1. Chapter Ninth Edition America: Past and Present America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Political Realignments in the 1890s 20

2. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands Politics of Stalemate Politics was a major fascination of the late nineteenth century White males made up bulk of electorate –Women allowed to vote in national elections only in Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Colorado –Black men denied vote by poll tax, literacy tests

3. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands The Party Deadlock Post-Civil War Democratic party divides electorate almost evenly with Republicans Democrats emphasize state’s rights and limited government Republicans see government as agent to promote moral progress and material wealth Each party has safe states, control of federal government rests with 6 “doubtful” states in North and Midwest Federal influence wanes, state control rises

4. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands The Election of 1880 The Election of 1884

5. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands

6. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands Reestablishing Presidential Power Presidency hits nadir under Johnson Later presidents reassert executive power – Hayes ended military Reconstruction – Garfield asserted leadership of his party – Arthur strengthened navy, civil service reform – Cleveland used veto to curtail federal activities, called for low tariffs

7. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands Republicans in Power: The Billion-Dollar Congress 1888: Republicans control both White House and Capitol Hill 1890: Adoption of Reed Rules permits enactment of “billion dollar” program 1890: Sherman Anti-Trust Act regulates big business

8. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands OF NOTE…IN 1890 Closing of the Frontier Battle of Wounded Knee First Billion dollar Congress in 1890 Dramatic expansion of pensions for the GAR Sherman Anti-trust Act of 1890 Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890 McKinley Tariff of 1890 (48.4%!!!)

9. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands Tariffs, Trusts, and Silver McKinley Tariff is highest in history 1890: Sherman Silver Purchase Act moves country toward bi-metallic monetary system Despite attempts to regulate trusts with Sherman Anti-Trust Act…law’s power is gutted by Supreme Court U.S. vs. E.C. Knight, clarifies that law does not apply to manufacturers

10. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands The 1890 Elections “Billion Dollar” Congress alienates people Republicans also assert activist government policies on state level – Sunday closing laws – Prohibition – Mandatory English in public schools 1890: Alienated voting blocks turn out Republican legislators

11. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands Roots of POPULISM FACT: farmers comprise nearly 50% of US in 1890, but are too diverse, dispersed and disorganized to be an effective political force. 1867 Oliver Kelley formed the Grange, as social “glue” for isolated farmers Grangers gradually politicize  control state legislatures in IL, WI, IA, MN & attempt to control fees set by railroad, warehouses, & grain elevators

12. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands Deflation, Debt, Decline on the Grange “cash-crops” ties farmers to world market Lack of diversification leaves farms vulnerable to fluctuations in market. Expensive machinery requires going into debt and good financial management – not all farmers are skilled enough in business By 1890’s…. overproduction, debt AND deflation combined!!! Hundreds of thousands of farms were foreclosed and farmers became TENANTS(=sharecroppers)

13. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands Selected Commodity Prices

14. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands Experiments in the States State government commissions investigate, regulate railroads, factories Munn v. Illinois (1877) upholds constitutionality of state investigations Wabash case (1886) prompts establishment of Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) ICC prototype for modern regulatory agencies

15. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands Roots of POPULISM 1886: Supreme Court’s Wabash decision struck down Granger laws, Grangers decline afterwards Grangers replaced by Greenback Labor Party, run unsuccessfully for presidency in 1880. Then decline. Succeeded by Farmers’ Alliance, led by Mary E. Lease Eventually, gains momentum. At its height, Farmers’ Alliance elects 4 governors and 40 congressmen.

16. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands The Fast-Growing Farmers’ Alliance 1875: Southern Alliance begins Alliance movement segregated, Colored Farmer’s National Alliance –Destroyed after leaders lynched in 1891 1889: Regional Alliances merge into National Farmer’s Alliance

17. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands The Fast-Growing Farmers’ Alliance Division in the South –Tillman: Capture existing Democratic party to maintain white supremacy –Tom Watson and Leondias Polk urge new party Starting 1890, Alliance runs candidates –Speakers like Mary “Yellin’” Lease promote Alliance candidates

18. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands The Fast-Growing Farmers’ Alliance: Ocala Demands System of government warehouses to hold crops for higher prices Free coinage of silver Low tariffs Federal income tax Direct election of Senators Regulation of railroads NOTE: Many of these become part of Progressive platforms

19. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands The People’s Party Southern Alliance splits from Democrats to form Populist party Southern Populists recruit African Americans, give them influential positions

20. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands

21. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands The People’s Party 1892: Populist presidential candidate James Weaver draws over one million votes –Loses South to violence and intimidation by Southern Democrats –Loses urban areas Alliance wanes after 1892 elections

22. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands Why didn’t the Populists win in 1892? ANSWER: Eastern workers are nervous about deflation. Black voters fall victim to race politics in the South. LITERACY TEST POLL TAX GRANDFATHER CLAUSE

23. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands The Panic of 1893 February, 1893: Failure of major railroad sparks panic on New York Stock Exchange Investors sell stock to purchase gold Depleted Treasury shakes confidence May, 1893: Market hits record low, business failures displace 2 million workers 1894: Corn crop fails

24. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands Coxey’s Army and the Pullman Strike 1894: Jacob Coxey led “Coxey’s Army” to Washington to demand relief Pullman strike, joined by Eugene Debs’ American Railway Union, closed Western railroads President Cleveland suppressed strikes with federal troops and Debs was arrested

25. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands The Miners of the Midwest United Mine Workers strike of 1894 “Old miners”: English and Irish workers, owners of small family mines “New miners”: 1880s immigrants Strike pits new miners against old

26. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands “Everybody Works but Father” Women and children paid lower wages, displaced men during depression Employers retained women and children after depression to hold down costs

27. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands Changing Themes in Literature Depression encouraged “realist” school Mark Twain’s characters spoke in dialect William Dean Howells, Stephen Crane portrayed grim life of the poor Frank Norris attacked power of big business Theodore Dreiser presented humans as helpless before vast social, economic forces

28. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands Changing Attitudes Depression of 1893 forced recognition of structural causes of unemployment Americans accepted the need for government intervention to help the poor and jobless New voting patterns emerged and national policy shifted Free coinage of silver the main issue – Boost the money supply – Seen as solution to depression

29. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands The Mystique of Silver “Free and independent coinage of silver” –Set ratio of silver to gold at 16:1 –U.S. mints coined all silver offered to them –U.S. coined silver regardless of other nations’ policies Silverites believed amount in circulation determined level of economic activity A moral crusade for the common people

30. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands The Presidential Election of 1896 Candidate: William McKinley Silverite Republicans defeated on convention floor Promised gold standard to restore prosperity Candidate: William Jennings Bryan Free silver promised in “Cross of Gold” speech Democrats were enthusiastic

31. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands Campaign and Election Populist party endorsed Bryan Bryan offered return to rural, religious U.S. McKinley defended urban, industrial society Election was a clear victory for McKinley, utter rout of Populist party

32. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands

33. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands The Election of 1900

34. Copyright ©2011, ©2007, ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. America: Past and Present, Ninth Edition Divine Breen Frederickson Williams Gross Brands The McKinley Administration McKinley took office at depression’s end An activist president Dingley Tariff raised rates to record highs 1900: U.S. placed on gold standard 1900: McKinley won landslide reelection against William Jennings Bryan September, 1901: McKinley assassinated Theodore Roosevelt became president