Challenges in the Late 1800s

Lesson 4 Farm Issues and Populism

Key Terms

Oliver H. Kelley:Oliver H. Kelley (1826–1913) was an employee in the

U.S. Department of Agriculture who worked to improve the lives of farmers
and the agricultural industry. He recognized the need to bring farmers
together to protect their livelihoods. Kelly served as the first secretary of
the Grange from 1867 until 1878.

Grange:farmers’ organization formed after the Civil War

Farmers’ Alliance: network of farmers’ organizations that worked for

political and economic reforms in the late 1800s

Populist Party: People’s Party; political party formed in 1891 to advocate

a larger money supply and other economic reforms

William Jennings Bryan:William Jennings Bryan (1860–1925) was a

Democratic and Populist leader who ran unsuccessfully three times for the
U.S. presidency. During his career as a lawyer, politician, and speaker, he
fought for reforms such as the income tax, Prohibition, and women's
suffrage.

William McKinley:William McKinley (1843–1901) was the 25th president

of the United States, serving from 1897 to 1901. McKinley led the United
States during the Spanish-American War in 1898. McKinley’s second term
as president was cut short by an assassin in 1901.

Academic Vocabulary

tenant: someone who rents property from a landlord

network: a group of people or organizations that work together

regulation: a rule or law that a government uses to control businesses or

other groups

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interest: the amount that a lender charges a borrower for the use of a
loan

Lesson Objectives

1. Analyze the economic issues farmers faced in the late 1800s.

2. Describe the groups farmers formed to address their problems and

what those groups accomplished.

3. Evaluate the impact of the Populist Party, and explain why the
party did not last.

Farmers Face Economic Difficulty: Text

1. Analyze Interactions As you read the text for this lesson, use this
graphic organizer to keep track of important ideas. In the first column, note
economic problems that farmers faced. In the second column, note
causes of the economic problems. In the third column, note actions that
farmers took to solve the problems.

2. Paraphrase the quotation from the farmers’ newspaper by putting it

in your own words. Based on evidence in the text, do you think that the
author’s point of view is justified? Explain.

In Nebraska theres 3 main crops raises. One is the crop of corn, crop of
freight rates, and one a crop of interest. The author’s point of view is
justified by explaining to us why and what are the crop raises in Nebraska.

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Farmers Seek Change Through Alliances: Text

3. Summarize the goals of the Farmers’ Alliance. Did the Alliance

achieve those goals? Cite textual evidence to explain why or why not.

Some of the goals set for the Farmers’ Alliance was they wanted the
government to regulate the interest that banks could charge loans,
they also tried to convince the government to force railroads to lower
freight prices so members could get their crips to markets outside of
the south.

The Beginnings of Populism: Text

4. Vocabulary: Use Context Clues Read the first paragraph of “The

Beginnings of Populism.” What do you think the term grass roots means?
What context clues helped you figure out this definition?

The term grass roots means to me a group or organization that have

more power the Populist Party, I also believe it a group make up with
locals who are known and they also have power.

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5. Determine Central Ideas Explain the strategy of the Populist
Party. To what groups did it try to appeal and why?

The case they appeal was the “Negro supremacy”. The Democratic party
successfully used racist tactics, so when the Populist party said they had
to unite black and white voters the democrats didn’t take it well.

Populism’s Declining Influence: Text

6. Analyze Style and Rhetoric Analyze how William Jennings Bryan

used language to appeal to populists in his “Cross of Gold” speech. What
words, phrases, or expressions do you think would appeal the most to the
audience and why?

Some words, phrases, or expressions are “press down upon the brow of
labor” this could make the audience feel like there weak and unfit for the
labor.

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7. Identify Cause and Effect What factors contributed to the downfall
of the Populist Party? Use information from both “The Beginnings of
Populism” and “Populism’s Declining Influence” to identify cause and
effect.

8. Draw Conclusions The text states that “populism had a lasting

effect on the style of politics in the United States.” What elements of the
populist style do you think still exist in American politics?

Political program or movement that champions the common person,

usually by favourable contrast with an elite. Populism usually combines
elements of the left and the right, opposing large business and financial
interests but also frequently being hostile to established socialist and labor
parties.

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