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Populist party apush
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Throughout the 1870s and 1880s, farmers organized collectively, at first locally, and eventually nationally into the Farmers Alliance, an organization that promoted economic cooperation and broad economic reform to protect the interests of farmers. Both of these movements helped to create the People’s Party, and Populist Party, which officially established its party platform in Omaha, Nebraska. With the economy still poor, there was widespread discontent with the two existing major political parties. Democrats had held the White House for the previous four years and were widely blamed for the severe economic depression of 1893. Before the democratic convention Bryan had traveled through the west, speaking passionately for the unlimited coinage …show more content…
Bryan wanted the United States to use silver to back the dollar at a value that would inflate the prices farmers received for their crops, easing their debt burden. This position was known as the Free Silver Movement. Free silver was a major issue in the late 19th century; it advocated an inflationary monetary policy using the “free coinage of silver” as opposed to the deflationary of gold. Its supporters were Silverites, many were in the West where silver was mined. They advocated “free silver” the unlimited coinage of silver at a ratio of 16 to 1 against gold coins. The debate pitted the pro-gold financial establishment of the Northeast, along with railroads, factories and businessmen, who would benefit from disinflation. Resulting from demand pressures on the relatively fixed gold money supply against a backdrop of economic expansion against poor farmers who would benefit from higher prices for their crops resulting from the prospective expansion of the money supply by allowing silver to also circulate as …show more content…
He said that strikes by labor unions should be legalized; farmers should be given federal subsidies, the rich should be taxed, corporate campaign contributions should be banned, and liquor should be outlawed. McKinley knew he could no compete with bryan as an orator, so he conducted a traditional “front porch campaign” receiving select delegations of Republican supporters at his home in canton, Ohio and giving only prepared responses to the press. McKinley’s campaign manager Marcus Hanna, shrewdly betrayed Bryan as a “popacrat, a radical whose communistic sprit would ruin the capitalist system and create a class war. Hanna convinced the Republican Party to proclaim that it was unreservedly for sound money. Theodore Roosevelt, a rising star among the Republicans was aghast at the thought of Bryan becoming president. By preying upon fears, the McKinley campaign raised vast sums of money from corporations and wealthy donors to finance an army of 1,400 republican speakers who traveled the country in his support. It was the most expensive and sophisticated presidential campaign up to the point in history. In the end, Bryan and the democratic populist-silverte candidates were over whelmed by the better organized republican campaign. McKinley won the popular vote by 7.1 million to 6.5 million and the Electoral
The increase in crop yield caused a change in the economy, which the party set out to straighten out in 1892. On their party platform they demanded that the government take control of the railroad. The railroad was charging extremely high prices to transport grain. They asked the government to use the railroads for the benefit of the people. They also wished to set the economy straight and asked for an unlimited coinage of gold and silver at a ratio of sixteen to one and a graduat...
...d. The Whig and Democratic parties developed as national parties, they advocated throughout the nation, regardless of the regional and sessional differences between the supporters. Due to the economic changes, it affected many of the territories in the United States. For example, the North and the Great Lakes economy, and the East-West economy was growing as well, which strengthened relations with Border States and the North. Unlike the North, the South struggled the workers and the poverty-stricken farmers felt excluded from the new exchanges that were being made by the Democrats. Both Parties battled each other over economical issues, both of the parties had supporters throughout the entire country and stayed devoted to the idea of a unified nation. Since the parties shared interest leaders from the North and South to work together and work through sectional issues.
Those who saved their silver, made it last longer, whereas those who spent their silver quickly on luxury goods had nothing left over and lived lives of poverty. (Document 1) Spanish scholar, Tomas de Mercado who had a good idea about the government and the way it was ran in Spain wrote that the high prices of everything ruined Spain. There was so much trade and little control over all of it. (Document 2) Economically, countries ripped each other off as well by the process of trade. What might be worth 100 bars of silver in the manufacturing country, traders would sell in another country for 300 bars of silver. This inflation of prices corrupted the government of many places. (Document
He states that the financial system was based on competing state banks with no central bank which promoted a rapid economic growth. As the American banking system developed the money supply developed with it. The federal government began the banking system through the issuing of specie but as the capitalist system developed the banking structure developed as well. During the Civil War, the North printed Greenbacks that drove gold from the domestic circulation to help pay for war necessities. The Greenbacks, however, were rarely used in the South expressing the different economies of the North and the South at the time of the Civil War. With differing economies and the growth of specie and paper money, Brands argues that the basis of knowledge about the money system of this time lays a foundation for how Carnegie, Rockefeller, and others were able to manipulate the market and gain wealth. Leading into price manipulation by those in corporate
His goal of unlimited coinage of silver gained the support of the Populist Party, uncovered injustices, which educated people.... ... middle of paper ... ... President Roosevelt called for a New Nationalism where more government regulation of business and unions, women’s suffrage and more social welfare programs. Progressivism focused on eliminating practices harmful to farmers, workers, tenement dwellers, and consumers by expanding government regulation over the economy. They wanted government to help make it easier for people to have more control over their lives.
...at sixteen to one became the party's battle cry. They believed that this formula would create a financial system that would meet their needs by producing a controlled inflation. In 1896 the Democrats, led by William Jennings Bryan adopted the Populist platform for the presidential campaign (Doc H). The Republicans, led by William McKinley supported the gold standard. McKinley won and after his victory farm prices began to improve. The Populist party collapsed and the farmers' revolt was over.
Republicans claimed that their policies of tariffs encouraged “home industry.” This was supposed to secure “the American market for the American producer…” (Reading 7). The Populist platform had a few similarities to the Republican platform. One of which was the concern for foreign control inside the country. They believed land inside the U.S. should be owned by citizens or the government, not by aliens. This was mostly to give the farmers more control and a deal them a better hand, which was what made the ideal different from the
The republican candidate, Warren G. Harding was born in 1865 Corsica, Ohio. “In 1898, Warren was elected to the Ohio general assembly. In 1903, he was elected lieutenant governor then later promoted to U.S. senator in 1914, right after he served one term, he ran for presidency and won the election in 1920”. Harding promised a “return to normalcy”. His wishes were to end progressive experimentation for high taxes on the wealthy and advocating for government interference with the economy. His plan was to get the government out of the economy for economic growth and prosperity. While Harding was in office, he did some arrangements with cabinet members. He gave high-level jobs to his fellow companions known as the “Ohio Gang”. Many of these men
Industrialization led to the rise of big businesses at the expense of the worker. Factory laborers faced long hours, low wages, and unsanitary conditions. The large corporations protected themselves by allying with political parties. The parties, in turn, were controlled by party leaders, rather than by the members. Many people felt that all power rested with the politicians and businessmen. Reformers known as Progressives attempted to undo the problems caused by industrialization. The Progressive movement sought to end the influence of large corporations, provide more rights and benefits to workers, and end the control possessed by party leaders. At the national level, Progressivism centered on defeating the power of large businesses. The Progressive Era was a period in American history in which improving working conditions, exposing corruption, improving the way of life, expanding democracy, and making reforms were the objectives at hand. With the emergence of the Progressive Era two important figures gradually emerged as well. One of the mentioned figures, President Theodore Roosevelt, succeeded to the Presidency when President McKinley was assassinated in 1901, helped the Progressive movement greatly. Another figure, although a Democrat is Woodrow Wilson who much like Roosevelt still pushed for progressive reforms. Each of the mentioned figures did their share in re-establishing a “fair” government that would work for the people and not for the large corporations and mon...
On August 31, 1910, former President Theodore Roosevelt visited Osawatomie, Kansas to give a speech and participate in a memorial dedication. (Hennessy, 1910). Roosevelt had declined to run for re-election to the presidency in 1908, deciding to exit politics and go on a yearlong African safari (Ellis, 2001, p. 284). Frustrated with President Taft’s actions, Roosevelt reentered political life in 1910 (Mowry, 1939). In the Osawatomie address, Roosevelt introduced his idea for a New Nationalism. Many of the speech’s components became the bedrock of the Bull Moose campaign used by the Progressive Party in the 1912 election (Spring, 1970). In the address, Roosevelt compares the struggle for economic equality to the one for abolition of slavery fought in the Civil War. He presents a plea for government and citizens to put nation before self to address economic injustice.
The election of 1896 was one of the most fiercely fought contests in the nation’s history. McKinley was the Republican choice with the northeastern states supporting him because of his endorsement of protective tariffs and the gold standard. He ran against Democrat William Jennings Bryan, who was supported by the Rocky Mountains states. McKinley was backed by the wealthy industrialist Marcus Hanna who helped fund and organize McKinley’s campaigns throughout the election. Because of the Panic of 1893, voters turned away from the Democrats’ hold on the presidency which he...
Harding's undeviating Republicanism and vibrant speaking voice, plus his willingness to let the machine bosses set policies, led him far in Ohio politics. He served in the state Senate and as Lieutenant Governor, and successfully ran for Governor. He delivered the nominating address for President Taft at the 1912 Republican Convention. In 1914 he was elected to the Senate, which he found "a very pleasant place."
The Populist Party, a third political party that originated in America in the latter part of the nineteenth century, derived as a result of farmer discontent and economic distress. This was caused by the country's shift from an agricultural American life to one in which industrialists dominated the nation's development. The public felt as if they were being cheated by these "robber barons," a term given to those who took advantage of the middle and lower classes by "boldly stealing the fruits of their toils" (Morgan, 30). These corporate tycoons' conduct was legal, however ethically dubious it was. Cornelius Vanderbilt, a well-known railroad baron, reportedly once said, "Law! What do I care about the law? Hain't I got the power?" (Morgan, 30) The change from agrarian to industrial had a profound effect on everyone's life. Ignatius Donnelly, a leader in the Populist Party wrote, "We meet in the midst of a nation brought to the verge of moral, political, and material ruin. Corruption dominates the ballot-box, the Legislatures, the Congress, and touches even the ermine of the bench . . . A vast conspiracy against mankind has been organized" (Tindall, 957). As a result of this significant transformation, along with several different perspectives of peoples' mores, several reform movements were commenced, such as prohibition, socialism, and the Greenback Labor Party. Each of these movements was launched by different coalitions in hopes of making a difference either for themselves or for the good of the country. The farmers, specifically, were unhappy for four particular reasons: physical problems, social and intellectual concerns, economic difficulties, and political frustrations. The physical concerns the climate of the time period. Following 1885, there was a large drought on the American prairie, thus causing this land to become known as the "Dust Bowl." Furthermore, there were extreme blizzards resulting in innumerable deaths of cattle and livestock. Also, farms were very isolated causing the women and children to lead a life of solitude and boredom. They demanded change. In fact, the women were the ones to start libraries and other meeting places for themselves and their children. This isolation made schooling for children quite difficult. Most kids who lived on the farm did not receive a proper education, or one of any kind for that matter. Farmers' economic problems are more intricate. Events baffled the farmer. They believed that deflation was the cause of their problem.
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...
Thesis: Grover Cleveland’s first presidential campaign of 1884 became the most controversial campaign in history.