Dissent, Depression, and War
Dec 28, 2015
PopulistsThe Populist platform called for
direct election of senators
the secret ballot, and other electoral issues
supported the eight-hour day and an end to contract labor
More than just a response to hard times, Populism presented an alternative vision of American economic democracy.
Workers American Workers agitate for better working conditions, better pay, shorter
work day
Two of the most violent disputes between labor and capitalists are the Homestead lockout and strike 1892 and the Pullman strike of 1894
Company town 4,300 acres nine miles south of Chicago
Planned and built by George Pullman after the Great Railroad Strike of 1877
Family could never own their home
Rents were 10-20 percent higher than nearby communities
Wages slashed five times in 1893, but rents stayed high
Stockholders continued to get 8% dividend
American Railway Union 90 % of the workers walked off the job
Pullman shut down the factory
Workers appealed to the American Railway Union (ARU), led by Eugene V. Debs
Beginning on Jun 29, 1894, the membership refused to handle any train that carried Pullman cars
Switchmen across the country would not work with the cars
By July 2, railways from New York to California were paralyzed by work stoppage
Crushing the strike
An injunction against Eugene Debs said he could not speak in public
When he did, he was arrested and put in jail Later, Debs formed the Socialist Party, and
became a candidate for the U.S. Presidency
Nellie Bly
Journalist who defied editor and wrote about the Pullman Strike—sympathizing with strikers
Willard’s contributions Willard radically changed the direction of the WCTU. She moved it away
from religiously oriented programs to a campaign that stressed alcoholism as a disease rather than a sin and poverty as a cause rather than a result of drink;
Willard created a broad reform coalition Knights of Labor
People’s Party
Prohibition Party
WCTU had over 200,000 members in the 1890s
This gave women valuable experience in political action.
Democrats and Populists The cartoon suggests that the
Populists would take over the Democratic Party by nominating Bryan.
In reality, the Populists lost identity by nominating a Democrat