1. Chapter 19 Political Stalemate and Rural Revolt, 1865-1900

2. Urban Ills
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Industrial revolution after the Civil War also triggered an urban revolution. America’s cities—East, Middle West, and West—grew dramatically during the three decades after the Civil War. In part this was because of a massive surge of immigration, immigration from Europe, as well as from Asia. Many of those immigrants settled in the cities, in the large cities, and they settled in their own urban ethnic enclaves or neighborhoods, communities. Chinatown, for example, in Los Angeles and San Francisco. This surge of immigration was accompanied by a surge of migration. That is, Americans travelling and moving to the cities from the countryside, from farms.
As a result, cities exploded with growth. And their services were not able to keep up with that growth, whether it was water or sewage or roads. All of those were severely pressed by the surge of population growth in the cities. And as a result, many of these immigrants lived in what were called "tenements," crowded urban apartments with unsanitary conditions. And yet those conditions were better than what they had left behind in their home countries. So over time, urban growth produced reforms, improvements in sanitation, in quality of living, and in amusement and recreations and parks—all a result of reformers who were eager to improve the standard of living in these burgeoning cities.

3. Explosive Urban Growth- US population grows from 6 to 44 million
America’s Move to Town
Explosive Urban Growth- US population grows from 6 to 44 million
The Allure and Problems of the Cities
Technologies such as elevators, steam radiators, and less expensive steel allowed urban dwellers to live more compactly.
Unregulated urban growth created problems in sanitation, health, and morale, and mortality rates in cities were exceptionally high.
Cities and the Environment
City dwellers overwhelmed the sanitation systems; sewage flowed freely in the streets, and access to clean water was a problem. Cholera, yellow fever, and typhoid ravaged the populace.
end of the nineteenth century, push to reform sanitation systems succeeded in banning hogs and cattle from cities, building separate water and sewage systems, and establishing trash collection services.
Between 1860 and 1910, America’s population expanded from 6 million to 44 million, with the majority living in urban areas.
The flow of population during this period switched from extending the frontier, as at the turn of the century, to retreating to the safety and security of cities. Technologies such as elevators, steam radiators, and less expensive steel allowed urban dwellers to live more compactly than ever before.
Citizens who immigrated from rural communities to cities usually traded one set of problems for another. Unregulated urban growth created problems in sanitation, health, and morale, and mortality rates in cities were exceptionally high.
City dwellers overwhelmed the sanitation systems; sewage flowed freely in the streets, and access to clean water was a problem. Cholera, yellow fever, and typhoid ravaged the populace.
At the end of the nineteenth century, a drive to reform sanitation systems succeeded in banning hogs and cattle from cities, building separate water and sewage systems, and establishing trash collection services.

4. I. The Rise of the City
2. Race and ethnicity in the city
cities faced hostility and not surprisingly sought out their kin and country folk as they struggled to survive
distinct ethnic neighborhoods formed; African Americans typically experienced the greatest racial segregation.
3. How the Other Half Lives
Jacob Riis documented the poverty, crowding, dirt, and disease that constituted the daily reality of New York City’s immigrant poor in his 1890 book How the Other Half Lives; audiences shivered at his revelations.
4. The excesses of the wealthy
Middle-class readers also worried about the excesses of the wealthy
excesses of the Gilded Age’s newly minted millionaires became especially alarming when coupled with disdain for the general welfare of ordinary people
the fear that America had become a plutocracy gained credence from the fact that the wealthiest one percent of the population owned more than half of the real and personal property in the country.
I. The Rise of the City
C. The Social Geography of the City
1. The New Look of the City—During the Gilded Age, cities experienced both demographic and technological changes that greatly altered the urban social geography; the development of the electric streetcar in the 1880s led to urban congestion and suburban sprawl.
2. Race and Ethnicity in the City—Newcomers to the nation’s cities faced hostility and not surprisingly sought out their kin and country folk as they struggled to survive; distinct ethnic neighborhoods formed; African Americans typically experienced the greatest racial segregation.
3. How the Other Half Lives—Jacob Riis documented the poverty, crowding, dirt, and disease that constituted the daily reality of New York City’s immigrant poor in his 1890 book How the Other Half Lives; audiences shivered at his revelations.
4. The Excesses of the Wealthy—Middle-class readers also worried about the excesses of the wealthy; excesses of the Gilded Age’s newly minted millionaires became especially alarming when coupled with disdain for the general welfare of ordinary people; the fear that America had become a plutocracy gained credence from the fact that the wealthiest one percent of the population owned more than half of the real and personal property in the country.

10. The Emergence of Cities, 1880
Which states had the largest urban population in 1880? What drove the growth of western cities? How were western cities different from eastern cities?

11. The Emergence of Cities, 1920
How did technology change urban life in the early twentieth century? What was the role of mass transit in expanding the urban population? How did the demographics of the new cities change between 1880 and 1920?

12. The New Immigration America’s Pull Ellis Island
in the Second Industrial Revolution, the United States welcomed such a large numbers of immigrants that by 1900, 30 percent of residents in major cities were foreign-born, with the majority from Europe
Ellis Island
To counteract corruption in the New York City immigration department, the Bureau of Immigration established a reception center on Ellis Island, near where the Statue of Liberty stands today.
Only immigrants who could not afford first- or second-class cabins were required to land there; all others landed in New York City harbor.
America had long depended on immigration to fuel industrial power. Now, in the Second Industrial Revolution, the United States welcomed such a large numbers of immigrants that by 1900, 30 percent of residents in major cities were foreign-born, with the majority from Europe.
To counteract corruption in the New York City immigration department, the Bureau of Immigration established a reception center on Ellis Island, near where the Statue of Liberty stands today. Only immigrants who could not afford first- or second-class cabins were required to land there; all others landed in New York City harbor.

13. Ellis Island The Registry Room at Ellis Island
Inspectors asked arriving passengers twenty-nine probing questions, including “Are you a polygamist?”

14. The New Immigration, continued
Strangers in a New Land
Many were tricked and moved to communities with similar culture.
and these enclaves often took on the names of their ethnicities—for example, Little Italy and Chinatown.
The Nativist Response- frustrated by new arrivals’ willingness to work for cheap and by religious prejudice.
Immigration Restriction
In 1882, Congress overturned President Chester A. Arthur’s veto of the Chinese Exclusion Act—the first federal law to restrict immigration on the basis of race and class, shutting the door to Chinese immigrants for ten years.
Since most immigrants did not speak English, they were easy prey for swindlers.
Many immigrants settled in communities, and these enclaves often took on the names of their ethnicities—for example, Little Italy and Chinatown.
Nativist groups arose during this time. Members of these groups were frustrated by the new arrivals’ willingness to work for substandard wages, and were often fueled by religious prejudice.
This rise of nativist sentiment led to restricted immigration. In 1882, Congress overturned President Chester A. Arthur’s veto of the Chinese Exclusion Act—the first federal law to restrict immigration on the basis of race and class, shutting the door to Chinese immigrants for ten years.

15. The Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese caricature “John Chinaman” is escorted out of America by Lady Liberty with his ironing board and opium pipe, while the other accepted minorities look on.

16. Popular Culture Vaudeville
Vaudeville, a variety show of comedians, singers, and musicians, became increasingly popular, as more citizens took advantage of city cultural life.
Saloon Culture
The saloon became the social club of the poor in the late nineteenth century. These popular bars were dominated by male patrons, while women were relegated to separate, smaller rooms.
Growing incomes and the availability of public transportation enabled more people to take advantage of life in the city. Vaudeville, a variety show of comedians, singers, and musicians, became increasingly popular, as more citizens took advantage of city cultural life.
The saloon became the social club of the poor in the late nineteenth century. These popular bars were dominated by male patrons, while women were relegated to separate, smaller rooms.

17. Vaudeville
For as little as one cent, vaudeville offered customers entertainment.

18. V. City Growth and City Government
A. Building Cities of Stone and Steel
1. New skylines
the “Chicago School,” a group of talented architects and engineers, gave form to the modern skyscraper, forever changing the cityscape; alongside the skyscrapers rose new residential apartments for the rich and middle class
2. Public works projects
3. Improving the landscape
landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead designed parks across the country, including Central Park in New York City.
4. Comprehensive education
American cities created comprehensive free public school systems, although the exploding urban population strained systems and led to crowded and inadequate facilities; to educate those who couldn’t go to school, American cities created the most extensive free public library system in the world.
5. Uneven benefits
Central Park was a four-mile walk from the Hester Street tenements; a central paradox emerged: the enduring monuments of America’s cities stood as the undeniable achievements of the same system of municipal government that reformers dismissed as boss ridden, criminal, and corrupt.
V. City Growth and City Government
A. Building Cities of Stone and Steel
1. New Skylines—Structural steel made possible enormous advances in building; skyscrapers and bridges began to dominate the imagination and the urban landscape; the “Chicago School,” a group of talented architects and engineers, gave form to the modern skyscraper, forever changing the cityscape; alongside the skyscrapers rose new residential apartments for the rich and middle class.
2. Public Works Projects—Across the United States, municipal governments undertook public works on a scale never before seen, paving streets, building sewers and water mains, running trolley tracks, and digging underground subway lines.
3. Improving the Landscape—Cities became more beautiful with the creation of urban public parks to complement the new buildings that quickly filled city lots; landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead designed parks across the country, including Central Park in New York City.
4. Comprehensive Education—American cities created comprehensive free public school systems, although the exploding urban population strained systems and led to crowded and inadequate facilities; to educate those who couldn’t go to school, American cities created the most extensive free public library system in the world.
5. Uneven Benefits—The poor did not share equally in the advantages of city life; laborers had little time for a library; Central Park was a four-mile walk from the Hester Street tenements; a central paradox emerged: the enduring monuments of America’s cities stood as the undeniable achievements of the same system of municipal government that reformers dismissed as boss ridden, criminal, and corrupt.

19. 1. What is going on in this image?
(Answer: Thousands of people are at the beach and amusement park. A circus is shown in the background, along with a large Ferris wheel and a hot air balloon. Dozens of people, both male and female, frolic in the water.)
2. What does this painting reveal about leisure at the turn of the twentieth century?
(Answer: Leisure had become a commercial enterprise. People came to Coney Island not only to relax but also to spend money. They paid to use the rides in the amusement park, to buy food and drinks on the boardwalk, and to buy their bathing suits.)

20. Popular Culture, continued
Working Women and Leisure
Women remained more restricted in their options than their male counterparts. Married women were expected to raise children and keep up with housework, while their husbands frequented saloons.
Spectator Sports
College football, basketball, and professional baseball gained supporters during this time. These sports relied on large cities to support their events.
Baseball laid claim to being America’s national pastime. Only white players were allowed in the major leagues; African Americans were allowed in minor leagues or Negro leagues.
Women remained more restricted in their options than their male counterparts. Married women were expected to raise children and keep up with housework, while their husbands frequented saloons.
College football, basketball, and professional baseball gained supporters during this time. These sports relied on large cities to support their events.
Baseball laid claim to being America’s national pastime. Only white players were allowed in the major leagues; African Americans were allowed in minor leagues or Negro leagues.

22. The Impact of Darwin Social Darwinism
In the later nineteenth century, Europe and the United States moved from the accepted idealism of life to a more scientific, “realist” study.
Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (1859) argued that life evolved through a process known as natural selection.
Many writers of the time applied Darwin’s ideas to social thought, arguing that society adopted a system in which the “survival of the fittest” allowed man’s better characteristics to be passed on.
In the later nineteenth century, Europe and the United States moved from the accepted idealism of life to a more scientific, “realist” study.
Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (1859) argued that life evolved through a process known as natural selection.
Many writers of the time applied Darwin’s ideas to social thought, arguing that society adopted a system in which the “survival of the fittest” allowed man’s better characteristics to be passed on.

23. Charles Darwin
Darwin’s theories influenced more than a century of political debate.

24. Education and Social Thought
Reform Darwinism
Working to counteract social Darwinism, Lester Frank Ward argued that humanity could control and shape the process of evolutionary social development
Working to counteract social Darwinism, Lester Frank Ward argued that humanity could control and shape the process of evolutionary social development.

25. Nineteenth Century Political Life
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After the Civil War, Americans were extraordinarily engaged in the political process at the local, state, and national levels. Voter participation was extraordinarily high. For example, in presidential elections during the 1870s, 1880s, and 1890s, 80 to 90 percent of Americans voted, compared to 50 percent today. What explains that? Why were people so passionate about politics in the late nineteenth century? Why were they so eager to exercise their rights as citizens?
Of course, in the nineteenth century, women could not vote. And so political activity was limited to males in terms of voting and running for office. And it was very much a masculine activity. For example, saloons in major American cities were primarily political crossroads. Saloons were used widely in political campaigns to gather followers, report results, and stimulate political energies. Of course, unlike today there was no national television, no computer nor Internet, no immediacy of communication that there is today. Politics was more local and grassroots. Politics was also theatrical; it was a form of entertainment. When elections occurred, the political parties got out the vote by having people parade down the street by paying them to come out and vote, which was illegal but commonplace. Also, political parties distributed liquor freely in order to entice people to the voting booth.
Politics was also a very dynamic activity because of what was called the spoils system. Local and state politicians, and at the federal level as well, when they won a victory, rewarded their supporters by giving them a government job. At the same time politics was a visceral activity in the 1860s, 1870s, and 1880s because of the proximity of the Civil War to political life in the postwar era. Americans voted as they shot, as they said in the 1870s, which meant that the Republicans very frequently “waved the bloody shirt” and claimed that the Democrats were the party of the Confederacy, of slavery, and secession. They encouraged people to vote based not so much on the particular issues as party loyalty and party history associated with the Civil War. Democrats, of course, did the same thing in the South. They pointed out that they were the party of secession and of the Confederacy in order to ensure that southerners voted the Democrat way.
Another reason that people participated in politics at the presidential level so actively in the late nineteenth century was that the parties were so evenly divided that only a few votes could determine the outcome of the election. So people went to the polls knowing that their vote was truly going to count because political balance between Democrats and Republicans was so evenly split.
Unfortunately, another reason why politics was so active in American life in the late nineteenth century was that corruption was widespread. In fact, the Republican party actually split in two because the corruption alienated so many members of its party. That’s one reason why the Mugwump faction of the Republican party emerged: They were so disgusted with the corruption of their party by so many of their elected officials.

26. Politics during the Gilded Age
Paradoxical Politics
Politics during the Gilded Age
In 1873, Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner coined the term Gilded Age to depict the corruption and greed then running rampant through corporations and politics.
This term was personified by New York City’s William “Boss” Tweed of Tammany Hall, who was the de facto ruler of the city.
Politics during this time period were deeply personal, and a person’s affiliation with a political party could be traced back for generations. At the end of the nineteenth century, neither major party was willing to adopt controversial platforms, and the difference between them was slight.
In 1873, Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner coined the term Gilded Age to depict the corruption and greed then running rampant through corporations and politics.
This term was personified by New York City’s William “Boss” Tweed of Tammany Hall, who was the de facto ruler of the city.
Politics during this time period were deeply personal, and a person’s affiliation with a political party could be traced back for generations. At the end of the nineteenth century, neither major party was willing to adopt controversial platforms, and the difference between them was slight.

27. Paradoxical Politics, continued
Partisan Politics Political Stalemate
At this point, Republicans were mainly Protestants of British descent, living mainly in the North, and Democrats were often southern whites, recent immigrants, and Catholics of any origin.
For sixty years from the start of the Civil War, Republicans dominated the presidency, with Democrats winning only twice with the same candidate, Grover Cleveland. Chief executives were rarely considered strong, with one exception: Theodore Roosevelt.
Rapidly growing cities overwhelmed local governments, which were often fragmented and poorly staffed. This situation led to the rise of the political boss and urban political machines, which specialized in helping those who needed assistance for a price, in the form of either votes or economic kickbacks.
At the national level, politics still concentrated on post–Civil War battle lines, with many viewing battles for supremacy between the two parties a stalemate.
As loyal as people were to their political parties, elected officials were even more so to their constituents. The power of patronage to appoint supporters to governmental positions often resulted in incompetent and corrupt individuals being named to important offices.
At this point, Republicans were mainly Protestants of British descent, living mainly in the North, and Democrats were often southern whites, recent immigrants, and Catholics of any origin.
For sixty years from the start of the Civil War, Republicans dominated the presidency, with Democrats winning only twice with the same candidate, Grover Cleveland. Chief executives were rarely considered strong, with one exception: Theodore Roosevelt.

28. Corruption and Reform: Hayes to Harrison
Hayes and Civil Service Reform
When Rutherford B. Hayes became president, he tried to reform Civil Service programs (government jobs) to abolish the spoils system of patronage. He suffered from an 1876 election debacle in which a congressional commission awarded him the victory, so support for his programs was slight. He faced intraparty squabbles between the Stalwarts, who fully supported Grant and his cabinet, and the Half-Breeds, who were only half committed to Grant and to reforming the spoils system.
The courts overturned most regulations that states tried to enact on corporations. Few politicians viewed accepting gifts from corporations in exchange for votes and support as compromising their integrity.
When Rutherford B. Hayes became president, he tried to reform Civil Service programs (government jobs) to abolish the spoils system of patronage. He suffered from an 1876 election debacle in which a congressional commission awarded him the victory, so support for his programs was slight. He faced intraparty squabbles between the Stalwarts, who fully supported Grant and his cabinet, and the Half-Breeds, who were only half committed to Grant and to reforming the spoils system.
Hayes had always insisted that he would run only for one term, and even if he had changed his mind, he did not have his party’s support. As a result, in the 1880 election, James Garfield was the Republican candidate and won the presidency.
Garfield was assassinated only four months into office by a deranged office seeker, Charles Guiteau. The 1880 Republican ticket had been a compromise between Stalwarts and Half-Breeds, with Garfield a Half-Breed and his vice-president, Chester A. Arthur, a Stalwart. Arthur became president.
As president, Arthur proved surprisingly competent. He enacted several civil service and tariff reforms during his administration. Perhaps his most important accomplishment was the Pendleton Act, which promoted merit over partisanship in awarding government jobs.

29. The 1880 election
Hayes had always insisted that he would run only for one term, and even if he had changed his mind, he did not have his party’s support. As a result, in the 1880 election, James Garfield was the Republican candidate and won the presidency.
Garfield was assassinated only four months into office by a deranged office seeker, Charles Guiteau. The 1880 Republican ticket had been a compromise between Stalwarts and Half-Breeds, with Garfield a Half-Breed and his vice-president, Chester A. Arthur, a Stalwart. Arthur became president.
As president, Arthur proved surprisingly competent. He enacted several civil service and tariff reforms during his administration. Perhaps his most important accomplishment was the Pendleton Act, which promoted merit over partisanship in awarding government jobs.

30. IV. Presidential Politics
C. Reform and Scandal: The Campaign of 1884
1. Blaine versus Cleveland
Blaine assumed leadership of the Republican Party after Garfield’s assassination and captured the presidential nomination in 1884; Mugwumps considered Blaine the personification of political corruption; bolted from the party and embraced the Democrats’ candidate, Grover Cleveland, the reform governor of New York.
2. Scandal and mudslinging
Despite the hopes and efforts of the Mugwumps, the 1884 contest degenerated into scandal and mudslinging after a Buffalo newspaper accused Cleveland of fathering an illegitimate child with a local widow; Blaine tried to capitalize on this scandal, staging a national tour to drum up support.
3. Blaine’s misstep
Blaine could not recover from the negative publicity generated by a comment that linked the Democratic Party with drink, with rebellion against the Union, and with Catholicism
Blaine, an Irish American, had been counting on Catholic voters to desert the Democratic Party and vote Republican; Cleveland won the election, and the Democrats won back the White House after twenty-five years of Republican rule.
IV. Presidential Politics
C. Reform and Scandal: The Campaign of 1884
1. Blaine versus Cleveland—James G. Blaine assumed leadership of the Republican Party after Garfield’s assassination and captured the presidential nomination in 1884; Mugwumps considered Blaine the personification of political corruption; bolted from the party and embraced the Democrats’ candidate, Grover Cleveland, the reform governor of New York.
2. Scandal and Mudslinging—Despite the hopes and efforts of the Mugwumps, the 1884 contest degenerated into scandal and mudslinging after a Buffalo newspaper accused Cleveland of fathering an illegitimate child with a local widow; Blaine tried to capitalize on this scandal, staging a national tour to drum up support.
3. Blaine’s Misstep—Blaine could not recover from the negative publicity generated by a comment that linked the Democratic Party with drink, with rebellion against the Union, and with Catholicism; Blaine, an Irish American, had been counting on Catholic voters to desert the Democratic Party and vote Republican; Cleveland won the election, and the Democrats won back the White House after twenty-five years of Republican rule.

31. Senator James Gillespie Blaine of Maine
The Republican candidate in 1884

32. Grover Cleveland
As president, Cleveland made the issue of tariff reform central to the politics of the late 1880s.

34. Tensions over the Tariff
Tariffs
Tensions over the Tariff
Prior to passage of the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which gave Congress the right to tax citizens’ income, the chief revenue source was the tariff.
Many began to fear that the tariff had led to the creation of trusts by taxing imports to allow more profits. Cleveland believed that tariffs were too high and argued that they must be lowered.
The Election of 1888
the Democrats re-nominated Cleveland, and the Republicans nominated Benjamin Harrison. Cleveland and the Democrats favored lowering the tariff. The Republicans and Harrison, favoring industry, raised an enormous war chest and defeated Cleveland in electoral votes, although Cleveland won the popular vote
Prior to passage of the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which gave Congress the right to tax citizens’ income, the chief revenue source was the tariff. Many began to fear that the tariff had led to the creation of trusts by taxing imports to allow more profits. Cleveland believed that tariffs were too high and argued that they must be lowered.
The stage was set for the election of 1888; the Democrats re-nominated Cleveland, and the Republicans nominated Benjamin Harrison. Cleveland and the Democrats favored lowering the tariff. The Republicans and Harrison, favoring industry, raised an enormous war chest and defeated Cleveland in electoral votes, although Cleveland won the popular vote.

35. Republican Reform Under Harrison
Hayes to Harrison
Republican Reform Under Harrison
Harrison was president in name only. His secretary of state was James Blaine, the 1884 Republican candidate.
The most important piece of legislation enacted during this time was the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, which forbade contracts, combinations, or conspiracies in restraint of trade to create monopolies.
However, the wording of the law was too vague to be of any real value.
Harrison was president in name only. His secretary of state was James Blaine, the 1884 Republican candidate. The most important piece of legislation enacted during this time was the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, which forbade contracts, combinations, or conspiracies in restraint of trade to create monopolies. However, the wording of the law was too vague to be of any real value.

36. “King of the World” “King of the World”
Reformers targeted the growing power of monopolies, such as that of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil.

37. What Form of Currency Should Be Accepted?
The Money Problem
What Form of Currency Should Be Accepted?
Specie, or money made out of a precious metal, was rare in the West and the South. Many of the new states that had recently joined the nation had silver mines, and many of the silver interests bankrolled an attempt to allow more coining of silver as legal tender.
Their theory was that the more money that was minted, the more would be available. Those opposed to this idea feared that the more that was printed, the less it would be worth.
Inadequate Currency
The Mint Act of 1792 mandated that the weight of one silver-dollar coin must be fifteen times as heavy as a gold one-dollar coin.
In 1837, all money was based on the silver standard, but was then changed to a 16 to 1 ratio. In 1873, the coinage of silver was dropped.
During this time, an issue developed that would plague the country for years to come. What form of currency should be accepted? Specie, or money made out of a precious metal, was rare in the West and the South. Many of the new states that had recently joined the nation had silver mines, and many of the silver interests bankrolled an attempt to allow more coining of silver as legal tender. Their theory was that the more money that was minted, the more would be available. Those opposed to this idea feared that the more that was printed, the less it would be worth.
The Mint Act of 1792 mandated that the weight of one silver-dollar coin must be fifteen times as heavy as a gold one-dollar coin. In 1837, all money was based on the silver standard, but was then changed to a 16 to 1 ratio. In 1873, the coinage of silver was dropped. The currency supply of the United States failed to keep up with the growth of the population.

38. The Farm Problem and Agrarian Protest Movements
Economic Conditions-Farmers’ debts rose as the prices of their crops plummeted.
Formation of Protest Movements
After the Civil War, farmers faced a downward spiral in the prices of their crops as domestic overproduction and increasing international competition cut into their market.
The farmers first blamed the railroads, which charged whatever the market would bear to haul produce to market, with little room to bargain. The tariff, always a source of frustration for farmers, continued to pay double taxes on domestic produce shipped overseas.
When Congress would not take action to help them, farmers began to organize, similar to the labor unions, to make their voices heard.
Unrest in farming communities resulted from a looming economic depression. Farmers’ debts rose as the prices of their crops plummeted.
After the Civil War, farmers faced a downward spiral in the prices of their crops as domestic overproduction and increasing international competition cut into their market. The farmers first blamed the railroads, which charged whatever the market would bear to haul produce to market, with little room to bargain. The tariff, always a source of frustration for farmers, continued to pay double taxes on domestic produce shipped overseas.
When Congress would not take action to help them, farmers began to organize, similar to the labor unions, to make their voices heard.

39. “I Feed You All!”
This 1875 Granger-inspired poster shows the farmer at the center of society.

40. The Farm Problem and Agrarian Protest Movements, continued
The Granger Movement
The National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry (The Grange), an early farm union, was first established in Originally a social organization for farmers, it soon became indirectly involved with politics. Their first attempts at legislation were not entirely successful, but established the foundation for future work.
Farmers’ Alliances
By forming collectives, they worked to overcome hardships such as indebtedness, falling prices, and droughts. They formed cooperatives, with shared ownership of community stores and warehouses, thus bypassing middlemen.
The National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry (The Grange), an early farm union, was first established in Originally a social organization for farmers, it soon became indirectly involved with politics. Their first attempts at legislation were not entirely successful, but established the foundation for future work. The Granger movement eventually declined, but did not disappear entirely.
As the power of the Grange waned, farmers’ alliances grew. By forming collectives, they worked to overcome hardships such as indebtedness, falling prices, and droughts. They formed cooperatives, with shared ownership of community stores and warehouses, thus bypassing middlemen.
Never fully organized at a national level, farmers worked within the established parties in their states or created small third parties to reflect their views. More successful in the South, where farmers refused to leave the Democratic party, they won several political positions at the state and federal level.
In 1892, an association of farmers, labor, and reform groups organized the People’s party, also known as the Populist party. In the election of 1892, President Harrison again faced Grover Cleveland, and both faced the Populist candidate James B. Weaver. Cleveland won both the popular and electoral votes.

41. The Populist Party and the Election of 1892
Farm Politics
Never fully organized at a national level, farmers worked within the established parties in their states or created small third parties to reflect their views. More successful in the South, where farmers refused to leave the Democratic party, they won several political positions at the state and federal level.
The Populist Party and the Election of 1892
1892, an association of farmers, labor, and reform groups organized the People’s party, also known as the Populist party. In the election of 1892, President Harrison again faced Grover Cleveland, and both faced the Populist candidate James B. Weaver. Cleveland won both the popular and electoral votes.

42. Mary Elizabeth Lease Mary Elizabeth Lease, 1890
A charismatic leader in the farm protest movement

43. The Economy and the Silver Solution
The Depression of 1893
Just before Cleveland was sworn in for his second term, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad declared bankruptcy, and took with it several banks and other overextended railroad companies.
This sparked an economic panic that lasted four years, with an unemployment rate of 20 percent.
Just before Cleveland was sworn in for his second term, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad declared bankruptcy, and took with it several banks and other overextended railroad companies. This sparked an economic panic that lasted four years, with an unemployment rate of 20 percent.

44. The Economy and the Silver Solution, continued
Silverites versus Goldbugs
The failure of a large British bank forced many British investors to sell their holdings in America for gold. This in turn drained the United States of much of its gold supply, making the already inadequate monetary supply even thinner. This promoted the silver interests and their desire to increase the coinage of silver to end the panic.
The Remarkable Election of 1896
Republicans nominated the pro-gold William McKinley, and Democrats nominated the fiery young orator William Jennings Bryan, who delivered his famous “Cross of Gold” acceptance speech. In this campaign, the Populists chose to side with Bryan and not divide their votes, but McKinley won.
Great Britain remained the financial center of the world. The failure of a large British bank forced many British investors to sell their holdings in America for gold. This in turn drained the United States of much of its gold supply, making the already inadequate monetary supply even thinner. This promoted the silver interests and their desire to increase the coinage of silver to end the panic.
Once again the stage was set for a presidential election. Republicans nominated the pro-gold William McKinley, and Democrats nominated the fiery young orator William Jennings Bryan, who delivered his famous “Cross of Gold” acceptance speech. In this campaign, the Populists chose to side with Bryan and not divide their votes, but McKinley won.

45. William Jennings Bryan-cross of Gold
Bryan’s “Cross of Gold” speech at the 1896 Democratic Convention roused the delegates and secured him the party’s presidential nomination.

46. The Election of 1896
How did Bryan’s “Cross of Gold” speech divide the Democratic party? How did McKinley’s strategy differ from Bryan’s? Why was Bryan able to carry the West and the South but unable to win in cities and the Northeast?

47. Conclusion
A New Era
The 1896 election was a high point for American voter participation, with 79 percent of the eligible voters participating. By 1897, economic prosperity was returning, and discoveries of gold across the globe crushed the silver movement.
The 1896 election was a high point for American voter participation, with 79 percent of the eligible voters participating. By 1897, economic prosperity was returning, and discoveries of gold across the globe crushed the silver movement.

48. Please visit the Student Site for more resources:
This concludes the Lecture PowerPoint presentation for Chapter 19 Political Stalemate and Rural Revolt
Please visit the Student Site for more resources: