Freedom's Boundaries, at Home and Abroad,
1890-1900
Chapter 17 Outline
I. THE POPULIST CHALLENGE A. The Farmers' Revolt 1. Agricultural prices were falling and growing economic dependency created instablities. 2. The Farmers' Alliance was formed to end agricultural dependence of farmers from bankers and merchants. B. The People's Party 1. The Farmers' Alliance became the People's Party for Populists in the early 1890s. a. Not only did they gain support of the farmers, but they also gained support from miners and industrial workers. 2. The Populists began spreading information, through pamphlets on political and economic questions, in an effort of community organization and education. 3. The Populists incorportated modern technologies such as the railroad, the telegraph, and the national market. C. The Populist Platform 1. The platform proposed a list of actions to restore democracy and economic opportunity, such as: a. The direct election of U.S. senators, government control of the currency, a system of low-cost public financing, a graduated income tax, and recognition of the right of workers to form labor unions. b. They called for public ownership of the railroads to guarantee farmers' inexpensive access to markets for their crops. D. The Populist Coalition 1. The Populists made attempts to unite black and white farmers on similar political and economic issues. 2. Many blacks declined to leave the ideology of the Lincoln party, but others found the Populists ideals appealing. 3. The movement of the Populists gained support by thousands of reform-minded women, such as Mary Elizabeth Lease. a. Mary Elizabeth Lease was a former homesteader and was also one of the first female lawyers in Kansas. 4. A Populist presidential candidate, by the name of James