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TAMU HIST 106 - Populism and Protest
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HIST 106 1st Edition Lecture 5Outline of Last Lecture - The Great Railroad Strike of 1877• The Second Industrial Revolution• America’s Growth• The Expansion of the Railroads• Cornelius Vanderbilt and the railroads• Andrew Carnegie and Vertical Integration• John D. Rockefeller and Horizontal Integration• Gilded Age Ideas of Wealth• Survival of the Fittest• Laissez-faire Capitalism• Conspicuous Consumption• Labor in the Gilded Age• Changes between Employers and Employees• Knights of Labor• Haymarket Square Bombing• American Federation of LaborOutline of Current Lecture 1. The Plight of the Farmersa. 19th c. Farmers’ Worldviewb. Growth of Sharecropping and Tenant Farmingc. Problems in the Agricultural Systemi. Crop-lien Systemii. One Crop Agricultured. Problems for Agriculture in an Industrial Societyi. Railroads- Shorter routes cost more- Taxation System- Agricultural Trusts- Deflation- The Currency Problem2. Building a Movementa. The Grangeb. The Farmers’ Alliancec. Ocala Meeting & Demandsd. The Populist Partyi. The Omaha Platform3. The Election of 1896a. William McKinley vs. William Jennings Bryan4. Frank Baum- Land of OzCurrent Lecture1) The Plight of the Farmersa) 19th c. Farmers’ Worldviewi) Working for wages similar to slaveryii) Called working for waging and private industry “public work” or paid slaveryiii) Leaving farm to go work for wages was loss of self sufficiency and independenceb) Growth of Sharecropping and Tenant Farmingi) Slaves start working family plots on old plantationii) Tenant Farming- white farmers mainly, brought own supplies, would pay for land or crop, freedom to market own cropsiii) Both replace as primary form of agriculture all over US(1) Many farmers (mostly whites) were losing their landc) Problems in the Agricultural Systemi) Crop-lien System(1) Because of lack of cash and banks for loans, farmers would go to local merchants, orfurnishing merchant (land owner for tenant or share cropping) to start season of(2) Legal document entitling holder (lender) to whatever part of borrowers crop to pay of the loan plus interest(a) Interest rates high, because agriculture is dangerous thing to invest inii) One Crop Agriculture(1) Local merchant wanted to be sure to get money back(2) Best way to ensure is that farmer plants cash crop (wheat west, cotton south)(a) Too much of one crop- lower price(b) Lower price= more farmers needing loans= bigger debt with no way to payd) Problems for Agriculture in an Industrial Societyi) Railroads(1) Shorter routes cost more(2) Taxation System(a) At the time, no income tax(b) Primary form was property tax(i) Hit farmers hardest(ii) Paid 82% of country’s taxes(3) Agricultural Trusts(a) Corporations bought up things needed for farming and charged high rates(i) Bat Guano (4) Deflation(a) Bad for producers and borrowers(b) Never ending cycle of debt(5) The Currency Problem(a) Gold standard- every monetary bill/coin had to be backed by a piece of gold(b) Government could only print as much money as the amount of gold they had(c) Massive population growth(d) Credit wasn’t existent or incredibly tight and hard to get(e) Messed everyone up2) Building a Movementa) The Grangei) Organizationii) Minnesota in 1867iii) Scientific farming habitsiv) Supported land grants school that supported new farming techniquesv) Wanted government regulation of RRvi) Established cooperatives(1) Cut out middle man to save money vii) Women participated as equals(1) Advocated for women sufrageviii)Recognized farming as family work, not just men b) The Farmers’ Alliancei) Founders were frustrated that farmers were blaming themselves for the economic downfall(1) Wanted farmers to see that the system was the problem as it was rigged against them(2) Taught them about manipulating trusts, railroads, etcii) Farmer education as the first step to political changeiii) Also formed cooperatives(1) Farmers could sell crops in bulk for higher pricesiv) Hired buyers to buy in bulk so farmers got more moneyv) Farmer’s across nation began to develop class consciousness vi) Spreads throughout all of countryvii) All whiteviii)1886- allied color alliance started in Texas c) Ocala Meeting & Demands (1890)i) Free coinage of silver(1) Using silver to back up money along with gold to get more moneyii) Government regulation of RR(1) Not nationalize though(2) Basic government oversight to keep costs under controliii) Sub-treasury(1) Most creative and radical idea(2) Federal government to build warehouses where farmers would store non perishablecrops in exchange for loans(a) Made it where farmers could wait to sell and get best deal for crops(b) Cut out middle maniv) Getting candidates elected at local and national levels(1) Represented both parties(2) After election, most didn’t keep promise to farmers alliance and instead kept allegiance to their specific partiesd) The Populist Partyi) Peoples partyii) Farmers realized they all shared common problem and needs along with miners and industrial workers(1) Desire for government takeover of RR(2) Income tax- rich would pay more(3) 1886- Knights of labor call for more RR protest(a) Farmers Alliance join(i) First directly political action(4) Farmers and labors realize an alliance between them could upset balance of democrats and republicans among them and tip scalesiii) The Omaha Platform 1892(1) Nominates former unionist for president and confederate for vice president(2) Added to Ocala Demands(a) 8 hour workday(b) Abolition of Private Police forces(c) Immigration restriction(i) Argued they crowded out native workers from jobs, who really deserved them(d) Graduated income tax(i) Make more money, pay higher percentage in taxes(3) Didn’t get presidency, but did put many high ranking legislatures in offices(a) Most successful in west, as south was still too divided in race(4) When Cleveland took office, determined to stick to gold standardiv) 1893- Depression(1) 20% of nations labor force loses jobs(2) Country almost goes bankrupt(3) Gold reserves go so low that serious concerns about paying of nations debtv) 1894 Populist Coxey’s Army(1) 1 of 40 armies of unemployed that headed to capital(2) March on the capital(3) Wanted government to hire them to work on public projects(4) Leaders arrested for walking on grass in front of capital(a) Armies disperse after losing leaders(5) Illustrate harsh financial problems facing


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TAMU HIST 106 - Populism and Protest

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