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Chapter Twenty Commonwealth and Empire, 1870–1900 Section 1 American Communities The Cooperative Commonwealth • Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backward described a utopian society in which the economy was under the collective ownership of the people. – Suggested the fullest development of each person is possible in a cooperative, egalitarian society – People enjoyed short workdays, long vacations, and retired at age 45. • The Point Loma community was established near San Diego in 1897. – It was a communal society that provided both private and shared housing. – No one earned wages. – The men sought self-sufficiency through agriculture while the women made clothing to be worn. – The members of the community shared two meals a day and spent leisure time together. – Donations from admirers and wealthy members allowed the community to last for decades. Section 2 Toward a National Governing Class The Growth of Government • The size and scope of government at all levels grew rapidly during the gilded age. – Because society became more complex & interdependent • New employees, agencies, and responsibilities changed the character of government. • Taxes increased as local governments assumed responsibility for providing such vital services as police, fire protection, water, schools, and parks. • Departments that grew were: – Department of Agriculture – Department of the Treasury – Department of the Interior • The Interstate Commerce Commission was created to regulate commercial activity that the states could not The Machinery of Politics • The federal government developed its departmental bureaucracy. • Power resided in Congress and the state legislatures. • The Political Parties in the late 19th century were local and state organizations using political machines – A group that controls the activities of a political party – Using bribe money & personal favors • The two political parties only gradually adapted to the demands of the new era. – Political campaigns featured the vision that reflected the strong competition for votes. – Political machines financed their campaigns through kickbacks and bribes and ensured support by providing services for working-class neighborhoods. • Offices were filled by the spoils system that rewarded friends of the winning party. • Tariffs increased in the late 19th century The Spoils System and Civil Service Reform • In 1885, Congress passed the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act that created the civil service system and a professional bureaucracy. – Established a commission to set guidelines for civil service personal • Qualifications – Spur the development of regulatory societies • Maintaining groups – Ban the assessment of a “tax” on the salaries of holders of party sponsored jobs – Had to pass an exam • The legislative branch was also given a more active role in government under the Circuit Court of Appeals Act of 1891. – Congress granted the U.S. Supreme Court the right to review all cases at will. Section 3 Farmers and Workers Organize Their Communities The Grange • Farmers and workers built movements that challenged the existing system. • The Grange formed in the 1870s by farmers in the Great Plains and South who suffered boom and bust conditions and natural disasters. • The Grangers – Built grain elevators & manufactured farm equipment – Sponsored social occasions that improved the farmers lives – Responded to the farmers frustration over falling farm prices & high interest rates • Grangers blamed hard times on a band of “thieves in the night,” especially railroads, and pushed through laws regulating shipping rates and other farm costs. – The depression of the late 1870s wiped out most of these programs. The Farmers’ Alliance • The Alliance sought to: – Limit the salaries of public officials – Provide public schools students with books for free or a small fee – Wanted a program of teacher certification – New state colleges • The Party Platform – state ownership of railroads – Graduated income tax & lower tariffs – Restriction of land ownership to citizens • Northern Plains farmer organizations soon joined the Alliance. • Midwestern farm groups battled railroad influence. • By 1890, the Alliance was a major power in several states demanding a series of economic reforms. Workers Search for Power • In 1877, a “Great Uprising” shut down railroads all across the country. – Federal troops were called out, precipitating violence. – Government created national guards to prevent similar occurrences. • Workers organized stronger unions that increasingly resorted to strikes and created labor parties. • Efforts to set higher standards in society, promote professionalism, and protect the public included: – Passage of the Circuit Court of Appeals Act of 1891 • This Act created 9 more courts and dropped the work load for the Supreme Court Justices – Establishment of the American Medical Association • Continuing medical education • Largest association of physicians & medical student in the United States – Establishment of the American Historical Association • Promotes historical studies and the preservation and access to historical documents • Henry George ran for mayor of New York on the United Labor Party ticket and finished a respectable second. • In the late 1880s, labor parties won seats on numerous city councils and in state legislatures in industrial areas where workers outnumbered other classes. Women Build Alliances • Women actively shaped labor and agrarian protest. • Women’s Christian Temperance Movement Union was the most effective organization advocating the right to vote for women – They also worked to reform the prison system – As well as wanting total abstinence from alcoholic beverages • The Knights included women at their national convention and even ran day-care centers and baking cooperatives. • Women were active members in the Grange and Alliances. • The greatest female leader was Frances E. Willard, who: – was president of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union – mobilized nearly 1 million women to promote reform and to work for women’s suffrage Populism and the People’s Party • Between 1890 and 1892, the Farmers’ Alliance, the Knights of Labor, the National Colored Farmers’ Alliance and other organizations formed the People’s Party. • The People’s Party platform called for: – government ownership of railroads, banks, and the telegraph – the eight-hour day – the graduated income tax, and other reforms • Though the party lost the 1892 presidential race, Populists elected three governors, ten congressional representatives, and five senators. Section 4 The Crisis of the 1890s The Depression of 1893 • In 1893, the collapse of the nation’s major rail lines precipitated a major depression. • Full recovery was not achieved until the early 1900s. – Unemployment soared and many suffered great hardships. – Tens of thousands took to the road in search of work or food. • Jacob Coxey called for a march on Washington to demand relief through public works programs. – “Coxey’s Army” was greeted warmly by most communities on the way to Washington. – The attorney general, who was a former lawyer for a railroad company, conspired to stop the march. – Police clubbed and arrested the marchers for trespassing on the grass in Washington. Strikes: Coeur d’Alene, Homestead, and Pullman • Strikes were sparked by wage cuts, longer work days, and big business attempts to destroy unions. • In Coeur d’Alene, Idaho a strike by miners involved peaceful protests as well as a violence-plagued strike that was broken up by federal and state troops. – The miners formed the Western Federation of Miners. • Homestead Strike – Employer and employees had been in negotiations for months – General Manager announced wage cuts of 20% – Workers fire at factory • More than 10 people died • Workers thought they had won • It was a defeat for the workers and the unions • The Steel plant re-opened and hired non-union workers • Carnegie company reduced their workforce, cut wages and lengthened the hours of their employees • George Pullman created the sleeping car for the railroads • He had a self-contained company – Factory in the center – Cottages surrounding the factory – Library – Churches – Water supply – Cemetery – No saloons • He deducted rent, library fees, & grocery bills from the workers paychecks • In times of crisis, Pullman would cut the wages of his employees • Prices for food and rent remained unchanged • Pullman Strike – Eugene V. Debs became a socialist to make the government more responsive to the workers • He became the leader for the workers – On May 11,1894, three thousand Pullman workers went on a "wildcat" strike, that is, without authorization of their union – Many of the strikers belonged to the American Railroad Union (ARU) founded by Eugene V. Debs. • He was a socialist • He wanted to government to respond to the workers – On June 26, 1894, some ARU members refused to allow any train with a Pullman car to move, except those with mail cars. Debs did not want federal troops to get involved, and he knew that if the U.S. mail was tampered with, the troops would be there immediately. • On July 4, President Grover Cleveland sent in federal troops to Chicago. • Debs was arrested • The Strike ended with the federal troop firing on strikers, killing 25 people • Unions were not recognized for the next 30 years The Social Gospel • A “social gospel” movement led by ministers such as Washington Gladden, called for churches to fight against social injustice. • This movement tried to influence people to take action to reform society to benefit all. • Charles M. Sheldon urged readers to rethink their actions by asking: “What would Jesus do?” • The Catholic Church endorsed the right of workers to form trade unions. • Immigrant Catholic groups urged priests to ally with the labor movement. • Women’s religious groups such as the YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) strove to provide services for poor women. The Free Silver Issue • Grover Cleveland won the 1892 election by capturing the traditional Democratic South and German voters alienated by Republican nativist appeals. • When the economy collapsed in 1893, government figures concentrated on longstanding currency issues to provide a solution. • The debate was over hard money backed by gold or soft money backed by silver. – Cleveland favored a return to the gold standard, losing much popular support. Populism's Last Campaign • The hard times strengthened the Populists, who were silver advocates. • They recorded strong gains in 1894. • But in 1896, when the Democrats nominated William Jennings Bryan as a champion of free silver, Populists decided to run a fusion ticket of Bryan and Tom Watson. • Republicans ran William McKinley as a safe alternative to Bryan. – Republicans characterized Bryan as a dangerous man who would cost voters their jobs. • President William McKinley suggested – – – – Raising the tariff Bankruptcy act for small business Creation of the United States Industrial Commission Settling the currency questions with the Gold Standards Act The Election of 1896 • William Jennings Bryan won the Democratic & Populist nominations for the President in 1896 because of his support for the free and unlimited coinage of silver • Bryan won 46% of the vote but failed to carry the Midwest, Far West, and Upper South. – Traditional Democratic groups like Catholics were uncomfortable with Bryan and voted Republican. • In the election of 1896 the Republicans spent huge amount of $ labeling Bryan as a radical • The Populist party disappeared and the Democrats became a minority party. • McKinley promoted a mixture of pro-business and expansionist foreign policies. – United States Industrial Commission • Plan business regulation – Promoted Bankruptcy act • This would ease conditions for small business – Gold Standard Act • Established that gold was only standard for redeeming paper money • The return to prosperity after 1898 insured continued Republican control. Section 5 The Age of Segregation Nativism and Jim Crow • Neither McKinley nor Bryan addressed the increased racism and nativism throughout the nation. • Nativists blamed foreign workers for hard times and considered them unfit for democracy. • The decline of the Populist party led to the establishment of white supremacy as the political force in the South. – Southern whites enacted a system of legal segregation and disenfranchised blacks, approved by the Supreme Court • Plessy V Ferguson – Supreme Court decision that states that facilities could be separate as long as they were equal – “Separate but equal” • Reformers abandoned their traditional support for black rights and accepted segregation and disenfranchisement. • African Americans were restricted from voting by: – Poll taxes •$ – Literacy test • Ability to read & write – Property qualifications • Proof of $300 to $500 in property – Grandfather clause • Proof that their grandfathers had voted Mob Violence and Lynching • Racial violence escalated. • In Wilmington, North Carolina “massacre” of 1898 was an example of the anti-black mob violence to try to suppress the rights of blacks • Between 1882 and 1900 lynching's usually exceeded a hundred each year. – They were announced in newspapers and became public spectacles. – Railroads offered special excursion prices to people traveling to attend lynching's. – Postcards were often printed as souvenirs. • Tom Watson called for political equality for blacks & whites before 1896 • Ida B. Wells launched a one-woman anti-lynching crusade. – She argued that lynching was a brutal device to get rid of African Americans who were becoming too powerful or prosperous. – She published a pamphlet called A Red Record – National Association of Colored Women was formed – Showed that most of the lynching victims were not accused of rape Section 6 “Imperialism of Righteousness” The White Man’s Burden • Many Americans proposed that the economic crisis required new markets for American production. • Others suggested Americans needed new frontiers to maintain their democracy. • The Chicago World’s Fair: – showed how American products might be marketed throughout the world – pointed out American superiority and its opportunities worldwide • A growing number of writers urged America to take up the “White Man’s Burden.” – Imperialism • Clergymen like Josiah Strong urged Americans to help Christianize and civilize the world. – Strong emphasized that saving the souls and bodes of the less fortunate worldwide Foreign Missions • After the Civil War, missionary activity increased throughout the non-western world. – College campuses blazed with missionary excitement. – The YMCA and YWCA embarked on a worldwide crusade to reach non-Christians. • Missionaries helped generate public interest in foreign lands and laid the groundwork for economic expansion. An Overseas Empire • Beginning in the late 1860s, the United States began expanding overseas. • Secretary of State William Henry Seward launched the nation’s Pacific empire by buying Alaska and expanding the United States presence in Hawaii. • The U.S. policy emphasized economic control, particularly in Latin America. • During the 1880s and 1890s, the United States strengthened its navy and began playing an increased role throughout the Western Hemisphere and the Pacific. – Great White Fleet sailed around the world • Boxer Rebellion – – – – – Chinese secret societies like the “Boxers” They trained in martial arts Societies did not like the Western ways May of 1900 the Boxers killed foreign missionaries Boxer Rebellion • Violence start by member of a secret society in China, which prompted the governments of Europe & America to send troops to squash the rebellion • In response to this the United States sent troops into China Hawaii • The U.S. annexes Hawaii – President Harris signed the treaty but could not get support from the Senate – President Grover Cleveland found that a majority of the people in the Hawaii did not want the treaty – President William McKinley favored the annexation – The approval went through in 1898 • Hawaii was a stepping-stone to Asian markets. • In 1899, Secretary of State John Hay proclaimed the Open Door policy in Asia to ensure American access and laid the basis for twentieth-century foreign policy. – Trade with China Section 7 The Spanish-American War The United States and Cuba • A movement to gain independence from Spain began in the 1860s. • Americans sympathized with Cuban revolutionaries. – The Spanish were imposing harsh taxes. – By 1895, public interest in Cuban affairs grew, spurred on by grisly horror stories of Spanish treatment of revolutionaries. – The Spanish General Weyler deprived the rebels of food & more recruits – The people were put in reconcentration camps • Died of disease & starvations – The Spanish as well as the Cubans destroyed the American property – Americans were sympathetic • The Yellow press inflames Opinion – Joseph Pulitzer & William Randolph Hearst owned their own newspapers – Yellow Press-newspapers that used sensational headlines & exaggerated stories in order to promote readership – President McKinley warned the Spanish to establish peace or the U.S. would step in – Cuba wanted independence – Spain would not grant it – A letter was leaked to Hearst • It was from Spain’s ambassador to W.D.C. • It called McKinley weak & stupid • Hearst gave it the headline “Worst Insult to the United States in Its History” • This fueled jingoism- aggressive nationalism – This worsened the relations with Spain • The Maine blows up – Of the 350 officers & crew on board 266 died – The Yellow Press claimed that Spain was the one who blew up the Maine – President McKinley investigated the cause of the explosion – They concluded that a mine had destroyed the ship – Most people blamed Spain • The Nation goes to War – Newspapers “Remember the Maine” – McKinley asked Congress to for authority to use force against Spain to end the fighting in Cuba – Navy blockade Cuban ports & called more then 100,000 volunteers – Spain declared war on the United States • American were enthusiastic about the war • 200,000 men enlisted A “Splendid Little War” in Cuba • The United States smashed Spanish power in what John Hay called “a splendid little war.” • The Platt Amendment protected U. S. interests and acknowledged its unilateral right to intervene in Cuban affairs. – Cuba would have to provide land for the United States bases – Cuba could not sign a treaty with the approval of the United States – Cuba had to pay back debts to the United States – U.S. could intervene in Cuba anytime • The United States also annexed a number of other Caribbean and Pacific islands including the Philippines. • Arguments for the United States to keep Spain’s formers colonies – That the people could not rule themselves – It was the duty of the U.S. to guide the less civilized – The colonies needed protection – If the U.S. did not take them then other countries would War in the Philippines • Initially, Filipino rebels welcomed American troops in their fight against Spain. • The goal was to gain foreign markets • After the United States intended to annex their country, they turned against their former allies. • Between 1899 and 1902, Americans fought a war that led to the death of one in every five Filipinos. – Supporters defended the war as bringing civilization to the Filipinos. – Critics saw the abandonment of traditional support for self-determination and warned against bringing in dark-skinned people. • Reforms lead to promise of self-rule – William Howard Taft (future president) became governor if the Philippines – Extended the limits of self-rule – Construction of schools, roads & bridges – 1916-Congress passed the Jones Act which would ultimately give the Philippines independence – 30 years later after the liberation of the Japanese Islands after WWII the Philippines became independent Critics of Empire • The Filipino war stimulated the founding of an Anti-Imperialist League that denounced the war and territorial annexation in no uncertain terms. • Anti-Imperialist supporters were – W.E.B. Du Bois – Andrew Carnegie – Charles Francis Adams – Mark Twain • Critics cited democratic and racists reasons for anti-imperialism. • Most Americans put aside their doubts and welcomed the new era of aggressive nationalism. • Anti-Imperialist members thought that a war was a threat to the United States’ government, ideals & population • REVIEW 1. A Two-Party Stalemate Two-Party “Balance” 2. Intense Voter Loyalty to the Two Major Political Parties 3. Well-Defined Voting Blocs Democratic Bloc White southerners (preservation of white supremacy) Catholics Recent immigrants (esp. Jews) Urban working poor (pro-labor) Most farmers Republican Bloc Northern whites (pro-business) African Americans Northern Protestants Old WASPs (support for anti-immigrant laws) Most of the middle class 4. Very Laissez Faire Federal Govt. From 1870-1900 Govt. did very little domestically. Main duties of the federal govt.: Deliver the mail. Maintain a national military. Collect taxes & tariffs. Conduct a foreign policy. Exception administer the annual Civil War veterans’ pension. 5. The Presidency as a Symbolic Office Party bosses ruled. Presidents should avoid offending any factions within their own party. Senator Roscoe Conkling The President just doled out federal jobs. 1865 53,000 people worked for the federal govt. 1890 166,000 “ “ “ “ “ “ 1880 Presidential Election: Republicans Half Breeds Stalwarts Sen. James G. Blaine (Maine) compromis e James A. Garfield Sen. Roscoe Conkling (New York) Chester A. Arthur (VP) 1880 Presidential Election: Democrats Inspecting the Democratic Curiosity Shop 1880 Presidential Election 1881: Garfield Assassinated! Charles Guiteau: I Am a Stalwart, and Arthur is President now! Chester A. Arthur: The Fox in the Chicken Coop? Pendleton Act (1883) Civil Service Act. The “Magna Carta” of civil service reform. 1883 14,000 out of 117,000 federal govt. jobs became civil service exam positions. 1900 100,000 out of 200,000 civil service federal govt. jobs. Republican “Mugwumps” Reformers who wouldn’t re-nominate Chester A. Arthur. Reform to them create a disinterested, impartial govt. run by an educated elite like themselves. Social Darwinists. Laissez faire government to them: Favoritism & the spoils system seen as govt. intervention in society. Their target was political corruption, not social or economic reform! The Mugwumps Men may come and men may go, but the work of reform shall go on forever. Will support Cleveland in the 1884 election. 1884 Presidential Election Grover Cleveland * (DEM) James Blaine (REP) A Dirty Campaign Ma, Ma…where’s my pa? He’s going to the White House, ha… ha… ha…! Little Lost Mugwump Blaine in 1884 Rum, Romanism & Rebellion! Led a delegation of ministers to Blaine in NYC. Reference to the Democratic Party. Blaine was slow to repudiate the remark. Dr. Samuel Burchard Narrow victory for Cleveland [he wins NY by only 1149 votes!]. 1884 Presidential Election Cleveland’s First Term The “Veto Governor” from New York. First Democratic elected since 1856. A public office is a public trust! His laissez-faire presidency: Opposed bills to assist the poor as well as the rich. Vetoed over 200 special pension bills for Civil War veterans! Bravo, Señor Clevelando! The Tariff Issue After the Civil War, Congress raised tariffs to protect new US industries. Big business wanted to continue this; consumers did not. 1885 tariffs earned the US $100 mil. in surplus! Mugwumps opposed it WHY??? President Cleveland’s view on tariffs???? Tariffs became a major issue in the 1888 presidential election. Filing the Rough Edges Tariff of 1888 1888 Presidential Election Grover Cleveland (DEM) Benjamin Harrison * (REP) Coming Out for Harrison The Smallest Specimen Yet 1888 Presidential Election Disposing the Surplus Changing Public Opinion Americans wanted the federal govt. to deal with growing soc. & eco. problems & to curb the power of the trusts: Interstate Commerce Act – 1887 Sherman Antitrust Act – 1890 McKinley Tariff – 1890 Based on the theory that prosperity flowed directly from protectionism. Increased already high rates another 4%! Rep. Party suffered big losses in 1890 (even McKinley lost his House seat!). 1892 Presidential Election Grover Cleveland again! * (DEM) Benjamin Harrison (REP) 1892 Presidential Election Cleveland Loses Support Fast! The only President to serve two nonconsecutive terms. Blamed for the 1893 Panic. Defended the gold standard. Used federal troops in the 1894 Pullman strike. Refused to sign the Wilson-Gorman Tariff of 1894. Repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act. • REVIEW The Silver Issue “Crime of ’73” demonetization of silver (govt. stopped coining silver). Bland-Allison Act (1878) limited silver coinage to $2-$4 mil. per mo. (based on the 16:1 ratio of silver to gold). Sherman Silver Purchase Act (1890) The US Treasury must purchase $4.5 mil. oz. of silver a month. Govt. deposited most silver in the US Treasury rather than circulation. Price Indexes for Consumer & Farm Products: 1865-1913 Founder of the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry (1867) The Grange Movement First organized in the 1870s in the Midwest, the south, and Texas. Set up cooperative associations. Social and educational components. Succeeded in lobbying for “Granger Laws.” Rapidly declined by the late 1870s. Supreme Court Decisions Munn vs. Illinois (1877) Wabash, St. Louis, & Pacific Railroad Company vs. Illinois (1886) Gift for the Grangers: The Farmer Pays for All! The Farmers Alliances Begun in the late 1880s (Texas first the Southern Alliance; then in the Midwest the Northern Alliance). Built upon the ashes of the Grange. More political and less social than the Grange. Ran candidates for office. Controlled 8 state legislatures & had 47 representatives in Congress during the 1890s. United We Stand, Divided We Fall In 1889 both the Northern and Southern Alliances merged into one—the Farmers’ Alliance. The Populist (Peoples’) Party 1890 Bi-Election: So. Alliance wanted to gain control of the Democratic Party. No. Alliance ran 3rd Party candidates. 1892 800 met in St. Louis, MO majority were Alliance members. over 100 were African Americans. reps. of labor organizations & other reformers (Grange, Greenback Party). Platform of Lunacy The Populist (Peoples’) Party Founded by James B. Weaver and Tom Watson. Omaha, NE Convention in July, 1892. Got almost 1 million popular votes. Several Congressional seats won. James B. Weaver, Presidential Candidate & James G. Field, VP Omaha Platform of 1892 1. Abolition of the National Bank. 2. 3. 4. 5. System of “sub-treasuries.” Direct election of Senators. Govt. ownership of RRs, telephone & telegraph companies. Government-operated postal savings banks. 6. Restriction of undesirable immigration. 7. 8-hour work day for government employees. 8. Abolition of the Pinkerton detective agency. 9. Australian secret ballot. 10. Re-monitization of silver. 11. A single term for President & Vice President. Govt.-Owned Companies 1892 Election Bi-Metallism Issue Causes of the 1893 Panic Begun 10 days after Cleveland took office. 1. Several major corps. went bankrupt. Over 16,000 businesses disappeared. Triggered a stock market crash. Over-extended investments. 2. Bank failures followed causing a contraction of credit [nearly 500 banks closed]. 3. By 1895, unemployment reached 3 million. Americans cried out for relief, but the Govt. continued its laissez faire policies!! Here Lies Prosperity Written by a Farmer at the End of the 19c 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. Coxey’s Army, 1894 Jacob Coxey & his “Army of the Commonweal of Christ.” March on Washington “hayseed socialists!” Result of Election Returns Populist vote increased by 40% in the bi-election year, 1894. Democratic party losses in the West were catastrophic! But, Republicans won control of the House. Gold / Silver Bug Campaign Pins William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925) The “Great Commoner” William Jennings Bryan Revivalist style of oratory. Prairie avenger, mountain lion, Bryan, Bryan, Bryan, Bryan, Gigantic troubadour, speaking like a siege gun, Smashing Plymouth Rock with his boulders from the West. Bryant’s “Cross of Gold” Speech You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns; you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold! Bryan: The Farmers Friend (The Mint Ratio) 18,000 miles of campaign “whistle stops.” Democratic Party Taken Over by the Agrarian Left Platform tariff reductions; income tax; stricter control of the trusts (esp. RRs); free silver. Mark Hanna: The “Front-Porch” Campaign William McKinley (1843-1901) Mark Hanna to Candidate McKinley “A Giant Straddle”: Suggestion for a McKinley Political Poster The Seasoned Politician vs. The “Young” Newcomer Joshua A. Levering: Prohibition Party Into Which Box Will the Voter of ’96 Place His Ballot? 1896 Election Results Why Did Bryan Loose? His focus on silver undermined efforts to build bridges to urban voters. He did not form alliances with other groups. McKinley’s campaign was well- organized and highly funded. Gold Triumphs Over Silver 1900 Gold Standard Act confirmed the nation’s commitment to the gold standard. A victory for the forces of conservatism. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum 1964: Henry Littlefield’s “Thesis”? “Parable of the Populists”? Tornado ? Dorothy ? Kansas ? Tin Woodsman ? The Wizard ? Oz ? Munchkins ? Wicked Witch of the West ? Scarecrow ? Flying Monkeys ? Cowardly Lion ? Yellow Winkies ? Emerald City ? Toto ? Wicked Witch of the East ? Silver Slippers ? Yellow Brick Road ? Heyday of Western Populism Why Did Populism Decline? 1. The economy experienced rapid change. 2. The era of small producers and farmers was fading away. 3. Race divided the Populist Party, especially in the South. 4. The Populists were not able to break existing party loyalties. 5. Most of their agenda was co-opted by the Democratic Party. But, Populism Still Lives! Al Gore (Dem) in 2000 But, Populism Still Lives! John Edwards (Dem) in 2008