overview of populist movement Flashcards
give 3 aims of the populist movement
- improve working conditions
- protect farmers from rr companies
- more political power to fight against big business
what groups made up the populist movement
farmers
urban w/c
silver coinage supporters
when was the populist movement set up
1892 at the Omaha Convention
what did the populist movement stem from
the Granger Movement, farmers alliances and the Knights of Labour
why did the the populist movement want silver coinage
world production of gold dec between 1865-90 but silver inc in the US after its discovery in Rocky Mountains, Nevada
how much did silver increase by between 1860 and 1890
1860- $150,000
1890- $57 mil
give an act that was passed due to the pressure of the silver industry
1890 Sherman Silver Purchase Act
when was the Sherman Silver Purchase Act and what did it do
1890; gov would buy 4.5 mil ounces of silver at market price and use it for coinage
who did not like the Sherman Silver Purchase Act and why
conservatives as they thought it threatened the economy, isolated the US from Europe and increased gov interference on business
who removed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act and when
1893 Cleveland removed it
how did agricultural discontent start the populist movement
falling wheat prices and high tariffs; harvests also deteriorated due to bad weather conditions in the 1880s
give a statistic for the falling wheat and cotton prices
1860- $1.60 for a bushel of wheat and 30 cents for a bushel of cotton
1890- 60 cents for wheat and 6 cents for cotton
how did poor working conditions start the populism movement (4)
- working conditions in factories, mills and mines were dangerous
- avg work week as 75 hours and no set lunches or breaks
- employers free to pay what they liked
- thousands of rr workers injured and killed each year
- constant flow of cheap labour in US via immigrants meant workers were easily replaceable
why was the populist movement popular
- w/c wanted to compete with big business
- followers of Granger Movement and KoL supported it
- fought for interests of a variety of ppl
give the 3 main presidents during the populist movement and their term dates and their party
1888-1892 Benjamin Harrison Republican
1892-1896 Grover Cleveland Democrat
1896-1900 William McKinley Republican
