Essay On The Populist Movement

While it was initially a success, in the long term the Populist movement faltered. Farmers tried to overcome deflation and falling crop prices by forming organaizations such as the Grange and the Farmers’ Alliance. Many farmers joined the Populist Party in the 1890s. “Populism was a movement to increase farmers’ political power and to work for legislation in their interest. Farmers joined the Populist movement because they were in the midst of an economic crisis” (The American Vision 470). The greater supply of crops due to new technology caused prices to fall, high tariffs presented farmers with difficulty in selling their goods overseas, and farmers felt they were victimized by banks and railroads. During the Civil War, the amount …show more content…
Instead, the Democrats nominated a strong supporter of silver, William Jennings Bryan. When the Populists held a convention in St. Louis, they decided to support Bryan as well. Catholic immigrants and other city dwellers did not care for the silver issue or Bryan’s speaking style. The Republicans were determined to beat the Democrats and elected William McKinley, the governor of Ohio, as their candidate. McKinley won the election of 1896 with 51 percent of the popular vote and 95 electoral votes. McKinley had a “Front Porch Campaign” and provided a “full dinner pail” which was important to urban workers because “the economy was still in a severe recession…” (The American Vision 475). Most business leaders supported the Republicans. “McKinley’s reputation as a moderate on labor issues and as tolerant toward ethnic groups helped improve the Republican Party’s image with urban workers and immigrants” (The American Vision 475). “By embracing populism and its rural base, Bryan and the Democrats lost the northeastern industrial areas, where votes were concentrated.” (The American Vision 475). The Populist Party declined after