conjoined w/ Democratic party to support William Jennings Bryan. Bryan’s stand on free-silver scared away some of the gold bug democrats, weakening his chances of winning. The election came down to Bryan and Republican McKinley. McKinley won.

What brought an end to the Populist Party in America?  What does the Wizard of Oz have to do with it??!!  McKinley’s election brought Populism to an end..the growing middle class had put out the fire of Populism.  The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is one of America's favorite pieces of juvenile literature. Children like it because it is a good story, full of fun characters and exciting adventures. Adults--especially those of us in history and related fields--like it because we can read between L. Frank Baum's lines and see various images of the United States at the turn of the century. That has been true since 1964, when American Quarterly published Henry M. Littlefield's "The Wizard of Oz: Parable on Populism." Littlefield described all sorts of hidden meanings and allusions to Gilded Age society in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: the wicked Witch of the East represented eastern industrialists and bankers who controlled the people (the Munchkins); the Scarecrow was the wise but naive western farmer; the Tin Woodman stood for the dehumanized industrial worker; the Cowardly Lion was William Jennings Bryan, Populist presidential candidate in 1896; the Yellow Brick Road, with all its dangers, was the gold standard; Dorothy's silver slippers (Judy Garland's were ruby red, but Baum originally made them silver) represented the Populists' solution to the nation's economic woes ("the free and unlimited coinage of silver"); Emerald City was Washington, D.C.; the Wizard, "a little bumbling old man, hiding behind a facade of paper mache and noise,... able to be everything to everybody," was any of the Gilded Age presidents. 