1. Populism A Farmer’s Movement

2. The Farmer’s Plight  1/3 of Americans were ag workers  ↑ costs, ↓ prices, parasites, ↑ interest rates  South – 1/3 tenant farmers  Farmers angry with railroad companies, bankers, industrial monopolists, gold standard  ↑ productivity also forced down prices, globalization

3. Protests  Granger Movement – 1867 – farmers developed a cooperative type movement  1870’s – Greenback Party – wanted the end of a gold/silver standard  1875 – Farmer’s Alliance (similar to a union)  1892 – Formed the Populist Party

4. William Jennings Bryan (1860- 1925)  Nicknamed the “Great Commoner”  Supported women’s rights  Farmers and workers  Considered a populist Democrat  “progressive in politics, conservative in religion”