1. The Agrarian Movement
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How did farmers respond to the problems they faced in the late nineteenth century?

2. TEKS and Objectives We will… I will…
(3A) analyze the beginnings of Populism (5C) evaluate the impact of third parties, including the Populist Party (15B) describe the changing relationship between the federal government and private business, including the cost and benefits of laissez-faire, and the Interstate Commerce Act
Analyze primary sources about the Populist Party in order to interpret their political platform

3. The Problems of Farmers: 1870-1900
Agricultural Overproduction
Settlement of west = more farms
Machinery improved farming
More food  lower prices
High Costs
Railroads overcharged farmers
Higher rates for shorter distance

4. The Problems of Farmers: 1870-1900
Farmer Indebtedness
Borrowed $$ for improvements/machinery
Used their farms as security
Banks charged high interest
Periodic Natural Disasters
Droughts, insects, floods

5. The Granger Movement - 1867 Purpose Granger Cooperatives
Club for farmers
To overcome rural isolation and spread information
1.5 million member by 1877
Granger Cooperatives
Purchased farming equipment in bulk: machinery, fertilizers, and manufactured goods
Sold crops directly to city markets
Many failed due to lack of experience

6. The Granger Laws Munn v. Illinois (1877)
Supreme Court upheld right of states to regulate business (i.e. railroads)
Interstate Commerce Act (1887)
Prohibited railroads from overcharging
Interstate Commerce Commission
Created to investigate RR complaints and enforce act
First federal agency to regulate business (change from laissez- faire)

7. The Populist Party: 1891-1896 Populist Party
Supported by farmers, industrial workers, and miners
Women prominent in party

8. Populist Platform (1892) Unlimited Coinage of Silver
To raise farm prices/make loan payments easier
Term Limits for President
Only one term in office
Direct Election of Senators
Instead of state legislatures
Secret Ballot
To protect voters from intimidation
Government Ownership
Railroads, telegraphs, and telephones
Graduated Income Tax
Higher rates for the rich
Immigration Restrictions
Quotas (limits) on immigrants
Shorter Work Day
8 hours

9. Election Campaigns Election of 1892 Election of 1896 Election of 1900
Populists won 5 Senate seats
Election of 1896
William Jennings Bryan (Populist) vs. (William McKinley (Republican)
Bryan won South and West; McKinley won Northeast and Midwest (and election)
Election of 1900
McKinley defeated Bryan again
Populist Party declined

10. William Jennings Bryan’s “Cross of Gold Speech”
“My friends, the question we are to decide is: upon which side will the Democratic Party fight; upon the side of ‘the idle capital’ or upon the side of ‘the struggling masses’? That question the party must answer. You tell us that we great cities are in favor of the gold standard; we reply that the great cities rest upon our broad and fertile prairies. Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again if by magic. But destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country.” Which groups did Bryan appeal to in this speech to the Democratic National Convention? How did he try to show that farmers were superior?

11. The Legacy of Populism The Role of Third Parties
Provide an outlet for minorities
Generate new ideas
Graduated income tax and direct election of Senators later adopted