![Causes of the 1893 Panic Begun 10 days after Cleveland took office. Several major corps. went bankrupt. Over 16,000 businesses disappeared. Triggered a stock market crash. Over-extended investments. Bank failures followed causing a contraction of credit [nearly 500 banks closed]. By 1895, unemployment reached 3 million. Americans cried out for relief, but the Govt. continued its laissez faire policies!!](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/populismandtheelectionof1896shortened-120123201815-phpapp02/85/Populism-and-the-Election-of-1896-18-320.jpg)
Populism and the Election of 1896
- 1. Populism & the Election of 1896
- 2. What were some of the major problems facing farmers during the Gilded Age ??
- 3. The Silver Issue “ Crime of ’73” demonetization of silver (govt. stopped coining silver). Bland-Allison Act (1878) limited silver coinage to $2-$4 mil. per mo. (based on the 16:1 ratio of silver to gold). Sherman Silver Purchase Act (1890) The US Treasury must purchase $4.5 mil. oz. of silver a month. Govt. deposited most silver in the US Treasury rather than circulation.
- 4. Populism: An Agrarian Revolt
- 5. Price Indexes for Consumer & Farm Products: 1865-1913
- 6. Founder of the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry (1867)
- 7. The Grange Movement First organized in the 1860s in the Midwest, the south, and Texas. Set up cooperative associations. Social and educational components. Succeeded in lobbying for “Granger Laws .” Rapidly declined by the late 1870s .
- 8. Supreme Court Decisions Munn vs. Illinois (1877) Wabash, St. Louis, & Pacific Railroad Company vs. Illinois (1886)
- 9. The Farmers Alliances Begun in the late 1880s (Texas first the Southern Alliance ; then in the Midwest the Northern Alliance ). Built upon the ashes of the Grange. More political and less social than the Grange. Ran candidates for office. Controlled 12 state legislatures, 6 governorships, 3 seats in the US Senate, and 50 in the House in 1890.
- 10. United We Stand, Divided We Fall In 1889 both the Northern and Southern Alliances merged into one—the Farmers’ Alliance .
- 11. The Populist (Peoples’) Party 1890 Bi-Election: So. Alliance wanted to gain control of the Democratic Party. No. Alliance ran 3 rd Party candidates. 1892 130000 met in St. Louis, MO majority were Alliance members. some African Americans. reps. of labor organizations & other reformers (Grange, Greenback Party).
- 13. The Populist (Peoples’) Party Founded by James B. Weaver and Tom Watson. Omaha, NE Convention in July, 1892. Got almost 1 million popular votes. Several Congressional seats won. James B. Weaver, Presidential Candidate & James G. Field, VP
- 14. Omaha Platform of 1892 System of “sub-treasuries.” Abolition of the National Bank. Direct election of Senators. Govt. ownership of RRs, telephone & telegraph companies. Government-operated postal savings banks. Restriction of undesirable immigration. 8-hour work day for government employees. Abolition of the Pinkerton detective agency. Australian secret ballot. Re-monitization of silver. A single term for President & Vice President.
- 15. 1892 Election
- 17. The Panic of 1893
- 18. Causes of the 1893 Panic Begun 10 days after Cleveland took office. Several major corps. went bankrupt. Over 16,000 businesses disappeared. Triggered a stock market crash. Over-extended investments. Bank failures followed causing a contraction of credit [nearly 500 banks closed]. By 1895, unemployment reached 3 million. Americans cried out for relief, but the Govt. continued its laissez faire policies!!
- 20. Result of Election Returns Populist vote increased by 40% in the bi-election year, 1894. Democratic party losses in the West were catastrophic! But, Republicans won control of the House.
- 22. Gold / Silver Bug Campaign Pins
- 23. William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925) The “Great Commoner”
- 24. William Jennings Bryan Prairie avenger, mountain lion, Bryan, Bryan, Bryan, Bryan, Gigantic troubadour, speaking like a siege gun, Smashing Plymouth Rock with his boulders from the West. Revivalist style of oratory.
- 25. Bryant’s “Cross of Gold” Speech You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns; you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold !
- 26. Bryan: The Farmers Friend (The Mint Ratio) 18,000 miles of campaign “whistle stops.”
- 27. Democratic Party Taken Over by the Agrarian Left Platform tariff reductions; income tax; stricter control of the trusts (esp. RRs); free silver.
- 28. Mark Hanna: The “Front-Porch” Campaign
- 30. William McKinley (1843-1901)
- 31. The Seasoned Politician vs. The “Young” Newcomer
- 32. Joshua A. Levering: Prohibition Party
- 33. Into Which Box Will the Voter of ’96 Place His Ballot?
- 35. Why Did Bryan Loose? His focus on silver undermined efforts to build bridges to urban voters. He did not form alliances with other groups. McKinley’s campaign was well- organized and highly funded.
- 36. Gold Triumphs Over Silver 1900 Gold Standard Act confirmed the nation’s commitment to the gold standard. A victory for the forces of conservatism.
- 37. Heyday of Western Populism
- 38. Why Did Populism Decline? The economy experienced rapid change. The era of small producers and farmers was fading away. Race divided the Populist Party, especially in the South. The Populists were not able to break existing party loyalties. Most of their agenda was co-opted by the Democratic Party.