Populist Party Analysis

The Populist Party usually consisted of middle-class farmers who wanted change from the government. They believed that government should be more involved in society, whereas political parties before embraced a Laissez Faire government. They called themselves the people’s party; which was fitting considering their demands for reform. They called for an 8-hour work day, secret ballots, a direct vote for the legislature, thought the government should own and operate the railroads, and many other topics that society sees today. The Populist Party formed out of the farmer’s alliance who wanted reform from the railroad company, however, quickly died out. Populists saw themselves bettering the economy and community. In the cartoon “In Which Box will the Voter of ’96 put his Ballot” we can see how the Populist had this ideal society consisting of schools and churches and families; whereas instead of churches and schools the Democratic party would fill the streets with saloons and jails. The Republican party wasn’t depicted much …show more content…
In the cartoon, “How to Lift the Burden from Labor” this very idea is shown. It shows how the Populist are the only people to lift the mass of these corruptions from the working man, who is represented by labor. In the cartoon, “Here Lies Prosperity” you once again see this idea of labor being weighed down by debt and interest. The cartoon shows how Congress consists of corrupt people who do nothing to help the working men. In the cartoon, “What God Freely Gives” we can see how big businesses only serve to help themselves. In the cartoon, everyone else serves a purpose or create a product that benefits another person; which the populist saw as the only way to create value. This cartoon showed how big businesses only benefited from the labor of