1. Aim: How did the Populist Party fight to improve conditions for the American farmer?
Do Now:
Turn in last night’s homework
Read the poem and answer the discussion questions.
Homework:
Continue working on Vocabulary Homework due: Next Thursday.

2. When the farmer comes to town With his wagon broken down,
The farmer is the man who feeds them all.
If you'll only look and see,
I am sure you will agree,
The farmer is the man, the farmer is the man,
Lives on credit till the fall,
Then they take him by the hand,
And they lead him from the land,
And the middleman's the man who gets it all.
When the lawyer hangs around
While the butcher cuts a pound,
And the preacher and the cook
Go a-strolling down the brook,
Lives on credit till the fall.
With the interest rate so high,
It's a wonder he don't die;
The banker is the man who gets it all.
When the banker says he's broke,
And the merchant's up in smoke,
The farmer is the man who feeds them all.
It would put them to the test
If the farmer took a rest.
The farmer is the man, the farmer is the man,
Lives on credit till the fall,
His clothes are wearing thin,
His condition is a sin;
He's forgot that he's the man who feeds them all.

3. The Populist Party
Farmers, facing problems with prices and transportation, form the Grange, an organization of farmers fighting for reform.
The Grange gives rise to other organization like the Farmers Alliance.
These groups come together to form the Populist Party, a third party group.

4. The Populist Party
Bimetallism – promotes the use of silver and gold to back paper money and checks to put more money into circulation.
Free coinage of silver- use silver to back money – increase $ in circulation

5. Cross of Gold Speech – William Jennings Bryan
Stepping into the debate, the Populist Party called for bimetallism and free coinage of silver. Yet their strategy was undecided: should they join forces with sympathetic candidates in the major parties and risk losing their political identity, or should they nominate their own candidates and risk losing the election? As the 1896 campaign progressed, the Republican Party stated its firm commitment to the gold standard and nominated Ohioan William McKinley for president. After much debate, the Democratic Party came out in favor of a combined gold and silver standard, including unlimited coinage of silver. At the Democratic convention, former Nebraska congressman William Jennings Bryan, editor of the Omaha World-Herald, delivered an impassioned address to the assembled delegates. An excerpt of what has become known as the “Cross of Gold” speech follows.
“Having behind us the producing masses of this nation and the world, supported by the commercial interests, the laboring interests, and the toilers everywhere, we will answer their demand for a gold standard by saying to them: You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.”
With McKinley’s election, Populism collapsed, burying the hopes of the farmers. The movement left two powerful legacies, however: a message that the downtrodden could organize and have political impact, and an agenda of reforms, many of which would be enacted in the 20th century.

6. Government Response
Supreme Court cases such as Munn v Illinois and Wabash v Illinois paved the way for Congress to step in and establish the Interstate Commerce Act, which was an agency set up to regulate railroads and interstate commerce.

7. Government Response
1. Munn v. Illinois (1877) – Supreme Court uphold the state’s regulation of railroads for the benefit of consumers and businesses

8. Government Response
2. Wabash v. Illinois (1886) – Supreme Court decision that severely limited the rights of states to control interstate commerce. It led to the creation of the Interstate Commerce Commission.

9. Apply your knowledge
What role do third parties play in American politics?
Address concerns that major political parties ignore
Usually formed by special interest groups
Do not last long, their policies, if they become popular, are usually adopted by one of the major political parties.