APUSH Lecture 5F

(covers Ch. 19)

Ms. KraySome slides taken from Susan Pojer

• Commercial farming began to replace the independent farmer• Not self-sufficient• Specialized in cash crops that sold in national and international markets

• Farmers lost a degree of independence• Forced to rely on bank loans, railroad companies, and prices elsewhere

• 1880s worldwide overproduction led to lower prices and increased indebtedness

• Who will the farmers blame?

• Belief that railroads were using discriminatory rates to exploit farmers• Long haul vs. short haul, rebates, etc.

• Belief that big business used high tariffs to exploit farmers

• Belief that a deflationary monetary policy based on gold hurt farmers• Wanted free and unlimited coinage of silver coins

• Belief that corporations & middlemen charged exorbitant prices for fertilizers, farm machinery, & storage

When the banker says he's broke And the merchant’s up in smoke, They forget that it's the farmer who feeds them all. It would put them to the test If the farmer took a rest; Then they'd know that it's the farmer feeds them all.

• Although farmers very individualistic, they did try to organize themselves

• National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry, 1867• Organized by Oliver

Kelley

• Started off as a social organization

• Depression of 1873 was a turning point

• Formed marketing cooperatives to allow farmers to bypass middlemen

• Elected officials to state legislatures in the Midwestern states

• Granger Laws• Passed by state legislatures to

regulate the railroads unfair business practices

• Supreme Court ruled them unconstitutional b/c they regulated interstate commerce• Munn v. Illinois (1877)• Wabash v. Illinois (1886)

Gift for the Grangers: The

Farmer Pays for All!

• No more laissez-faire

• People wanted gov’t to deal with growing social & economic problems & to curb the power of the trusts

• Interstate Commerce Act, 1886• Passed in response to Supreme Court

striking down Granger Laws• Established the Interstate Commerce

Commission (ICC)• Attempted to regulate the RRs• Largely ineffective

• Sherman Anti-Trust Act, 1890• Pushed by southern and western states• Prohibited any “contract, combination, in form of trust or

otherwise, or conspiracy in restraint of trade or commerce”• Poorly enforced

• At first, used against labor unions instead of monopolies

• More political & less social than Grange

• Ran candidates for office• Controlled 8 state

legislatures• Had 47 reps in Congress in

the 1890s

• Known for the significant role women played• Mary E. Lease – “Raise less

corn and more hell.”

• 1889 Northern and Southern Farmers Alliances merge

• 1890 Ocala Demands• Direction election of senators,

lower tariffs, graduated income tax, new banking system regulated by the government, increased money supply

• Pledge support to any candidate who would support these demands

• Did well in 1890 mid-term elections

• By 1892 the alliances had provided the foundations for a new political party

• The Populist Party was founded by James B. Weaver and Tom Watson

• Got almost 1 million popular votes in the Election of 1892

• Won several congressional seatsJames B. Weaver,

Presidential Candidate

&James G. Field, VP

System of “sub-treasuries.”

Abolition of the National Bank.

Direct election of Senators.

Gov’t regulation and ownership of RRs, telephone & telegraph companies.

Government-operated postal savings banks.

Graduated income tax

Restriction of undesirable immigration.

8-hour work day for government employees.

Abolition of the Pinkerton detective agency.

Australian secret ballot.

Re-monetization of silver.

A single term for President & Vice President.

Weaver was one of few 3rd party candidates to win electoral votes (22)

Harrison lost because of the unpopularity of the McKinley Tariff

Grover Cleveland (D) is back but he more conservative this time around!

Coalition of farmers and urban workers never materialized Urban Workers didn’t like

free silver argument or their anti-immigrant stance

Union of black and white farmers in the south never materialized Southern conservatives

feared this union would undermine white supremacy

Weaver speaking to a crowd

Began 10 days after Cleveland took office.

Several major corporations went bankrupt• Over 16,000 businesses disappeared• Triggered a stock market crash• Over-extended investments

Bank failures followed causing a contraction of credit• Nearly 500 banks closed

By 1895 unemployment reached 3 million

Americans cried out for relief but gov’t continued laissez-faire policies!!!

Populist Jacob Coxey of Ohio “Army of the Commonweal of

Christ.”

Marched on Washington “hayseed socialists!” Demanded $500 million public works

programs to create jobs

Coxey arrested for trespassing Had little impact on public policy but

signaled American’s desperation

• Seemed to reinforce conservatives’ fears of a class war

Hard Money Advocates• Favored currency backed

by gold• Supporters: Bankers,

investors, established businesses

• Dollars backed by gold would hold their value• As economy and population

grew, the limited # of dollars would increase in value

• 1865-1895 – dollar increased in value 300% (deflation)

Soft Money Advocates• Favored greenbacks and

unlimited coinage of silver

• Supporters: Debtors, farmers, start-up businesses• Could pay off debts with

inflated dollars• Borrow $$ at lower

interest rate• Blamed depressions on

restricted money supply

The currency issue came to be invested with great symbolic significance

• Precipitated by the Panic of 1893

History of the Silver Issue• Government traditionally endorsed bimetallism

• Crime of ‘73• Government stopped coining silver because the market value of silver

was much higher than the government mandated 16:1 ratio• Silver-mine owners and farmers seeking currency inflation sought to

overturn

• Specie Resumption Act of 1875• Withdrew last greenbacks from circulation

• Bland-Allison Act of 1878• Limited coinage of silver to $2-4 million a month• Soft money advocates not happy, they want unlimited coinage of silver

• Required the government to purchase 4.5 million oz. of silver and pay for it in gold every month• Didn’t give farmers unlimited

coinage of silver but it was something

• During the Panic of 1893, Cleveland felt this policy was draining U.S. gold reserves

• Cleveland repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act• This action divided the Democrats• But the drain continues!!!

“Crime of ’73” Gov’t stopped coining silver

1875 Specie Resumption Act• Withdrew last greenbacks

from circulation

1878 Bland-Allison Act • Passed over Hayes’ veto• limited silver coinage to $2-4 million per mo.

(based on the 16:1 ratio). • Farmers, debtors, or miners not satisfied wanted

unlimited coinage

Cleveland forced to borrow $65 million from J.P. Morgan

Convinced many Americans U.S government was just a tool of the rich and eastern bankers Idea reinforced by Cleveland’s actions during the Pullman

Strike in 1894

• Mid-term election

• Populist vote increased by 40%

• Democratic losses in the West werecatastrophic!

• Republicans won control of the House!

Somewhat popular with the people

Provided for a moderate reduction in tariff rates

Included a 2% income tax on incomes of more than $2,000• Supreme Court declared

tax unconstitutional

National politics were in transition

Election marked the beginning of a new era

1st modern election

Gold Bugs vs. Silver Bugs Gold Bugs loyal to Cleveland Silver Bugs looking for a

leader

Democratic National Convention, 1896 Bryan delivers his Cross of

Gold Speech “You shall not press down

upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns; you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold!”

Becomes Democratic nominee

18,000 miles of campaign “whistle stops.”

• Democratic Platform• Reduction of tariffs,

income tax, stricter control of trusts, free silver

• Conservative Democrats create their own party or vote Republican

Strategy: Blamed Democrats for Panic of 1893

Platform• high tariffs• gold standard

• Did most of the campaigning for McKinley

• Raised millions from business leaders who feared “silver lunacy” would lead to inflation

• Used the money to sell McKinley through the mass media

The Seasoned Politician

vs.

The “Young” Newcome

r

The Seasoned Politician

vs.

The “Young” Newcome

r

Into Which

Box Will the Voter

of ’96 Place His Ballot?

Into Which

Box Will the Voter

of ’96 Place His Ballot?

His focus on silver undermined efforts to build bridges to urban voters.

Didn’t form alliances with other groups.

McKinley’s campaign was well-organized & highly funded.

Hanna sold McKinley through the mass media

1900 Gold Standard Act

Confirmed the nation’s commitment tothe gold standard.

A victory for the forces of conservatism.

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Dorothy ?

Kansas ?

Wicked Witch of theEast ?

Tin Woodsman ?

Scarecrow ?

Cowardly Lion ?

Yellow Brick Road ?

Silver Slippers ?

Emerald City ?

Oz ?

The Wizard ?

Munchkins ?

Wicked Witch of the West ?

Flying Monkeys ?

The economy experienced rapid change.

Era of small producers & farmers was fading away.

Race divided the Populist Party, esp. in the South.

The Populists were not able to breakexisting party loyalties.

Most of their agenda was co-opted bythe Democratic Party.

Al Gore in 2000

Lou Dobbs