2.  Populism was the movement to
increase farmer’s political power and
to work for legislation in their interest.
 All the financial crisis farmers’ confronted
were origin from the Civil War.
 They produced more crops at a lower
price.
 Banks and transportation charged high
tariffs on the farmers.
 In order to control the money, United
States Treasury issued greenbacks, paper
currency not exchangeable with silver or
gold.
 This caused inflation, decline of money
value.

3.  After the Civil War
ended, three currencies
were circulating the US
which were greenbacks,
gold, and silver coins.
 The government
stopped printing
greenbacks and stop
making silver coins in
order to cause a
deflation, an increase
in the value of money
and decrease in
general the value of
money.
 The deflation had a bad
impact on the farmers.

4.  Farmers found out that the
only way government were
going to meet their demands
was buy organizing.
 United States Department of
Agriculture sent Oliver H.
Kelley to report the
conditions and realized that
farmers were very isolated.
 This report brought to the
creation of the Patrons of
Husbandry (Grange) the
first national farm
organization.
 The Granger failed in their
demands and rise their
benefits.

5.  The Farmers’ Alliance met in Ocala,
Florida and created the Ocala
Demands.
• The demands were: adoption of the
subtreasury plan, free coinage of silver,
end to protective tariffs and national banks,
tighter regulation of the railroads, and
direct election of senators by voters.
 To prevent farmers from voting for
Populists, Republicans in
Congress, led by Senator John
Sherman, pushed through the
Sherman Silver Purchase Act of
1890.
• Authorize United States Treasury to
purchase 4.5 million ounces of silver per
month.
• Many pro-Alliance members were selected
for the government giving Populism power.

6.  The Populist Party
• was a relatively short-lived political
party in the United States in the late
19th century.
• The Populist Party grew out of the
agrarian revolt that rose to the
collapse of agriculture prices
following the Panic of 1873.
• promoted collective economic
action by farmers and achieved
widespread popularity in the South
and Great Plains.
• The Populists were the first political
party in the United States to actively
include women in their affairs.
• openly talked of the need for poor
blacks and poor whites to set aside
their racial differences in the name
of shared economic self-interest.

7.  In 1892, the People’s Party
organized a political party
and nominated James B.
Weaver.
 The demands were that 16
ounces of silver equal 1
ounce of gold. Also for
federal ownership of
railroads and a graduated
income tax, tax higher
earnings more heavily.
 The main goal was to
strengthen the government
in order to defend from self-
interests.

8.  Populists also seek the demands organized
labors seek for.
 The close relation with the Knights of labors
brought many difficulties.
 The Panic of 1893 caused a great impact
bringing many identities to bankruptcy and
limiting Populism.
 Do to the economic crisis, the Sherman
Silver Purchase Act was destitute.

9. Populism brought to the United States the
serious demands of the farmers who
were affected by industrialization.

10.  The American Vision-national
geograpgic.
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Populist_Party_