DBQ 13: The Farmer’s Revolt Farmers were once known for being able to do everything themselves. They grew their own food and sewed their own clothes. People often yearn for the old days and complain about so many people living in cities. Many farmers had to give up their farms and move to the cities, because of something that happened in the late nineteenth century. High prices forced farmers to concentrate on one crop. The large-scale farmers bought expensive machines, increasing their crop yield
The People's Party, also known as the "Populists", was a short-lived political party in the United States established in 1891 during the Populist movement. It was most important in 1892-96, and then rapidly faded away. Based among poor, white cotton farmers in the South and hard-pressed wheat farmers in the plain states, it represented a radical crusading form of agrarianism and hostility to banks, railroads, and elites generally. It sometimes formed coalitions with labor unions, and in 1896, the
The Populist Party was a blip in American History when considering the whole of political history in the United States, but Populism was an extremely important political movement; one that was born in Texas and did extremely well, at least for short while, in Texas and across the country. The changes of the Populist and Democratic Party platforms in 1892, 1896, and 1900 show this transition and the election results from those years confirm the reality. Another key piece of evidence that shows the
that Democrats either adopted from the Populists or created a compromise with were the support of bimetallism without foreign cooperation, calling for an increase in the power of the Interstate Commerce Commission, and support for arbitration between employees and employers. The Democratic Party platform even goes as far as to make the exact same statement as the Populist platform concerning bimetallism: “We demand the free and unlimited coinage of both silver and gold at the present legal ratio of
there was more gold found to back it up. A solution for the shortage of gold out west is bimetallism. According to the Populist Party Platform, “Silver, which has been accepted as coin since the dawn of history, has been demonetized to add to the purchasing power of gold…” (Doc. A). This quote suggest that even though silver has always been accepted it is not anymore due to the gold standard, yet bimetallism would be a solution for the farmers complaints. William McKinley spoke about how the coinage
against an institution, was called the Gilden Age during this time due to the monetary gold standard and the problems that surrounded it. With the gold standard, many businessmen stood to make a huge profit from the industrial workers and farmers. Bimetallism affected the way gold coins would be priced according to the prices of gold and silver. Furthermore, the election of 1896 was a controversial election at the time the movie was being produced. The dominant issue was concerning the monetary standard
of this the Populist Party was formed. The Populist movement was a revolt by farmers in the 1892, in the South and Midwest, against the Democratic and Republican parties for ignoring their interests and difficulties. The Populist party favored bimetallism because expanding the money supply would create inflation, making it easier for farmers to pay their debts. In The Platform of the People’s (Populist) party in 1892, the document states, “Silver, which has
who graced the American people with the speech on July 9, 1896. The speech took place at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, crowded and no doubt smoky. The decision of whether or not the US Mint should coin silver as well as gold, bimetallism, to endorse the free coinage of silver at a ratio of silver to gold of 16 to 1, had been floating around. If this was to be approved this inflationary measure would have increased the amount of currency in circulation making it easier for debtors
and prices of their products through the roof, consumer will not be able to purchase items and farmers will not make a profit from what th... ... middle of paper ... ...ng silver coins to benefit from their unpaid debts. This idea was called Bimetallism(Doc A) The money supply was vacillating as the population would increase(Doc C). Higher powers such as Presidents, would only help those who would keep them as Presidents, this idea drowns in political corruption and patronage. The Populist, farmer
society, says the problem is with the banks being in circulation with paper money rather with the gold itself. The real question is if the gold standard is a good thing then he wants to know why their party has been said to try and replace with bimetallism? However just four months earlier they on board with the gold standard and would not amend it to enable two metals to be in circulation even of the whole world was involved. He says If the gold standard was truly good then he would not be working
Born in Niles, Ohio in 1843, William McKinley attended Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania and had planned to become a Methodist minister. Sadly, McKinley was only able to attend for one term because of illness and financial disabilities. When the Civil War began, McKinley was teaching at a country school; he enlisted as a private in the Union Army, McKinley quickly rose up in ranks to become a brevet major on the staff of Rutherford B. Hayes, who eventually became a lifelong friend and
for many. The Indians moving west was essentially bad for the economy and the economy was bad for people. Industrialization was when the people went from an agrarian lifestyle to an Industrial society. There were two different currencies one was bimetallism and the other was Monism which helped the poor. This was bad because some people made a lot of money and some didn’t make a lot at all or any. The source was “Robber Baron Cartoon”. Industrialization mainly focused on how
years. The reason the 1900s were so special is because of three things. First, once the markets equalized, the production of silver compared to gold during the ages of imperialism made silver much more common than gold. Second, the world got rid of bimetallism, which meant the world dropped the use of silver to back up money and solely relied on gold. Third, the world used gold to back the paper money they
During the 1896 elections William McKinley was running against William Jennings Bryan for president (DeGregorio). McKinley won the majority of electors and entered his first term as president (Bassett). After winning over the people during the elections McKinley went straight to work by helping the people. The time when the 1896 elections were happening the United States was ongoing depression. The depression of 1893 was extremely significant to the history and lasted until 1897. The unemployment
As the new century approached, a national crisis began to develop in the United States. The nation faced a severe depression, nationwide labor unrest and violence, and the government’s inability to fix any of the occurring problems. The Panic of 1893 ravaged the nation and became the worse economic crisis of its time. The depression’s ruthlessness contributed to social unrest and weakened the monetary system’s strength, leading to a debate over what would be the foundation of the national currency
advanced by the Populist Party were adopted by the Democratic Party and subsequent political movements. “The limited electoral success and heavy campaigning of the Populist Party led the national Democratic Party to adopt many populist causes, such as bimetallism, corporate regulation and workers' rights.” (What are the accomplishments of the Populist Party? (n.d.).) References 1. THE GILDED AGE & THE PROGRESSIVE ERA (1877–1917). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sparknotes.com/history/american/gildedage/section6
Author Hamlin Garland was born in Wisconsin in 1860 and published Main Travelled Roads in 1891. Garland’s father was a Western farmer who moved his family to Iowa in hope of a better life. During Garland’s childhood, his family always struggled economically. In an article titled “Hamlin Garland,” it states that this is what led him to record the physical oppression and economic frustrations on farms in the West (Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica). In addition, Garland was also influenced by his
the value of gold. In this system, gold can be exchanged for currency and currency can be exchanged for gold. During the nineteenth century, the major nations of the world switched to the gold standard, thereby replacing the previous system of bimetallism (a standard based on the values of both gold and silver). In 1821, Britain was the first nation to adopt the gold standard. At the time, Britain was the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the world. In order to facilitate international trade
In Emily Rosenberg's book Spreading The American Dream: American Economic and Cultural Expansion, she chronicles the history of American expansionism throughout the Western Hemisphere, Europe, and the Far East. I contend that not only does the United States disregard their path towards liberalism when it suits their interests, but also that the United States' intervention in Latin America was meant to undercut European competition while boosting their own economic supremacy throughout the world.
In the late 19th century, the United States experienced a period of extreme growth. Industries dotted the country, and aspiring entrepreneurs strove to accumulate as much wealth as possible. However, for the working class of America, life was not as promising. The ones who powered the industries of the rising rich bosses labored in dangerous conditions. Along with the actual workers, many average Americans expressed concern that the rush to gain more wealth would cause people to lose out on being