The Progressive Era
Today’s Objectives 0 To describe trust companies and the laws passed to limit them 0 To describe the organization and end of the Populist party 0 To examine the gold standard controversy and how it affected the 1896 presidential election
Laissez-Faire 0 Non government interference 0 The Progressive Era: A period when people focused their attention on correcting the negative effects of Industrialization 0 Citizens and leaders wanted to change America for the better
Reformers Start A Political Party 0 Concerned about the growth of big business 0 Too much power was bad 0 Citizens were not able to fight it alone 0 They asked the government to help
How Did Congress Try To Limit Trust Companies? 0 Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) 0 Created to control railroads 0 Sherman Anti-Trust Law 0 Made it illegal for large companies to form monopolies (one person controlling the industry; Remember: Carnegie, Rockefeller!!) 0 Laws did not work 0 Often used to persecute unions on strike, opposite of what Congress wanted
What Did the Populist Party Stand For? 0 Farmers who did not like the big business 0 Fought for farmers rights 0 Afraid that democracy would fall 0 They were losing their farms 0 They again, asked the government for help
What changes did they want? 0 Graduated income tax plan. Taxes increase as person’s income increases 0 Public would own railroad, telegraph, and telephone companies 0 Senators elected by the people 0 Government would make more money available 0 Make silver coins again; would make more money
How did this affect the election of 1896? 0 McKinley supported the gold standard (gold backed the money supply) (republican), as well as President Cleveland 0 Democrats wanted gold and silver 0 Positive- limit supply of money, prices low, help business 0 Negative- hurt average Americans, only helped big business 0 Populists candidate, Bryan, lost even though he campaigned more, spoke more 0 Populist movement ended, but the reform spirit did not