1. Bell Ringer, 2/5 In your opinion, what does it mean to be progressive?
Provide 2 examples of progress our country has made in your lifetime.
Bonus: What group of people made up the populists party?

2. William Jennings Bryan
The Rise and Fall of the Populist Party
William Jennings Bryan

3. Farmers’ Problems Crop prices fell
Farmers went into debt, and their lenders foreclosed on their mortgages
The railroad companies charged outrageous prices to ship crops

4. Farmers’ Demands
Regulate the railroad companies (Stop them from charging such high rates)
Make cash more available (back the dollar with silver, not gold, so dollar would be worth less)
Favored Popular Vote, over Electoral Votes

5. POPULIST VIEW OF THEMSELVES
REPUBLICAN VIEW OF POPULIST

6. 1892 Presidential Election: Populist candidate won over a million votes!

7. 1896 Election Democrats – 1890s Republicans – 1890s Southerners
Farmers
Supported low tariffs (wanted other countries to buy their crops)
Northerners
Wealthy business men
Supported high tariffs (didn’t want to compete with other countries’ products)

8. 1896 Election
Populists decide to improve their chances by supporting the Democratic candidate, William Jennings Bryan, who agreed to support the silver-backed dollar.

10. “Cross of Gold” Speech

11. 1896 Presidential Election: Bryan loses but carries most of the South and West

12. Central Historical Question
Why did the Populist Party attract millions of supporters?

13. Conclusion
Why were the speakers, like Lease and Bryan, popular in 1890s?
What images and rhetorical devices did they use to excite their audiences?
How did their audiences feel when they listened to these speeches?
Do these themes resonate today? Which parts of these speeches could we expect to hear from today’s politicians? Which parts seem outdated?