HIST 112 1st Edition Lecture 7 Outline of Last Lecture I. Overview of Gilded AgeII. Household Economy in Early AmericaIII. Manufacturing/Consumer RevolutionIV. Transportation RevolutionV. Labor RevolutionVI. Leisure RevolutionOutline of Current Lecture I. Recap of Gilded AgeII. PopulismIII. Agrarian MythIV. Farmers’ ResponseCurrent LectureKey Terms- Populism- Agrarian Myth- Panic of 1893- The Grange- Alliances- The People’s Party- Populist party platform- Bi-mentalism- L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz- William Jennings Bryan’s “Cross of Gold” speech- Subtreasury schemeRecap of Gilded Age- Relative equality of appearances from ability for everyone to buy ready-made clothes- Made the working class feel like they should be equal to upper class- New communities form from brand loyalty (like Apple vs. PC today)- Causes anxiety because of drastic changesThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.- Rapid, unstabilizing change begins to characterize America- All this leads to Populism!Populism- Political ideology used 3 different ways:o A third party that arises in 1890s (People’s Party) meant to represent an alternative to Republicans and Democratso A political movement that characterized 1880s and 1890s that influenced the People’s Party and Democratso As Richard Hofstadter said, populism is something that has always been a part of American culture- America was “born in the country and moved to the cities”—a very true statementAgrarian Myth- Not so much a “myth” as a shared story that characterizes American life- Says that the farmer is the backbone of American society (with qualities like individualism, hardworking, family-oriented, self-reliant, honesty)- Paul Harvey “So God Made a Farmer” commercialo Powerful to Americans because we have been exposed to the Agrarian Myth- Society has always thought there was something special about a farmer- Even as Americans move to the cities, they are skeptical of city life- As America became more urbanized, farmers still felt important—THEY feed the country- How well is the myth holding up to reality?o More farms become about making money, not self-reliant household economy- Farmers cling to the myth because it provides comfort in an age of anxiety- After Civil War:o Financially, farmers are not doing wello Panic of 1893—natural to business cycle in capitalismo Regional economies had all become connected—when one region fails, all failo March 1893—Philly railroads go bankrupt, spreads across Americao 8000 businesses and 400 banks fail (back when money was not insured)o Farmers are psychologically hurt because economy evolves around industryFarmer’s Response—the Road to Populism- The Grangeo Started in 1867 in the Midwesto First attempt for farmers to form a political interest groupo Lobbies for the government to regulate railroad, bring down high feeso Can’t lobby well enough against wealthy industrialists- Allianceso Spreads from South to Midwesto Establish stores and banks for farmers with lower feeso Gives farmers much needed economic supporto See potential for political movemento Weak, inexperienced as politicianso From 1889-1891—take steps to form the Populist Party, established in Omaha, Nebraska
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