Transcript The Grange
Pick up handout from the front chair.
Begin reading the first excerpt
- Write a summary sentence
Homework due Monday:
1. Prepare for DBQ (prompt on homework-website)
2. Complete Election of 1896 document questions
(on website)
3. Complete “Electing the President 1896” – read
article and answer questions
(on website)
Complete Review questions for Unit (due
Wednesday)
Key Terms:
Grange
Populism
People’s party
Mechanization
Essential Question: Why and how did the
American farmer propose to curb the growing
power of Big Business?
http://www.history.com/shows/modern-marvels/videos/modern-farm-tractors-provide-comforts#modern-farm-tractorsprovide-comforts
Political Cartoon of
Farmers vs. the
Railroads
Cartoon of a farmer
fighting a train
shaped like a
serpent, with the
caption "Which Will
Win? The Farmer or
the Railroad
Monster?" The
railroad's coils are
wrapped around the
dome of the U.S.
Capitol.
http://www.corbisimages.com/stock-photo/rightsmanaged/IH165409/political-cartoon-of-farmers-vs-the-railroads
o
Farmers borrow money from banks to buy new
machinery
o
o
Reliance on technology rather than manual
labor was known as agricultural
mechanization
Use of machines resulted in overproduction (too
much agricultural products) and caused crop
prices to fall
o
Farmers could not pay costs (increased
debt)
Agriculture was
$4.50
hurting after the Civil
$4.00
War
70
18
68
18
18
66
Wheat
Prices
64
Falling farm
prices
Unregulated
railroads
Increased
agricultural
production in the
west
$3.50
$3.00
$2.50
$2.00
$1.50
$1.00
$0.50
$0.00
18
•
Farmers blame politicians and big businesses
• Want government to regulate railroads (said
overcharging them to ship goods)
• Interstate Commerce Act: created Interstate
Commerce Commission and regulated
railroad rates
• Wanted gov. to provide subsidies
• Gov. pay farmers money to cover their losses
due to overproduction
Supported use of greenbacks (paper money)
Wanted dollar based on silver standard and
gold standard (bimetallism)
Believed would put more money in hands of
consumers (increase farm prices)
Song
Formation of agriculture organization
The Grange (Patrons of Husbandry)
Goals:
Promoted the economic, social and political
welfare of the farmer
Fought monopolies (railroads)
Supported equality for women
Grange Membership
900000
800000
700000
600000
500000
400000
300000
200000
100000
0
1875 1885 1895 1905 1915
The National Grange is active in the 37 purple
states and DC
Populism (The People’s Party)
• The concern over the farmers eventually gave rise to the Populist
Movement
• Populism embraced what farmers wanted, it supported the
circulation of greenbacks (paper currency)
• In 1892, under the official name of the People’s Party, the Populists
met in Omaha, Nebraska
• Here they formed the Omaha Platform. Politically, Populism
appealed to the common man
• It was a movement that praised agriculture as the backbone of the
country and favored farmers of the South and Wes
• It also sought to break down racial divisions between white and
black farmers. Populists preached these 2 groups must unit to beat
oppression of big business and corrupt politicians
Populist Platform
Supported bimetallism ($ supported by silver & gold
Use of greenbacks
Increased gov. regulation of business
8 hour work day
Graduated income tax
Election reforms
Direct election of Senators and president
Secret ballot
Election of 1896
• As the country approached the presidential election of 1896, it was
experiencing one of the worse economic depressions ever.
• As the depression deepened in 1894, more and more people blamed
President Cleveland for the worsening condition.
• Cleveland blamed the silver standard for the nation’s economic woes
and returned the US to a strict gold standard
– This meant the dollar could only be backed by gold. Many people
argued it should be based on silver too. By backing money with
gold & silver, money would be more plentiful
– This position supported bimetallism
– Eventually populists agreed to support bimetallism and greenbacks
– The silver question became a major issue of the 1896 campaign
Election of 1896
Democrats
William Jennings Bryan
Backed bimetallism
Won the Populist vote
Democrat
party vote
was divided and did not
win enough votes
Republicans
William McKinley
Won the election
Marked the end of the
Populist Party
Election 1896
• Bryan, in his famous “Cross of Gold” speech,
stated you shall not press down upon the brow
of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not
crucify mankind upon a cross of gold
• Despite his abilities as a speaker and a national
campaigner, Bryan could not overcome splits in
the Democratic party to win enough votes.
• Republican William McKinley won the
presidential election of 1896
• Populism faded soon after
Document Analysis
Document 1- song “Farmer is the Man”
Document 2- William Jennings Bryan, “Cross of
Gold”
Document 3 – Populist Party Platform
Document 4 – 1896 Populists Party Platform
http://www5.esc13.net/socialstudies/docs/era%206/populism_lesson_
plan.pdf Populism lesson plan
Farmers lesson ppt
http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agexed/aee501/organizations.html
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/us25.cfm data analysis
- Digital HS
http://www.wadsworth.com/history_d/special_features/ext/am_hist/
AmerHis-ch12.html#timeline resources (primary/secondary)
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/subtitles.cfm?titleID=30
political crisis articles
http://www.pinzler.com/ushistory/popparplatsupp.html people’s
party (preamble)
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap07_us_hist
_frq.pdf DBQ
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=
159 farmers and wizard of oz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2itQkiQUOE&feature=related
Wizard of Oz clip 6/8
http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?
guidAssetId=DE8A6C9A-3174-44DD-BBFC10A957D1440C&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=
US
Homesteading: 70 years on the Great Plains, 18621932
The Mid-1800s: Laying the Groundwork for
Homesteading. (01:56)
The Machine Age. (03:18)
"I Live Entirely on Food Made of Corn": Agriculture on
the Homestead.