nd
2
Industrial Revolution and
Politics
USHC 4.4
Inventions and Farmers
•American farmers
more efficient
•Steam engine
• Tractors
•US becoming one of
world’s largest food
producers
Effect on Crop Prices
•Supply / Demand
• Supply is low & demand is
high the good is worth more
•As farmers become more
efficient, supply increases
causing prices to drop.
•Problems:
• Same work, less profit
• Unable to pay loans for farms
and equipment
• Banks foreclose loans
Farmers Reaction
•Farmers first response
•Plant more crops
•Causes supply to rise
which causes prices to fall
more
•Blame turned to railroads
•High freight prices
•Many railroads were
monopolies
Legal Efforts
•Farmers attempt to organize politically
•Farmer Alliances
•Granger Laws
• passed by states to limit prices on shipping
and storing goods
•Supreme Court eventually rules that
these laws cannot be enforced since
only Congress can regulate trade
between states.
Farmer Politics
•Populist Party Platform
• Regulation of railroads
• Shipping prices are to be controlled
by the government
• Cheap money based on silver
• Easier to get a loan
• Popular election of Senators
• People voting for their senator
• Secret ballot
• Casting votes in privacy
• Graduated income tax
• If you make more you should pay more
Labor Unions
• Problems in big business for workers
• Long hours, low wages, and safety issues
• Unemployment, injury, and death
• Business used workers like machines
• Strikes have limited success
• Constant stream of people needing work
• Scabs
• Violence between picketers and scabs
• “Yellow dog” contracts
Major Strikes
• Railroad Strike of 1877
• Haymarket Square Incident
• Pullman Strike
• Rail car workers
• Public begins to see unions as radical
groups – communists, anarchists
Union Successes
• Collective Bargaining
• Successes with improved wages, hours and
conditions
• 8 hour workday
• Overall lack of success
• Immigrants were often attracted to unions
• Reemphasizes mistrust among public
Election of 1896
• Big issues
• Money: paper currency v. metal, gold v. silver
• Government support of Big Business or the
workers and farmers
• William McKinley, Republican
• Big Business supporter
• William Jennings Bryan, Democrat
• “Cross of Gold” speech
• McKinley wins very close election