Exploring American History Unit VI

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Exploring American HistoryUnit VI A Growing
America

• Chapter 18
• Section 3 Farming and Populism

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Farming and Populism

• The Big Idea
• Settlers on the Great Plains created new
  communities and unique political groups.
• Main Ideas
• Many Americans started new lives on the Great
  Plains.
• Economic challenges led to the creation of
  farmers political groups.
• By the 1890s, the western frontier had come to an
  end.

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New Lives in the West
Farming

• Building Communities
• Annie Bidwell

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Blizzards on the Plains
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Main Idea 1 Many Americans started new lives on
the Great Plains.

• Two important land-grant acts helped open the
  West to settlers in 1862.
• The Homestead Act.
• The Morrill Act.
• People who made new lives in the West included
  women, immigrants, and African Americans.
• Exodusters

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Homestead Act - 1862
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Morrill Act - 1862
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New lives on the Plains

• How did the Homestead Act and Morrill Act open up
  the West?
• What were some of the Challenges of farming on
  the Plains?
• Why did the Plains farmers give up on crops such
  as corn?

• Who was Annie Bidwell
• How did the formation of communities help the
  settlers.

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Farmers on the Great Plains

• Reasons

• Political Challenges

• Challenges

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Main Idea 2Economic challenges led to the
creation of farmers political groups.

• The United States was growing during the period
  1860-1900.
• Farm incomes fell.
• Farmers formed associations to protect their
  interests.

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Farmers- during and after the Civil War.

• During the Civil War.
• After the War.

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The National Grange and the Railroads
The National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry.
The Grange called for laws.

• The Supreme Court ruled
• 1877
• 1886

Congress passed the Interstate Commerce Act in
1887-
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Farmers reform movements

• Interstate Commerce Act of 1887-

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Free Silver Debate and the Populist Party
Free Silver Debate
Populist Party
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Sherman Silver Purchase Act- 1890
The Sherman Silver Purchase Act was enacted in
1890 as a United States federal law. A
compromise with the advocates of free and
unlimited coinage of silver.
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Populist Party- The goal was not just to relieve
economic pressure on agriculture, but also to
restore democracy by eliminating what the
Populists saw as the corrupt and corrupting
alliance between business and government.

• Platform Omaha 1892

Mary Lease
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William Jennings Bryan

• Politician
• Supported
• Populist
• Influential speaker and newspaper editor
• Democratic candidate for president in
• Populists supported Bryan.
• One Main Issue-

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Populist Party

• Election of 1896
• Republican William McKinley-
• Democrat/Populist William Jennings Bryant-

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Farmers Political Groups

• Why did farm incomes fall?
• What is the National Grange?
• Do you think the government should have regulated
  railroad rates to help farmers?

• What were Farmers Alliances?
• What were the Populist Partys main issues?
• What did the 1896 election results sayh about the
  Americans view on the free silver debate?

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Main Idea 3 By the 1890s, the western frontier
had come to an end.

• Only small portions of the Great Plains remained
  unsettled by 1870.
• Oklahoma land rush.
• The frontier had ceased to exist in the United
  States by the early 1890s.

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Main Idea 3 By the 1890s, the western frontier
had come to an end.

• To whom did the land claimed by homesteaders in
  the Oklahoma land rush previously belong?
• Why do you think so many people rushed to
  Oklahoma to claim land?

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