Populist Party Thesis

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Since the creation of The United States, agriculture and farmers had been the center of politics and the populism movement of the early 1890s is evident of that. The Populist Party sprung up in 1891 and quickly gained support in the Midwest and South by appealing to the poor farmers, organizing them and using this power to elect several officials to both state and the federal legislatures (T&S 669). The Populists promised to protect the small farmers from greedy banks and the big business of the East, which was charging them large fees just to store crops and ship them. The movement spread like wildfire across the rural US with fiery lecturers urging huge crowds to action. The party’s efforts paid off and in the presidential election of 1892 the Populist Party established a running platform that focused on the economic problems facing farmers (T&S 670). The Party ended up with little success only managing to carry four states in the election, but it brought to light one of the key disputes of the coming years—the silver issue.…show more content…
The economic collapse shook the nation and caused the foreclosure of farms across the rural US leaving multitudes unemployed and without land (T&S 671). President Cleveland responded to the economic distress by repealing the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890, returning the dollar to a gold standard which “worsened rather than improved the financial situation” (T&S 671). This one action brought this economic issue to the forefront of debate for the Populist Party
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