Quiz and Get Books!

• 1. Founder of the National Association for

the Advancement of Colored People

(NAACP) who was against segregation.

• 2. What does it mean to Assimilate?

• 3. What are the Jim Crow Laws?

• 4. What is a Poll Tax?

• 5. Extra Points: Who was Jim Crow?

Objectives

• Students will understand the concerns and

Ideas of the Populist Party.

What is a Populist? • the common people—especially farmers

or anyone that advocates for the masses

and opposes control by elites

Nebraska State Historical Society, [Digital ID, e.g., nbhips 12036]

Where were the Populists? • Mostly in the South and West, the agricultural

and rural centers of the nation

Fred Hultstrand History in Pictures Collection, NDIRS-NDSU, Fargo; and F.A. Pazandak Photograph Collection, NDIRS-NDSU, Fargo.

When were the Populists? • Last quarter of the 19th Century; they began

forming around social clubs like the Grange,

labor-type organizations, like the Farmers

Alliance, and political organizations, like the

Greenbacks

How did the Populists become a

political party?

• The party formally

organized in St. Louis

in 1892 to represent

the interests of the

common folks and

defend them against

the railroads, bankers,

processors,

corporations, and the

politicians in league

with big business. Mark Hanna, McKinley’s campaign manager,

the industrialist’s friend.

http://projects.vassar.edu/1896/0711hw.html

What did Populists believe?

According to their founding statement, the Omaha Platform:

1. public/government ownership of the railroads, post offices, telephone, and telegraph systems

2. the free coinage of silver

3. a graduated income tax

4. government banks, not commercial banks

5. excess land held by railroads and foreign speculators

6. Monopolies

They also believed…

There should be more

democracy, so they

advocated

– Direct election of

senators

– Referendum and

Initiative (people

putting new laws

to a popular vote)

– Recall elections

– Secret ballots

Fred Hultstrand History in Pictures Collection, NDIRS-NDSU, Fargo; and F.A. Pazandak Photograph Collection, NDIRS-NDSU, Fargo.

The Who’s Who of Populism

• William

Jennings

Bryan,

perennial

presidential

candidate.

Ran 3 time

for president

www.wikipedia.org

The Who’s Who of Populism

• James Weaver

• 1892 Presidential candidate

www.wikipedia.org

The Who’s Who of Populism • This was one of the first parties to actively

include women (like Mary Lease) and

African-Americans (implored by southern

politician Tom Watson to join the

movement)

http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/eagle/c

ongress/congress.html

http://projects.vassar.edu/1896/watson.html

Wilmington Race Riot of 1898

• Unfortunately, the successes of blacks to win

office and thrive in the Populist Movement in NC

led white supremacist factions to retake power

by fraud and force in Wilmington and across the

state.

• When the riot was over, an unknown number of

blacks had been killed (perhaps several

hundred) and hundreds had been driven from

town, their property seized or destroyed by white

rioters.

Wilmington Race Riot 1898

http://www.mith.umd.edu/courses/amvirtual/wilmington/wilmington.html

1898 Wilmington Race Riot • This event marked a turning point for

blacks in the South.

• African-American political power was

diminished by restrictions on voting and

office holding, and their economic power

shrank as well.

http://www.pbs.org/jazz/time/time_jim_crow.htm

What happened to the Populists?

• Anyone who portrays him or herself to be

a champion of the common man is

considered a populist.

• However the power of the Populist Party

diminished and gradually faded after the

1896 election.

What about the Populists’ agenda?

• Many of the Populists’ ideals and goals

were achieved, if not by them, by others,

such as the Progressives.

http://rooseveltinstitution.org/about/roosevelts

So, what is the Populist legacy? • The secret ballot

• Initiative, referendum, recall elections

• 16th Amendment-income tax

• 17th Amendment-direct election of

senators

• Government regulation, if not ownership of

big businesses, like rail, communications,

and banks

• The US left the gold standard

Political Cartoons

Create Your Own Political

Cartoon • Create a list of 5 Populist issues most

prominent in these cartoons or in

Discussion.

• Students will create a political cartoon in

which they take at least one of these

issues and update it to show its

importance to Americans today

• Write a caption to explain the cartoon.