1 / 22

Thinking the People

This exploration delves into the historical challenges of inequality in America, questioning whether concentrated economic power poses a threat to freedom and democracy. It reflects on the political corruption of the era, the plight of laborers, and landmark court cases like Lochner v. New York that shaped the labor landscape. The rise of the Knights of Labor and the emergence of the Populists showcased the alliances between urban workers and rural farmers, advocating for reform against the oppressive influences of big business and the entrenched political system.

juro
Télécharger la présentation

Thinking the People

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Thinking the People

  2. The Problem of Inequality

  3. Was concentrated economic power a threat to freedom and democracy? • Ex: railroads, financiers, monopolies, “robber barons” • Was American Dream an illusion?

  4. Doubts about Democracy • Poor could vote to take from the rich • Political corruption • Danger of regulation (8 hour workday) • “Social Darwinism”

  5. The Courts Agree • Lochner v. New York (1905) • Made limits on work hours illegal • Coppage v. Kansas (1915) • OK’d “yellow dog” contracts • Issues injunctions to break strikes

  6. The “Labor Question” • Economic mobility no longer possible? • Permanent class of factory workers? • Unionization?

  7. The Knights of Labor • 800,000 members at height (1886) • First union to include skilled and unskilled, blacks, women, etc. (except Asians) • Capitalists=the new “slave power”

  8. The War in the Streets • 1886: 350,000 rally for 8-hour day • Ironworkers strike in Chicago • Police kill strikers

  9. The Haymarket Massacre

  10. The Haymarket Massacre • Bomb attack during protest • Police again open fire • Activists raided and arrested • 8 anarchists convicted on thin evidence

  11. What’s the Matter with Kansas? • Farmers unhappy too • Growing debt • To pay for fertilizer, equipment, etc., esp. in West • Declining prices for crops • Competition from abroad

  12. The Chickens Are Restless • Farmers’ Alliance • Founded in TX, late 1870s • Biggest movement of 19th century • Wanted farmers not to depend on banks • Finance and market their own crops

  13. The People’s Party • aka the “Populists” • Establishes newspapers, sends speakers throughout countryside • Traditional vision of the small producer

  14. “Cyclone” Davis Mary Elizabeth Lease “raise less corn and more hell”

  15. The Pops’ Platform (1892) • Direct election of Senators • Graduated income tax • Public ownership of railroads • Right to unionize

  16. The Populists’ Challenge • Break two-party system • Attempt to unite urban workers and rural farmers • Black and white farmers in the South vs. white supremacist Democrats

  17. The Cross of Gold • Populists join w/ Dems to support William Jennings Bryan for President in 1896 • Famous 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.”

  18. The Money Issue • Populists and Dems rally behind “free silver” • Republicans and big business support William McKinley and “sound money”/gold standard • Republicans win big

More Related