Changes on the Western Frontier Chapter 5

Changes on the Western FrontierChapter 5

Section 1: Cultures Clash on the PrairieSection 2: Settling on the Great Plains

Section 3: Farmers & the Populist Movement

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blfarm1.htm

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/jb/civil/homested_2

http://www.nps.gov/home/index.htm

http://www.nebraskahistory.org/lib-arch/research/photos/highlite/butcher/photos.htm

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award97/ndfahtml/ngp_farm_threshing.html

http://honoringtheinventor.blogspot.com/2008/12/cast-steel-plow.html

http://students.ou.edu/M/Chad.A.Morris-1/photo.htm

Economic Crisis

• Greenbacks – Paper money issued during the Civil War that could not be exchanged for hard currency (silver or gold).

• Government began to retire greenbacks which caused the value of the money in circulation to increase.

• Significance: Farmers were paying back their loans with money that was worth more than the dollars they had borrowed.

Inflation vs. Deflation

• Inflation is when there is more $$ in circulation but the value of the $$ goes down.

• More $$ Value goes

• Deflation is when there is less $$ in circulation but the value of the $$ goes up.

• Less $$ Value goes

B

A C

DRate for the ABC Railroad

Rate for the ADC Railroad

Rate for AB Trip

Rate for AD Trip

The Grange

• Grange a.k.a. Patrons of Husbandry

• *Oliver H. Kelley• *1867• *An organization to provide a

social outlet and an educational forum for isolated farm families.

• *Became a political organization to fight the unfair treatment of farmers by railroads.http://www.mnhs.org/places/sites/ohkf/articleok.html

Farmers’ Alliance

• Members were farmers and those that sympathized with the farmers cause.– Sent lecturers to educate people about the

issues– Mary Elizabeth Lease

• Southern Alliance – largest – White Southern Farmers

• Northern Alliance• Colored Farmers’ National Alliance

Mary Elizabeth Lease

• Famous Slogan: – “Raise Less Corn and More Hell”

http://www.kancoll.org/khq/1968/68_2_clanton.htmhttp://www.kshs.org/portraits/lease_mary.htm

The Populist Movement

• Populism – the movement of the people

• Populist Party (a.k.a. People’s Party) was founded in 1892– Members

• Farmers• Workers• Those who sympathize with worker’s and farmer’s

causes

Populist Platform

• Economic Reform• 1. Increase in money supply• 2. Graduated Income Tax• 3. Federal Loan Program• Governmental Reform• 4. Direct Election of U.S. Senators• 5. Single Terms for President and V.P.• 6. Secret Ballot• Labor Reform• 7. Eight hour work day• 8. Limits on Immigration

Populist Do Well

• Populist candidates capture 5 Senate seats, 3 Governor’s Mansions, and 1,500 State Legislature Positions.

• Populist Platform will eventually be revisited during the Progressive Era and ultimately will become the Democratic Party’s Platform.

• It kept alive the idea that the government is responsible for reforming social injustice.

Panic of 1893 and Depression

• Bankrupt Railroads

• Wall Street takes a dip

• 15,000 businesses fail

• 500 banks close

• 3 million out of work / 20% unemployment

Silver or Gold• Central issue of the Election of 1896 was

which metal would be the basis of the nation’s monetary system.

Gold Bugs Silverites

Who Bankers and Business Owners Farmers & Laborers

Party Republican Democrat & Populist

What Gold standard

Less money in circulation

Bimetallism

More money in circulation

Why Loans would be repaid with stable money

Products would be sold at higher prices

Election of 1896

• William McKinley – Republican• William Jennings Bryan – Democrat

– Cross of Gold Speech– Bryan selected as the Populist Party Candidate

as well.

• McKinley’s election caused the collapse of the Populism Party.

Farming Becomes a Business

http://www.hippocampus.org/US%20History%20II