The Rise and Fall of Populism was a very interesting period between the times of 1892-1896. In 1890, the Populist movement arose primarily in response to the McKinley Tariff, which is a very high tariff that particularly hurt western and southern farmers who sold their harvest on unprotected markets but were forced to buy expensive manufactured goods. To protest the tariff, these farmers helped vote Republicans out of the House of Representatives in the 1890s congressional elections. “Frances Willard chaired the first convention of the Populist Party, also called the People's Party, in 1892 in Omaha, Nebraska.” (By 1900, the Populist Party was in decline. (n.d.).) When the elections of 1892 approached, the Farmers’ Alliance joined with liberal …show more content…
In 1896, it was time for reelection and Cleveland had no chance of being reelected for a third term. No one wanted him anymore because he did so many things wrong. He barely kept the U.S Treasury stable, he angered middle-class constituents by ending the Pullman Strike with federal forces, and he didn’t keep his promise to reduce the tariff. Because of the things Cleveland did while he was in office, Democrats nominated William Jennings Bryan, whom is known for his famous speech, “Cross o Gold.” In the speech, Bryan passionately proclaimed, “We will answer [the Republicans’] demands for a gold standard by saying to them: ‘You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns; you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold!’ (The Gilded Age and The Progressive Era (1877-1917). (n.d.). Because the Democrats ran on a Populist-inspired platform, campaigning for free silver, the two parties joined in supporting …show more content…
Although the Populist Party failed as a viable third party, its work helped raise awareness and concern for the plight of farmers and workers. Many of the platforms 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.rhtml
2. Why did the Populist Party fail? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.reference.com/government-politics/did-populist-party-fail-d6ad5b480840c926
3. By 1900, the Populist Party was in decline. (n.d.). The Populist Movement - Boundless Open Textbook Retrieved from https://www.boundless.com/u-s-history/textbooks/boundless-u-s-history-textbook/the-gilded-age-1870-1900-20/the-agrarian-and-populist-movements-155/the-populist-movement-835-3278/ 4. Chapter 2 Western Expansion, the New South, and Industrial America, 1870–1890. (n.d.) Retrieved from
Therefore, the title “The Era of Good Feelings” is accurate to a large extent from a social and political perspective, but not from an economic perspective. The federalist party collapsed after the war and the Hartford convention, which diminished the party’s popularity. Therefore, as shown in Document I, the election of 1820 was very one sided, which lessened political divisions in the United States. This also showed that the American people were very united on the issues, which strengthened nationalism.
The populist movement occurred in the late 19th century, formed from the Grangers movement where its goal was ta movement for people, to change the economic system where it would benefit farmers. The grange movement rapidly declined in the 1870s and was replaced by the farmer alliances. The farmer alliances were more political rather then social. The farmer’s alliance later formed the populist. The populist movement is considered to be an agrarian revolt by farmers and those concerned with agriculture, because in the gilded age many people were moving to rural areas where banks and industrial systems were superior over agriculture. The high tariffs, decentralization of currency, and decreasing crop prices were hurting the farmers. Founded by James B Weaver and Tom Watson, they wanted the government to have a stronger control over banking and industries. Populism pursued limited coinage of silver and adjusted income tax so the wealthy would be paying more than the poor. They wanted free coinage of silver because this would eventually help the farmers pay off their debts. Parallel, they wanted the government to have control over railroads, telephone and telegraph systems. They wanted to government to be more in control and involved in the economy and most of all, wanted to stop laissez faire. They aimed for a secret ballot and direct election where the president would only hold office for 1 term. Although they won several seats in congress, the Populist Party never won any presidential elections. The Democrats supported much of the Populists goals. Nevertheless, they voted Democrat William Jennings Bryan for the presidency. His goal of unlimited coinage of silver gained the support of the Populist Party uncovered injustice...
... This then led to another party being formed, the populist party. This party had the belief that cities depended on farms, yet farms did not depend on cities. William Jennings Brian supported this idea in his speech, quoted in document J. In which elaborates on the opposition to gold standards and supports the silver standards that would better benefit farmers. The changes in American agriculture were shaped by three key factors, economic change, government policy and technology, in the period of 1865-1900.
The first political parties in America began to form at the end of the 18th century. "The conflict that took shape in the 1790s between the Federalists and the Antifederalists exercised a profound impact on American history." The two primary influences, Thomas Jefferson a...
Afterwards, the 1900s started with the dominance of progressivism, in which many Americans tried to improve and solve the problems that were caused or had arisen because of the industrialization of the Gilded Age. It was basically the time when progressives fought for legislations like regulation of big businesses, an end to the political corruption, and protection of the rights of the people: the poor, immigrants, workers, and consumers. Thus, between the periods 1870 to 1920, big businesses had arisen and taken control of the political and economic systems through corruption and innovations. In response, American citizens reacted negatively and formed labor unions and political systems to diminish the power that large corporations had in America. The growth of large corporations had impacted American politics by causing governmental corruption because of the power some industries had in society.
Early into the 1800’s, president Andrew Jackson was a bit of a catalyst to the alteration of politics. Through his actions of Indian removal, confounding the nullifiers, and destroying the “Monster Bank” he had immeasurably enlarged the power of the presidency. Jackson also converted the veto into an effective presidential power. During his term, Jackson had vetoes 12 bills, compared to a collective 9 vetoes from all the previous presidents combined. Around the same time period, a new two-party system developed differing from the Democrats and the Federalists. The Jacksonian Party System was directly shaped by the social and economic strains of an expanding nation. Democrats at this time viewed society as a continuing conflict between “the people” -workers, planters, and farmers- and a group of greedy aristocrats. These greedy aristocrats were part of a “paper money aristocracy” consisting of bankers and investors who manipulated the banking system for profit. Democrats saw the Bank War as a battle to restore the old Jeffersonian republic with its values of simplicity, frugality, hard work, and independence. Jackson knew the dangers of private banking yet the Democrats wanted the rewards of the market without losin...
In the beginning of the twentieth century, the economy was booming, new technology flourished. The rapid industrialization brought achievement to the United States, however, it also caused several social problems. Wealth and power were concentrated in the hands of a few, and poverty and political corruption were widespread. As people became aware of these problems, a new reform group was created. Unlike populism, which had been a group of farmers grown desperate as the economy submerged into depression, the new reform movement arose from the educated middle class. These people were known as the progressives. The Progressive Movement was a movement that aimed at solving political, economic, and social problems. The Progressives were people from the middle class who had confidence that they could achieve social progress through political reform. The Progressives sought after changes and improvements in the society through laws and other federal actions.
In all the history of America one thing has been made clear, historians can’t agree on much. It is valid seeing as none of them can travel back in time to actually experience the important events and even distinguish what has value and what doesn’t. Therefore all historians must make a leap and interpret the facts as best they can. The populist movement does not escape this paradox. Two views are widely accepted yet vastly different, the views of Richard Hofstadter and Lawrence Goodwyn. They disagree on whether populists were “isolated and paranoid bigots” or “sophisticated, empathetic egalitarians”; whether their leaders were “opportunists who victimized them” or “visionary economic theorists who liberated them”; whether their beliefs were rooted in the free silver campaign of the 1890s or the cooperative movement of the 1880s; and finally whether their ideal society was in the “agrarian past” or “the promise of a cooperative future”. They could not agree on anything, over all Richard Hofstadter seems to have a better idea of the truth of populism.
During the late 19th and early 20th century both the Populist Party and Progressive movement wanted to preserve some things, while also addressing the need for reform. Although many of the ideas and goals of these “Third parties” were initially not legislated and considered far-fetched, many of these ideas later became fundamental laws throughout American history. The Populists and Progressives were both grass roots movements, and addressed the needs of the poor and powerless, for the Populists it was farmers and for the Progressives it was urban lower and middle class workers. These two movements attempted to bring the powerless peoples issues to national politics. The Populists and Progressives wanted to preserve some American ideals of the past, such as a sense of community and the ability for farmers and workers to live happily without economic strains. Populists were more oriented to the plight of the farmer while the Progressives included women's rights, and protection of the consumer and labor.
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 Democrats endorsed their presidential nominee, William Jennings Bryan. The terms "populist" and "populism" are commonly used for anti-elitist appeals in opposition to established interests and mainstream parties. Though the party did not win much of anything it did however shape the United States we know today.
This highlights that Americans did not like the sudden change of viewpoint and protested this by not voting for them. Henry Adams Observed, “Of all the parties that have existed in the United States, the famous Whig party was the most feeble in ideas”. This proves that the Whig party was not strong enough to change their views as society changed in the lead up to the war, which lead to their collapse, which ultimately lead to the outbreak of war.
During the time of the German Empire, groups like the Navy League, Colonial League, Pan-German League, and Agrarian League attempted to influence the politics of Germany by supporting and lobbying members of the Reichstag. The Agrarian League, representing the interest of landowners and others whose livelihood depended upon agriculture, demanded that the Reichstag pass laws and tariffs that would benefit the interests of the agriculturalists and other wealthy land owners. Their program of 1912 exemplifies their concerns over the progress of Germany and Germany’s politics to that point in time, and it offers their solutions to the problems faced by agriculturalists in 1912.
...hey lacked the followers that would enable them to push their ideas further, so in the end the Populists slowly died out but the ideas remained which became a driving force during the progressive era. The Populists can be seen as the stepping stone which it gathered and helped people to realize that a change was needed, without this would the progressive era still have the drive that brought people together?
“Political and Social Milestones 1800-1860”. Elements of Literature: Fifth Course. Austin: Hold, Rinehart and Winston, 2008. 160-161. Print.
Populist leader, Mary Elizabeth Lease, in speech given in 1890, once said, “We will stand by our homes and stay by our fireside by force if necessary, and we will not pay our debts to the loan-shark companies until the government pays its debts to us. The people are at bay; let the bloodhounds of money who dogged us thus far beware.” Populism was a third-party that emerged at the end of the 19th century in opposition to rising industrialization and commercialization of American society, especially agriculture. While populism never achieved political majority, it was one of the most formidable third-parties that ever formed in the United States, and its platform became the rallying point of many poor Americans, especially poor whites, against