Chapter 18, Section 3

The Grange Movement An early national farm organization in the United States Worked for mutual welfare AKA the Patrons of Husbandry Organized by Oliver Kelley

The Grange Movement Problems of Farmers

Overproduction New technology produced more Drives prices down too much Farmers not making any money

High Costs Railroads charging high prices to transport goods Storage facilities charging to much to store products

Natural Disasters Cannot control the weather Sever draughts ruin crops

Debt Farmers need money so they borrow from banks They do not make enough money to pay the bank back Now their at the mercy of the interest rate

The Vicious Cycle Problems of Farmers Debt Natural Disasters High Costs Overproduction

What did they do??? Got laws passed that fixed maximum freight & passenger rates Forbade railroads to discriminate between places or shippers Attempted to regulate monopolies of such farmer necessities as grain elevators and warehouses (Munn v. Illinois 1877 )Munn v. Illinois 1877

Munn v. Illinois Court ruled that the Constitution recognized a state’s right to a “police power” that permitted regulation of private property “affected with a public interest.”

CHANGES ON THE WESTERN FRONTIER

Great Plains Indians Horse – Travel farther & hunt more efficiently; led to more wars Buffalo – Provided basic needs & was central to surviving

Treat at Fort Laramie

Assimilation Native Americans would give up their beliefs & way of life & become a part of white culture

Dawes Act Gave 160 acres of land to Indians for individual farms On probation for 25 years

Destruction of buffalo Tourists and white settlers shot buffalo for sport

Battle of Wounded Knee 7 th cavalry rounded up 350 starving & freezing Sioux Shots fired, 300 dead

Whites Settle the Great Plains Homestead Act –160 acres of free land; have to farm it within 5 years Exoduster –African Americans who moved from post- Reconstruction South to Kansas Oklahoma Land Rush –1889 – 2 million acres claimed in a day

THE POPULIST PARTY

What is a third party? A political party organized as opposition to the existing parties in a two-party system

THE POPULIST PLATFORM Voting Work DaySenators Gov’t Ownership Of: Money Immigration PresidencyTax

Money Wanted to inflate the currency by either printing paper money or coining silver vs

Tax Wanted a graduated federal income tax It would take a higher proportion of large incomes than of small incomes “The more you make the more you pay”

Presidency Wanted a single term for the President and Vice-President Backed candidate William Jennings Bryan

Immigration Restrict immigration Too much overproduction already

Voting A secret ballot to end vote fraud Wanted to institute initiative, recall & referendum

Initiative –Would enable the people to introduce bills in Congress & in state legislatures by petition Recall –Would enable voters to remove elected officials from elected positions before their terms were completed Referendum –Would allow the people to vote on bills after they had been passed by a legislature

Government Ownership Called for government ownership & operation of the railroads, & the telegraph and telephone systems

Senators Wanted direct election of Senators instead of by state legislatures

Work Day 8-hour workday Bread & Butter Issues (needed to attract more than just farmers if they wanted to be successful)

Gold vs. Silver BUSINESSFARMERS Bankers & businessmenFarmers & laborers Gold Standard; Less money in circulation Bimetallism; More money in circulation Loans would be repaid in stable money Products would be sold at higher prices DEFLATION: Prices fall Value of & increases Fewer people have $ INFLATION: Prices rise Value of $ decreases More people have $ Who They Were What They Wanted Why Effects