1. Farmers in the late 19th century faced many hardships like low crop prices, high costs, and drought. They organized groups like the Grange to address these issues. 2. The Grange, formed by Oliver Kelley in 1867, advocated for farmers' rights and had over 1 million members. When it declined, the Farmers' Alliances continued its goals. 3. In response to economic troubles, the Populist Party was formed in 1892 with a platform including silver coinage and regulating railroads. It gained some political successes but ultimately did not last as a major party.

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Objectives
• Analyze the problems farmers faced and the
groups they formed to address them.
• Assess the goals of the Populists, and explain
why the Populist Party did not last.
The Cold Farmers and Populism
War Begins

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Terms and People
•
Oliver H. Kelley – a Minnesota farmer and
businessman who organized the Grange
•
Grange – an organization of farmers who joined
to learn about new farming techniques, to call for
the regulation of railroad and grain elevator rates,
and to prompt the establishment of the ICC
•
Populist Party – a political party formed in 1892
on a platform of silver coinage, government
ownership of the railroads, and fighting the corrupt
and unresponsive elite
The Cold Farmers and Populism
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Terms and People
(continued)
•
William Jennings Bryan – the Democratic
nominee for president in 1896, who supported
many Populist principles including silver coinage,
and who toured the country to speak directly to
voters
•
William McKinley – the Republican candidate for
president in 1896, who followed a traditional
strategy of letting party workers campaign for him
The Cold Farmers and Populism
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What led to the rise of the Populist
movement, and what effect did it have?
1. Millions of Americans moved west after the Civil
War to pursue the American dream. A variety of
factors made their lives extremely difficult, which
led to the social and political revolt known as
Populism—and created one of the largest third
party movements in American history.
The Cold Farmers and Populism
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People moving to the West and South in the late
1800s knew that their lives would not be easy.
low prices for crops
Problems
facing the
farmers of
the West
and South
high transportation, equipment,
and loan costs
drought
reduced influence in politics
They did not anticipate many problems that made
survival nearly impossible.
The Cold Farmers and Populism
War Begins

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Frustrated
by these
problems,
farmers began to
organize.
The Cold Farmers and Populism
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Farmers created groups to address their
problems.
2. These groups formed a network called
the Granger movement. The Grange was
formally organized by Oliver H. Kelley
in 1867 and gained a million members.
The Grange declined after the 1870s,
but Farmers’ Alliances became
important reform organizations that
continued the Grange’s goals.
The Cold Farmers and Populism
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The spread of the Farmers’ Alliances led to the
formation of the Populist Party in 1892.
coinage of silver
The Populist platform,
outlined at the party’s
1892 convention in
Omaha, NE, called for:
an income tax
government ownership
of railroads
bank regulations
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3. The debate
over monetary
policy was
an important
issue of the
day.
Those who
wanted a gold
standard were on
one side.
Those who wanted to
use silver—including the
Populist Party—were
on the other.
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The Populists
did well in 1892,
electing three
governors, five
senators, and ten
congressmen.
The Populist
candidate for
president received
one million votes
in that election.
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An economic depression began in 1893 and
labor unrest and violence broke out. The
Populist Party grew.
In 1896, a young lawyer named William
Jennings Bryan spoke at the national
Democratic convention.
4. The speech, with its Populist message
of “free silver,” moved Democrats to
nominate Bryan. The Populist Party
chose to give him their support.
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5. William Jennings Bryan campaigned
against Republican candidate William
McKinley in a way that had never been
seen before.
He toured the country,
talking directly to voters.
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McKinley won
against Bryan
in 1896 and in
1900.
Bryan’s emphasis
on money reform
wasn’t popular with
urban workers.
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The Populist Party was weakened by
supporting William Jennings Bryan on the
Democratic ticket.
It survived
another decade,
but its viability
as an alternative
to the two major
parties was over.
Many of the reforms
sought by the Populists
became a reality.
The new campaigning
style used by Bryan
became the norm.
The Cold Farmers and Populism
War Begins

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Section Review
QuickTake Quiz
Know It, Show It Quiz
The Cold Farmers and Populism
War Begins