Populism

A response to the effects of industrialization on rural America

Question for thought:

How do the Populists' political demands illustrate the major economic and social problems facing American society in the 1890s?

Origins of PopulismOrigins of Populism

Granger Movement and Farmer’s Alliances arise to deal with negative of effects of industrialization on farms.

Share-cropping Railroad rates Merchants

Granger Movement and Farmer’s Alliances arise to deal with negative of effects of industrialization on farms.

Share-cropping Railroad rates Merchants

Crop Lien System

Farmers borrow on credit for seeds, equipment, essentials - interest as high as 18%

Pledge part of their crop as security for the loan and to pay back loan

Money farmer received from crop had to cover the loan, the interest, expenses, and

sometimes the next year’s crop.

Sometimes the cost of the loan was 100% of the crop raised and sold

Railroads

• Charged higher rates to farmers in the middle of the line than those going from end to end.

The Gold Standard

• “backs up” currency

Populists opposed the rising gap between rich and poor that developed during late nineteenth century America. Talent and hard work alone could not explain the differences. Thus, Populists suspected that the rich had gotten ahead through illegitimate special privileges.

The Granger Movement

Begun in 1867 in Minnesota

Farmers are independent, but need an organization to represent them

As individuals they were at the mercy of merchants and the railroads

Organized they could apply political and economic pressure

A Farmer’s Alliance Lending Library

The People’s Party, 1892

• Grew out of Granger

movement and Farmer’s Alliances

Omaha Platform, 1892

• 1. Economic: increase in circulating currency (unlimited coinage of silver), graduated income tax, loan programs

• 2. Transportation: govt ownership of RRs

• 3. Political: Direct election of U.S. senators, secret ballot, initiative referendum and recall

Tom Watson

• Governor of Georgia.

• Self taught lawyer, had to leave school after two years because lacked funds.

• Took the lead in trying to mesh Farmer’s Alliance and Colored Farmer’s Alliance.

• “You are kept apart so that you may be separately fleeced of your earnings.”

Mary Elizabeth Lease

• Farmers need to “raise less corn and more hell”

1892 Election

Results of 1892Results of 1892

Jim Weaver, Populist candidate. 22 electoral votes, more than 1 mil pop votes. Populists elected to Congress, 3 governors, lots of

minor officials. Not do well in South; Democratic party holds

strong (fears by whites of losing support for racial segregation by weakening the Dem party)

Jim Weaver, Populist candidate. 22 electoral votes, more than 1 mil pop votes. Populists elected to Congress, 3 governors, lots of

minor officials. Not do well in South; Democratic party holds

strong (fears by whites of losing support for racial segregation by weakening the Dem party)

Depression of 1893Depression of 1893 Jay Gould’s RR goes bankrupt. A run on gold reserves in US. Unemployment, strikes, protests Coxey’s army, unemployed RR workers, marches to D.C., wants govt jobs for the unemployed. Arrested for walking on the grass.

Jay Gould’s RR goes bankrupt. A run on gold reserves in US. Unemployment, strikes, protests Coxey’s army, unemployed RR workers, marches to D.C., wants govt jobs for the unemployed. Arrested for walking on the grass.

Election of 1896Election of 1896

Populists join with Democrats Dem: William Jennings Bryan Rep: William McKinley

Populists join with Democrats Dem: William Jennings Bryan Rep: William McKinley

William Jennings Bryan, “Cross of Gold” Speech

• We are “clad in the armor of a righteous cause.” • “hardy pioneers” versus “financial magnates” • “Burn down your cities and leave our farms and

your cities will spring up again as if by magic, but destroy our farms and grass will grow in the streets of every city of the United States”

• “You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns. You shall not crucify mankind on a cross of gold.”

William McKinley

• Gold standard

• Supported by business and industrial Northeast

1896 election:

into which box will the voter of ‘96

put his ballot?

“Vote for Taft this time; you can vote for Bryan any time.”

Later, opposition to imperialism

Involvement in the Scopes Trial, 1925

Took the stand as a Bible expert (against teacher John Scopes).

Populism, Results:Populism, Results:

Reactionary nature of Populism leads to downfall.

Populist proposals get adopted later.

Populist ideals live on. Demands on U.S. govt to protect the people increase as time goes on.

Reactionary nature of Populism leads to downfall.

Populist proposals get adopted later.

Populist ideals live on. Demands on U.S. govt to protect the people increase as time goes on.

End of PopulismEnd of Populism

By 1896, prosperity returns. Spanish-American War encourages patriotism

Alliances made by Populists fall apart.

By 1896, prosperity returns. Spanish-American War encourages patriotism

Alliances made by Populists fall apart.

The patriotism of the Spanish-American War of 1898 also played a role in destroying Populism. Criticism of the nation's leaders or institutions can be painted as evidence of disloyalty by opponents during wartime. Thus, reformers usually mute their criticism or are silenced during periods of international turmoil. Most Populists probably supported freeing Cuba from autocratic Spanish rule.

Two interpretations of Populism

1. Richard Hofstadter

• Populists were nativist and reactionary, pursuing their local agenda; resentful people left out of the benefits of modern society.

• 1950s - consensus / conformity, nativism

2. Lawrence Goodwyn

• Populists represented the best of democracy in America, a progressive movement to limit the abuses of big govt and industry.

• 1960s - civil rights, democracy

Significance: Late 19th century Populism is important because Significance: Late 19th century Populism is important because

Populists became one of the most important 3rd parties in U.S. history - helped establish idea that govt is responsible to for its people

Many Populist ideas become reality later on Historians debate its meaning, and that of many

other events in the past. “populism” is still a political method used today

Populists became one of the most important 3rd parties in U.S. history - helped establish idea that govt is responsible to for its people

Many Populist ideas become reality later on Historians debate its meaning, and that of many

other events in the past. “populism” is still a political method used today

Third Parties in U.S. History• 1. Always lose.

• 2. Often draw support from the similar party, and cause them to lose.

• 3. Raise important issues that are usually adopted later.

Populism and The Wizard of Oz; An Allegory

L. Frank Baum

• Some great examples of avatars that embody ideas comes from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. This fairy tale is an allegory of the silver movement at the end of the nineteenth century. Dorothy’s magical slippers were silver, not ruby, in the original story! After 1887 a series of droughts struck Kansas and as many as three out of four farms were mortgaged in some Kansas counties.

Thousands of settlers like Dorothy’s Aunt Em and Uncle Henry gave up and retraced their steps East; others trusted in the Farmer’s Alliance and pinned their hopes on the free coinage of silver. While gold as a standard of currency symbolized the idle rich of the industrial Northeast, silver stood for the common folk. Added to the currency in the form of silver dollars, it meant more money, higher crop prices, and a return of prosperity. Or so the supporters of silver coinage, lead by William Jennings Bryan, believed.

• Each character and object in the story represents something in connection with the battle of the standards, even the story’s title. "Oz" (ounces) referred to the fight over the ratio of silver to gold. Dorothy wears magical slippers and follows the yellow brick road, thus achieving a proper relationship between the precious metals, silver and gold. Like many of her countrymen, she does not at first recognize the power of the silver slippers, but a kiss from the Good Witch of the North (Northern voters) protects her on the road.

The farmer

The industrial worker

Dorothy meets the scarecrow (the farmer) who has been told he has no brain but actually possesses great common sense, the Tin Woodman (the industrial worker) who fears he has become heartless but discovers the spirit of love and cooperation,

Populists also contended that farmers and laborers common status as producers made them natural allies. Here, members of the Knights of Labor, Farmers Alliance, and other similar organizations rally together. This coalition worked well in the South and West where both groups largely came from the same ethnic group. The party appeared to make some headway in the heavily-ethnic Northeast and Midwest in the mid-1890s.

and the Cowardly Lion (reformers, particularly William Jennings Bryan) who turns out not to be very cowardly at all.

• Dorothy disposes of the Wicked Witch of the West (the eastern money power and those favoring gold) and frees the Munchkins (the common people).

When the four companions reach the Emerald City (the national capital, green-back colored), they meet the "Great and Terrible" Wizard who tells them that, to gain his help, they must destroy the Wicked Witch of the West (mortgage companies, heartless nature, and other things opposing progress there). Courageously, they set forth. Dorothy dissolves the witch with a bucket of water (what else for drought-ridden farmers?,

but when they return to the Emerald City, they find that the Wizard (the money power) is only a charlatan, a manipulator, whose power rests on

myth and illusion.

• Dorothy unmasks the wizard, and with the help of Glinda, the Good Witch of the South (support for silver was strong in the South), uses the silver slippers to return home to Kansas.

Hilary McLellan, Avatars in Oz, http://www.tech-head.com/oz.htm

Original source: Henry M. Littlefield, “The Wizard of Oz: A Parable on Populism,” published in the magazine American Quarterly in 1964, available on-line at http://www.amphigory.com/oz.htm

Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and The Wizard of Oz

• 001) The first indicator that the setup is correct, is the change from Speak to Me to Breathe, which syncs with the fade-in of the name of producer Mervyn LeRoy.Note: In the prologue the word "Time" (one of the songs on the CD) is written with a capital letter even though it isn't at the start of the sentence. Also you will find the word "Heart" capitalized in the middle of a sentence -- a sound particular to The Dark Side of the Moon.

• 002) "Leave, but don't leave me ..." Auntie Em appears to say "... Leave ..." to Dorothy, who then turns to leave, looking a bit down in the mouth.

003) Right after the words "... Look around ..." Dorothy looks around.

004) "... Smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry ..." The two farmhands holding the cart upright (Cowardly Lion and Tin Woodsman) are smiling and the farmhand below (Scarecrow) is crying. This one is not exactly on time with the "smiles you'll give" part, but because of the good timing with "tears you'll cry", it makes it worth the mention.

005) "... All you touch ..." Dorothy touches the farmhand (Cowardly Lion) holding a bucket on his arm.

Pink Floyd’s Echoes and 2001: A Space Odyssey Final Segment

Question for thought:

• How do the Populists' political demands illustrate the major economic and social problems facing American society in the 1890s?

Sources

• Stephen Vincent, History 125, Lecture #5, The Populist Revolt and New Demands for Govt Reform, 1890-1896, http://facstaff.uww.edu/vincents/H125/H125out5.htm

• For a great web diagram of Populism, and other U.S.

History topics, see: http://www.foothilltech.org/rgeib/am-ex/gildedage/inspiration/the-populists.jpg

• Worth Robert Miller, Southwest Missouri State University, Populist Cartoons. http://history.smsu.edu/wrmiller/Populism/2pcartoon/index.htm