FARMERS AND THE CLOSING OF THE

AMERICAN FRONTIER

THE POPULIST MOVEMENT

FARMERS FIGHT

1. Against Native

Americans

Push them to

reservations by killing

the buffalo

FARMERS FIGHT

2. Against Ranchers and

cowboys, whose cattle

tore up the fields

Fenced the fields

with barbed wire

CATTLE DRIVES – THE COWBOYS DROVE THE

CATTLE TO THE RAILROADS

FARMERS FIGHT

3. Against the dry

grasslands– no rain,

and grass roots going

down two feet

Developed new farming

methods, and used

Russian red wheat.

NEW METHODS WOULD EVENTUALLY DRY OUT

THE SOIL, LEADING TO THE DUST BOWL

OF THE 1930S.

FARMERS ARE HELPED BY, AND THEN FIGHT

4. The Railroads

Which got them to the

West

And helped the pioneers

find land claims

But then charged high

prices for getting the

crops to the Eastern

markets

FIRST CONTINENTAL RAILROAD 1869

FARMERS FIGHT & WIN

Granger Laws – the

Granges were like

unions for farmers

Interstate Commerce Act

1887

5. FARMERS ARE HELPED BY, AND THEN FIGHT

THE BANKS

Farmers borrow money

for seed and equipment

in the SPRING, pay in

the FALL

New Equipment

Reaper

Thresher

Steel plow

Windmill

(no tractors until the

1920s)

REAPER THRESHER (COMBINES)

Then Today

AS FARMERS ARE MORE PRODUCTIVE,

PRICES FALL. AS PRICES FALL, FARMERS

GO INTO DEBT.

FARMERS WANT THE US DOLLAR TO BE BACKED

BY SILVER AS WELL AS GOLD, ENDING

DEFLATION.

If a farmer borrowed $1.00 in March, worth 100 bushels of wheat he would have to pay back with 125 bushels.

However, bankers and wage earners are afraid of inflation more than deflation.

THE GREAT DEFLATION

Late 19th century as a result of

increasing manufacturing efficiencies

not economic stagnation

THIRD PARTY – POPULIST (PEOPLE’S)

1892 AND 1896

BECOMES PART OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns; you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold!

Omaha Platform of 1892 1. System of “sub-treasuries.”

2. Abolition of the National Bank.

3. Direct election of Senators.

4. Government ownership of railroadss, telephone & telegraph companies.

5. Government-operated postal savings banks.

6. Restriction of immigration.

7. 8-hour work day for government employees.

8. Abolition of the Pinkerton detective agency.

9. Australian secret ballot.

10. Silver backed dollar.

11. A single term for President & Vice President.

Govt.-Owned Companies

WAS THE WIZARD OF OZ AN ALLEGORY OF THE

1896 CAMPAIGN?

FOOTNOTE: HENRY M. LITTLEFIELD, "THE WIZARD OF OZ: PARABLE ON POPULISM”, AMERICAN QUARTERLY,1964.

Dorothy

OZ

Silver slippers

Munchkins

Witches of East/West

Yellow brick road

Scarecrow

Tinman

Cowardly Lion

Wizard

Honest farmer

ounce

Silver standard

Ordinary people

Bankers

Gold Standard (Danger)

Intelligent Populist

Industrial worker

William Jennings Bryan

President McKinley

1896 FARMERS LOSE!

Democratic/Populist

William Jennings Bryan

Republican

William McKinley

REPUBLICANS WIN

BY 1920, MORE PEOPLE LIVED IN CITIES THAN

ON FARMS

When the banker says he's broke And the merchant’s up in smoke, They forget that it's the farmer who feeds them all. It would put them to the test If the farmer took a rest; Then they'd know that it's the farmer feeds them all.

Populist song