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)
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Key Terms:
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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
$0.00
18
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•
Farmers blame politicians and big businesses
• Want government to regulate railroads (said
overcharging them to ship goods)
• Interstate Commerce Act: created Interstate
Commerce Commission and regulated
railroad rates
• Wanted gov. to provide subsidies
• Gov. pay farmers money to cover their losses
due to overproduction

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Supported use of greenbacks (paper money)
Wanted dollar based on silver standard and
gold standard (bimetallism)

Believed would put more money in hands of
consumers (increase farm prices)
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Song
Formation of agriculture organization
 The Grange (Patrons of Husbandry)
Goals:
 Promoted the economic, social and political
welfare of the farmer
 Fought monopolies (railroads)
 Supported equality for women
Grange Membership
900000
800000
700000
600000
500000
400000
300000
200000
100000
0
1875 1885 1895 1905 1915
The National Grange is active in the 37 purple
states and DC
Populism (The People’s Party)
• The concern over the farmers eventually gave rise to the Populist
Movement
• Populism embraced what farmers wanted, it supported the
circulation of greenbacks (paper currency)
• In 1892, under the official name of the People’s Party, the Populists
met in Omaha, Nebraska
• Here they formed the Omaha Platform. Politically, Populism
appealed to the common man
• It was a movement that praised agriculture as the backbone of the
country and favored farmers of the South and Wes
• It also sought to break down racial divisions between white and
black farmers. Populists preached these 2 groups must unit to beat
oppression of big business and corrupt politicians
Populist Platform
Supported bimetallism ($ 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
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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
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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
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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.
