1. The Populist Movement
Copy notes page 59

2. EQ
Explain the main ideas of Populism AND how it was supposed to help farmers?

3. Late 1800s, some problems for farmers:
-prices for crops falling
-farmers mortgage farms to buy more land
-can’t make payments so banks foreclose
-railroads charge HUGE prices
-gov’t needs to issue more hard money

4. It’s time for reform! Oliver Hudson Kelley forms an organization called The Grange= provide social outlet & educational forum for isolated farm families, but really spend time fighting the railroads Farmers’ Alliances= educate farmers about gov’t control over railroads/banks

5. Populism= the movement of the people, The People’s Party  free farmers from debt & people have greater voice in gov’t
They believe gov’t is responsible for reforming social injustices

6. Show me the money!
Panic of 1893= farmers can’t pay debts, railroads go broke, gov’t runs out of gold & silver to back money, people panic and go on bank runs, stocks collapse, 1/5 population jobless
Should we back dollars with silver & gold bimetallism or just gold gold standard

7. 1896 presidential campaign Republican William McKinley vs Democrat William Jennings Bryan  voters of industrial mid-west scared of inflation get McKinley into office  Populism collapses