US History

The Development of the Industrial United States (1870-1900)

Labor History

This collection uses primary sources to explore the Populist Movement.

An 1898 newspaper article from Raleigh, NC about the potential collaborations between Republican and Populist parties.

An excerpt from a Populist speech given by Dr. Cyrus Thompson on August 19, 1898 in Clinton, NC. 

A John Lind campaign button, propaganda for the 1898 gubernatorial election in Minnesota. 

A John Lind campaign ribbon, propaganda for the 1896 gubernatorial election in Minnesota. 

A photograph from approximately 1907 of Thomas E. Watson and family.

A political cartoon about William Jennings Bryan, probably from 1906.

An excerpt from a biography of James B. Weaver written by E. A. Allen in 1892. 

An excerpt from a speech made in the NC Congress about race and Populists in 1900.

An excerpt from an anti-saloon songbook written in 1899.

A printed broadside from Darlington, SC on May 24, 1899, beginning “Brothers of the Farmers’ Alliance,” about cotton bagging prices.

Questions

1. Based on a close examination of the [campaign button](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-populist-movement/sources/466), [campaign ribbon](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-populist-movement/sources/467), and [Watson photograph](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-populist-movement/sources/468), explain how the Populist party appealed to voters.
2. What were some personal characteristics of Populists like Jim Weaver (as explained in the [biography](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-populist-movement/sources/470))? How did those characteristics cater to the Populists voters?
3. In the [NC Congress speech](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-populist-movement/sources/471), Isaac Smith, an African American Republican congressman, responded to C.H. Johnson, a white Populist congressman, by criticizing the Populist party for exploiting black voters. Why would the Populist party attract black voters? 
4. In the last paragraph of the [broadside](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-populist-movement/sources/473), the writer encourages farmers to mobilize for action. What are his main arguments and how do they reflect the Populist party? Provide a contemporary example of the “little man” against the “giant corporation.”


Activity

1. Ask students to create a Populist song in the mold of the anti-saloon song from the [songbook](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-populist-movement/sources/472), taking into account all of the arguments of the Populist party from the sources in this set.
2. Ask students to compare and contrast the Populist party and the contemporary Tea Party or Green Party, writing a two-to-three-page argumentative essay explaining how and why there are similarities and differences between the parties.


Teaching Guide: Exploring the Populist Movement

Resources

1. [The Populist Party](http://projects.vassar.edu/1896/populists.html), Vassar College. 
2. [The Populist Movement and the Struggle for Reform](http://www.colorado.edu/AmStudies/lewis/2010/populism.htm), University of Colorado Boulder. 
3. [Jim Crow Stories: The Populist Movement](http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_org_populist.html), PBS. 

Overview

In late-nineteenth-century United States, agrarian reformers in southern and midwestern states collaboratively organized for government action against business monopolies, exorbitant railroad rates, secret ballots and political corruption, and the gold standard for currency. Because the Republican and Democratic parties were not meeting their needs, these “common men” farmers and small business owners joined the “people’s party” or Populist party as a third- party alternative. Emerging from earlier political efforts of farmers, such as the Granger movement and the Farmer’s Alliance, the Populists attracted not only rural white male farmers, but also African American farmers and women reformers. This primary source set highlights prominent Populists, propaganda from political campaigns, and political arguments of the movement. After reading and viewing these documents, assess how central the “common people” are to the movement.

English

The Populist Movement

populist-movement_05_e1179ffb6aed7a049a944285927335b8.jpg

Courtesy of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill via North Carolina Digital Heritage Center.

“Thomas E. Watson with his family and others,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/e1179ffb6aed7a049a944285927335b8.

A photograph from approximately 1907 of Thomas E. Watson and family.

Cite this item

Tips for Students

Item 5 of 10 in the Primary Source Set The Populist Movement