DOCSLIB.ORG

Collapsible Coliseum Cross of Gold

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Collapsible Coliseum Cross of Gold a'" ­ VOLUME 18 PUBUSHED BY THE HYDE PARK HISTORICAL SOCIETY AUTUMN 1996 BY JAMES STRONKS In the swnmer of 1895 "The Greatest Building on Earth" (so said the flag on its roof) was going up on 63d Street, a block west of Stony Island Avenue. Inland Architect said "The Coliseum" was ~ the biggest building erected in America \ since the Columbian Exposition, and its ):4> statistics were indeed awesome. Longer than two football fields, it covered 51/2 acres of floor space and would seat 20,000 easily. Eleven enormous cantilever trusses spanned 218 feet of airspace, enclosing nearly a city block. A tower twenty stories high would dominate the neighborhood, its elevators rising to an observatory/cafe, with a roof-garden music-hall atop that, and at the pinnacle a giant electric searchlight visible for miles. The Coliseum's mammoth steel skeleton was all but completed ...and then it happened. At 11:10 p.m. on August 21 the immense framework collapsed. The appalling roar scared people off a standing train as far away as 47th Street. At dawn the next morning engineers with long faces inspected the ruins to determine the cause. Newspaper reporters licked their pencil points, eager to pin blame and expose a scandal. But THE there really wasn't any. The collapse was evidently caused by some 75 tons of lumber having been stacked on the roof COLLAPSIBLE so as to bear too heavily upon the last truss put into place, one which was not yet completely bolted into the structure COLISEUM as a whole. There was no scandal in the AND THE design, declared American Architect and Building N ews (Boston): "Both architect and engineer bear names of the best CROSS OF GOLD repute in the country." Just the same, it did not name them. continued on page 2 2­ ~ But with 600 men working three shifts the Coliseum could be finished in 80 or 90 days, in time for a football game scheduled there for Thanksgiving Day. The Coliseum occupied the block just west of where Hyde Park High School stands today, between 62d and 63d Streets. Thus it stood exactly where Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show had ripped and roared during the world's fair in 1893. On the east and west it was bounded by Grace and Hope, interesting street names (they have been given confusing new ones lately), but the entrance to the Coliseum, as shown in our Harper 'S Weekly picture, was on 63d Street. N J W+E Steel Skeleton ..-:: continued from page I The engineer of the steelwork was in ~ls:: 0]h C1l fact Carl Binder and the architect was S.S. Beman. > p., « Solon S. Bemen, age 42, had designed the Pullman '0s:: s:: Building in his twenties, planned the whole village of 0] .-i 0 Ul Pullman, built the Studebaker-Fine Arts, the H Ul Washington Park Club at the racetrack, the Grand ..-:: Central Station on Harrison at Wells, and the Mines () 0] and Mining Building at the world's fair. In Hyde ..., Park/Kenwood, Beman designed Blackstone Library, the Bryson Apartments, Christ Scientist churches on Dorchester and Blackstone, eight or ten private homes, and [after Rand McNally, 1$93J supervised the Rosalie Villas project (Harper between 57th and The Coliseum's tower gives the historian a problem. 59th). He himself It has been so badly drawn in our Harper's picture as to lived on East 49th, be quite fals~.S. Beman could never have designed moving later to that thing. Was it added by a different hand when the 5502 Hyde Park sketch was mailed to the editors in New York? Boulevard. Conceivably the $75,000 loss on the collapsed steelwork Of the collapsed forced the Coliseum Company to curtail Beman's Coliseum Beman elaborate concept for the tower. But that there was spoke with finally a tower is suggested by the name given to the authority. There was Tower Theatre, built on the identical spot after the no doubt as to the death of the Coliseum. Old Hyde Parkers will correctness" of remember a small steel latticework "tower" playfully engineer Binder's capping the facade of the Tower Theatre as late as 1950. steelwork, and Curiously, "The Greatest Building on Earth" is construction would qu.ite unknown today, and has apparently never had its resume with no change in story told before. A recent fat scholarly history of design as soon as new steel 5.5. Beman Chicago architecture from 1872 to 1922 knows could be delivered. Barnum and nothing of it. Not even an authoritative 1985 study of Bailey's Circus, booked there for October, would have Beman's total work (which cites more than 100 of his to be cancelled, as would a fat stock and horse show. bu.ildings, including commercial projects) reveals any ~~ A u u m n I 9 9 6 3 ~ CHrCAGO HISTORICAL S· 'CrE1Y ntLD AT ~M li1r J)C ,"""',,, -JQLBUIlDlrt6 . \ \ 'i~", ~ ~ u o V'l 61 ~~"f. &, .fJltJlLr- AVLe s PRIGE. 25 GENTS. {JIICA(JO t o u 4\; ,: ~-~---~~~ liS Architect's Original Plan awareness of his mighty Coliseum. The reason must be cartoons of prominent Democrats. They ran reams of its brief life. It rose, it fell, it rose again, it burned interviews with the leading candidates. But none of down-all in little more than two years. Sic transit the portraits or cartoons or write-ups were about gloria mundi. But before it died in flames, The young William Jennings Bryan from Nebraska. That Coliseum enjoyed one splendid moment of national would change on the third day when the convention fame. bosses let him speak. That big moment came on July 7-11, 1896, when The Cross of Gold was not a keynote speech, nor The Coliseum staged the Democratic National nominating or acceptance speech. Its purpose was to Convention, where William Jennings Bryan, age 36, "conclude debate on the platform." It concluded it, all made his famous Cross of Gold speech and was right. Bryan actually spoke about only one plank in nominated for President of the United States. the platform, the silver plank, but with it he ran away The Chicago Tribune called the Coliseum with the convention. It was like a classic myth, the arrangements "a grand success." Harper's Weekly one where the handsome young idealist from the compared The Coliseum to Madison Square Garden in provinces wins out over the old professional courtiers New York, pronounced it typical of Chicago in its and is crowned prince. hugeness, and scoffed that no speaker could ever The Democrats in 1896, at least the dominant possibly be heard by all 20,000 sitting in that vast hall. faction who engineered a plurality at the convention, As for convention politicking, a headline declared it were calling for the free, unlimited coinage of silver by a horse race: the U.S. Mint at a ratio of 16 to 1 with gold. "We demand," said the platform "that the standard silver LEADERS ALL AT SEA. dollar be full legal tender, equally with gold, for all No Certainty As To Probable Nominee. debts, public and private." It does not sound radical to us today, but in 1896 it was to many good people a Chicago papers printed dozens of portraits and shocking inflationary proposal to continued on poge 4 ~ A U U III n r 9 9 6 ~ continued from page 3 subvert a sacred gold standard. Some clearly audible to all 20,000 in that enormous hall. pro-gold, "sound-money" Democrats walked out and (One marvels, since most Hyde Park ministers need a formed a splinter party. microphone to reach 50 listeners.) In the severe depression of 1893-1894 there was a That the Cross of Gold speech was not to be a shortage of money in circulation. Bryan and other technical discourse on monetary policy was evident at silverites in the agricultural West and South-for it once in Bryan's throbbing opener: was very much a sectional cause-believed that The humblest citizen in all the land, unlimited coining of silver would increase the money when clad in the armor of a righteous cause, supply and thus ease the suffering of farmers and is stronger than all the hosts of error. workingmen and small businessmen slipping toward One cannot imagine Mr. Clinton or Mr. Dole trying bankruptcy. to get away with that kind of language in 1996. But It was a simplistic argument, no doubt-that Free the transcript of the Cross of Gold speech which Silver could cure complex economic ills, and social appeared in newspapers allover America the next day ones rising out of them. But by the summer of 1896 tells us of constant interruptions by applause from a Free Silver had acquired a powerful appeal to the thrilled audience. Bryan's listeners were soon rising to debtor class, and in his speech Bryan milked it to the their feet to shout approval at nearly every other maximum. He himself was sincere in feeling it sentence of his attack on the bankers and gold­ nothing less than a holy cause. standard capitalist money-centers of the East. I have lately read the Cross of Gold speech-it But it was Bryan's pro-silver finale that really set off seemed the least I could do for this paper--expecting the fireworks. It has been a fixture in American to be bored. Instead I found it fascinating: ardent in folklore ever since: emotion, rich in striking metaphors, a masterpiece of old-fashioned populist oratory. No wonder its We have petitioned [said Bryan] dramatic rhythms raised pulses in the Coliseum on and our petitions have been scorned; July 9, 1896, when spoken out in Bryan's wonderful we have entreated, voice, with masterful timing and inflection, and and our entreaties have been disregarded; we have begged, ­ and they have mocked when our calamity came.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Bryan's “Cross of Gold” Speech: Mesmerizing the Masses
    Bryan’s “Cross of Gold” Speech: Mesmerizing the Masses The most famous speech in American political history was delivered by William Jennings Bryan on July 9, 1896, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The issue was whether to endorse the free coinage of silver at a ratio of silver to gold of 16 to 1. (This inflationary measure would have increased the amount of money in circulation and aided cash-poor and debt-burdened farmers.) After speeches on the subject by several U.S. Senators, Bryan rose to speak. The thirty-six-year-old former Congressman from Nebraska aspired to be the Democratic nominee for president, and he had been skillfully, but quietly, building support for himself among the delegates. His dramatic speaking style and rhetoric roused the crowd to frenzy. The response, wrote one reporter, “came like one great burst of artillery.” Men and women screamed and waved their hats and canes. “Some,” wrote another reporter, “like demented things, divested themselves of their coats and flung them high in the air.” The next day the convention nominated Bryan for President on the fifth ballot. The full text of William Jenning Bryan’s famous “Cross of Gold” speech appears below. The audio portion is an excerpt. [Note on the recording: In 1896 recording technology was in its infancy, and recording a political convention would have been impossible. But in the early 20th century, the fame of Bryan’s “Cross of Gold” speech led him to repeat it numerous times on the Chautauqua lecture circuit where he was an enormously popular speaker.
    [Show full text]
  • Gold Democrats and the Decline of Classical Liberalism, 1896–1900
    SUBSCRIBE NOW AND RECEIVE CRISIS AND LEVIATHAN* FREE! “The Independent Review does not accept “The Independent Review is pronouncements of government officials nor the excellent.” conventional wisdom at face value.” —GARY BECKER, Noble Laureate —JOHN R. MACARTHUR, Publisher, Harper’s in Economic Sciences Subscribe to The Independent Review and receive a free book of your choice* such as the 25th Anniversary Edition of Crisis and Leviathan: Critical Episodes in the Growth of American Government, by Founding Editor Robert Higgs. This quarterly journal, guided by co-editors Christopher J. Coyne, and Michael C. Munger, and Robert M. Whaples offers leading-edge insights on today’s most critical issues in economics, healthcare, education, law, history, political science, philosophy, and sociology. Thought-provoking and educational, The Independent Review is blazing the way toward informed debate! Student? Educator? Journalist? Business or civic leader? Engaged citizen? This journal is for YOU! *Order today for more FREE book options Perfect for students or anyone on the go! The Independent Review is available on mobile devices or tablets: iOS devices, Amazon Kindle Fire, or Android through Magzter. INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE, 100 SWAN WAY, OAKLAND, CA 94621 • 800-927-8733 • [email protected] PROMO CODE IRA1703 Gold Democrats and the Decline of Classical Liberalism, 1896–1900 —————— ✦ —————— DAVID T. BEITO AND LINDA ROYSTER BEITO n 1896 a new political party was born, the National Democratic Party (NDP). The founders of the NDP included some of the leading exponents of classical I liberalism during the late nineteenth century. Few of those men, however, fore- saw the ultimate fate of their new party and of the philosophy of limited government that it championed.
    [Show full text]
  • Above the World: William Jennings Bryan's View of the American
    Nebraska History posts materials online for your personal use. Please remember that the contents of Nebraska History are copyrighted by the Nebraska State Historical Society (except for materials credited to other institutions). The NSHS retains its copyrights even to materials it posts on the web. For permission to re-use materials or for photo ordering information, please see: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/magazine/permission.htm Nebraska State Historical Society members receive four issues of Nebraska History and four issues of Nebraska History News annually. For membership information, see: http://nebraskahistory.org/admin/members/index.htm Article Title: Above the World: William Jennings Bryan’s View of the American Nation in International Affairs Full Citation: Arthur Bud Ogle, “Above the World: William Jennings Bryan’s View of the American Nation in International Affairs,” Nebraska History 61 (1980): 153-171. URL of article: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/publicat/history/full-text/1980-2-Bryan_Intl_Affairs.pdf Date: 2/17/2010 Article Summary: One of the major elements in Bryan’s intellectual and political life has been largely ignored by both critics and admirers of William Jennings Bryan: his vital patriotism and nationalism. By clarifying Bryan’s Americanism, the author illuminates an essential element in his political philosophy and the consistent reason behind his foreign policy. Domestically Bryan thought the United States could be a unified monolithic community. Internationally he thought America still dominated her hemisphere and could, by sheer energy and purity of commitment, re-order the world. Bryan failed to understand that his vision of the American national was unrealizable. The America he believed in was totally vulnerable to domestic intolerance and international arrogance.
    [Show full text]
  • The Panic of 1893 and the Election of 1896
    U.S. HISTORY LESSON 3.4 The Panic of 1893 and the Election of 1896 reform human capital debt safety net trade-off GDP deficit priorities spending Medicare mandatory budget Social Security revenue health care governance discretionary baby boomers economic growth infrastructure ESSENTIAL DILEMMA Were the contradictory responses political leaders had to the panic of 1893 driven more by economic/political self-interest or by differing visions of what kind of country they wanted the United States to be? INTRODUCTION “Wall Street Topsy-Turvy, The Famous ‘Street’ Passes Another Eventful Black Friday. It is said at the Treasury that the time has passed when the Government can aid Wall Street.” —Arkansas Gazette, May 5, 1893 (McMillan, 2010) In August 1893, President Grover Cleveland called a special session of Congress to deal with the financial panic that had hit the United States. Although historians have since taken a more complex view of the causes of the panic, in his message to the special session, Cleveland looked back 3 years to the previous administration, and named the Sherman Silver Purchase Act as the cause of the panic: Our unfortunate plight is . principally chargeable to Congressional legislation touching the purchase and coinage of silver by the General Government. This legislation is embodied in a statute passed on the 14th day of July, 1890, which was the culmination of much agitation on the subject involved, and which may be considered a truce, after a long struggle, between the advocates of free silver coinage and those intending to be more conservative. (Cleveland, 1893) President Cleveland oversaw the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act before the year’s end and, perhaps by coincidence, the panic only intensified.
    [Show full text]
  • 'The “Wizard of Oz” As a Monetary Allegory,' Journal Of
    Hugh Rockoff of Rutgers University, ‘The “Wizard of Oz” as a Monetary Allegory,’ Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 98, 1990, pp. 739-760. I. Introduction The Wizard of Oz is perhaps the best-loved American children's story. The movie, starring Judy Garland, Bert Lahr, Ray Bolger and company, is an annual television ritual. The book on which the movie is based, L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, however, is not only a child's tale but also a sophisticated commentary on the political and economic debates of the Populist Era.1 Previous interpretations have focused on the political and social aspects of the allegory. The most important of these is Littlefield ([1966] 1968), although his interpretation was adumbrated by Nye (1951), Gardner and Nye (1957), Sackett (I960), and Bewley ([1964] 1970). My purpose is to unlock the references in the Wizard of Oz to the monetary debates of the 1890s. When the story is viewed in this light, the real reason the Cowardly Lion fell asleep in the field of poppies, the identity of the Wizard of Oz, the significance of the strange number of hallways and rooms in the Emerald Palace, and the reason the Wicked Witch of the West was so happy to get one of Dorothy's shoes become clear. Thus interpreted, the Wizard of Oz becomes a powerful pedagogic device. Few students of money and banking or economic history will forget the battle between the advocates of free silver and the defenders of the gold standard when it is explained through the Wizard of Oz.
    [Show full text]
  • William Jennings Bryan: Boy Orator, Broken Man, and the "Evolution" of America's Public Philosophy
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Great Plains Quarterly Great Plains Studies, Center for May 2002 WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN: BOY ORATOR, BROKEN MAN, AND THE "EVOLUTION" OF AMERICA'S PUBLIC PHILOSOPHY Troy A. Murphy University of Michigan-Dearborn Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsquarterly Part of the Other International and Area Studies Commons Murphy, Troy A., "WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN: BOY ORATOR, BROKEN MAN, AND THE "EVOLUTION" OF AMERICA'S PUBLIC PHILOSOPHY" (2002). Great Plains Quarterly. 40. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsquarterly/40 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Great Plains Studies, Center for at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Plains Quarterly by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Published in Great Plains Quarterly, vol. 22, no. 2 (Spring 2002). Published by the Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Copyright © 2000 Center for Great Plains Studies. Used by permission. WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN BOY ORATOR, BROKEN MAN, AND THE "EVOLUTION" OF AMERICA'S PUBLIC PHILOSOPHY TROY A. MURPHY He wanted our religion to rest on the basis of love and not on the basis of force; and, my friends, when we get down to the root of our government, and the root of our religion, we find that they alike rest on the doctrine of human brotherhood-"that all men are created equal." - William Jennings Bryan, on Thomas Jefferson1 If you would be entirely accurate you should represent me as using a double-barreled shot- gun, firing one barrel at the elephant as he tries to enter the treasury and another at Darwinism-the monkey-as he tries to enter the schoolroom.
    [Show full text]
  • Bryan at Baltimore, the Democratic National Convention of 1912 Scroll Down for Complete Article
    Nebraska History posts materials online for your personal use. Please remember that the contents of Nebraska History are copyrighted by the Nebraska State Historical Society (except for materials credited to other institutions). The NSHS retains its copyrights even to materials it posts on the web. For permission to re-use materials or for photo ordering information, please see: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/magazine/permission.htm Nebraska State Historical Society members receive four issues of Nebraska History and four issues of Nebraska History News annually. For membership information, see: http://nebraskahistory.org/admin/members/index.htm Article Title: Bryan at Baltimore, the Democratic National Convention of 1912 Full Citation: Boyce House, “Bryan at Baltimore, the Democratic National Convention of 1912,” Nebraska History 41 (1960): 29-51 URL of article: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/publicat/history/full-text/NH1960BryanBaltimore.pdf Date: 11/04/2016 Article Summary: The Baltimore Convention was the high point of Bryan’s career. He made three dramatic speeches and succeeded in defining himself as an advocate of the American people and the opponent of Tammany Hall and Wall Street. Scroll down for complete article. Cataloging Information: Names: William Jennings Bryan, Alton B Parker, William Howard Taft, Champ Clark, Woodrow Wilson, John W Kern, J Pierpont Morgan, Thomas Ryan, August Belmont, Richard Washburn Child, Theodore Roosevelt, Charles Willis Thompson, Judson Harmon, Oscar W Underwood Place Names: Baltimore,
    [Show full text]
  • W.J.B., Vox Populi
    Nebraska Law Review Volume 86 Issue 1 Article 8 1-2007 W.J.B., Vox Populi Jim Chen Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, University of Louisville Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nlr Recommended Citation Jim Chen, W.J.B., Vox Populi, 86 Neb. L. Rev. (2007) Available at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nlr/vol86/iss1/8 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law, College of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Nebraska Law Review by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Jim Chen* W.J.B., Vox Populi The evil men do lives after them The good is oft interred with their bones .... William Jennings Bryan dominated the Democratic Party-and ar- guably American politics at large-for nearly three decades. Thrice he sought the presidency. Thrice he lost. Perhaps no other American politician has had greater influence by losing. Precisely two moments from the life of William Jennings Bryan de- fine this politician's place in the public's eye: Bryan's "Cross of Gold" speech from the 1896 Democratic Convention in Chicago and his hu- miliation at the hands of Clarence Darrow in the trial of John Scopes at Dayton, Tennessee. John Dos Passos, that great chronicler of American culture during the early twentieth century, expressed this popular view of Bryan as "The Boy Orator of the Platte": It was in the Chicago Convention in '96 that the prize-winning boy orator the minister's son whose lips had never touched liquor let out his silver voice so that it filled the gigantic hall, filled the ears of the plain people: ...
    [Show full text]
  • Ch 15 Sect 4.Pptx
    Objectives: 1. Describe farmers’ economic complaints during the late 1800s. 2. List the key organizations formed to protest problems faced by farmers. 3. Understand Populism, the people behind the movement, and its legacy. Main Idea: By the late 1800s, declining incomes for American farmers created fertile ground for a farmer’s protest movement Farmer’s Problems First problem increased crop production causes crop prices to drop. Farmers took out loans to buy equipment and more land to produce more to offset prices. Second problem were tariffs (tax on imports) Third problem is Delation – drop in prices on goods. In 1873 the US switches from bimetal to the gold standard. Fourth problem railroads Uixed prices. Railroads charged more for short hauls and charged customers different rates. How Tariffs work Farmer’s Organize Improved communication and transportation will allow farmers to unite. The Grange was the Uirst farmer cooperative and will join forces with the Farmers’ Alliances to force political change. In 1887, the Interstate Commerce Act is signed that will regulate railroad prices. In 1890, the Sherman Antitrust Act to curb the power of monopolies but was not enforced at irst. The Populists The People’s Party (Populists) wanted radical social and economic changes. Increased circulation of money Unlimited minting of silver Progressive income tax – the more you make, the more you pay (citizens and businesses) Government control of communication and transportation systems Endorsed 8 hr workday and opposed strikebreakers (To attract urban and northern voters) 1892 Presiden-al Elec-on Democrat Cleveland 46% Popular Vote, 277 Electoral Votes Republican Harrison 43% Popular Vote, 145 Electoral Votes Populist Weaver 8.5% Popular Vote, 22 Electoral Votes Election of 1896 Candidates: Republican William McKinley (Ohio) Democrat William Jennings Bryan (Nebraska) In 1896, Populists supported William Jennings Bryan after his famous “Cross of Gold” speech “You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns.
    [Show full text]
  • Dismantling the Cross of Gold: Economic Crises and U.S. Monetary Policy
    North American Journal of Economics and Finance 11 (2000) 77–104 Dismantling the cross of gold: economic crises and U.S. monetary policy Daniel J.B. Mitchell* UCLA, Anderson Graduate School of Management and School of Public Policy and Social Research, Los Angeles, CA 900095-1481, USA Received 21 November 1999; received in revised form 4 March 2000; accepted 4 March 2000 How can a U.S. Gold Commission attempt to determine the role of gold in domestic and international systems without there being any foreign participation? ...Audience question at the World Conference on Gold, Rome, Italy, February 1982 (Jastram, 1983) Abstract The advent of the Euro has put the spotlight on international monetary policy. Could a new world currency be created? Could there be a return to international fixed exchange rates? The history of the American response to the gold standard in its various forms suggests one theme. At key moments during the 20th century, the U.S. chose domestic monetary sovereignty over international obligations. This address traces the history of American attitudes toward gold from the 1890s to the present. That history suggests that creation of any currency system requiring loss of U.S. national monetary sovereignty is most unlikely. © 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. JEL classification: F33; N11; N12 Keywords: Gold; International monetary arrangements * Tel.: ϩ1-310-825-1504; fax: ϩ1-310-829-1042. E-mail address: [email protected] (D.J.B. Mitchell). 1062-9408/00/$ – see front matter © 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. PII: S1062-9408(00)00028-0 78 D.J.B.
    [Show full text]
  • Progressive Era
    Progressive Era Guided Reading AMSCO Book: Chapters 19 & 21 1890-1917 Mr. Chojnacki AP United States History II **Due First Day of School** Name:______________________________________________ Section 1: Reviewing the Populists Review agrarian revolt by watching the Gilded Age Politics Crash Course Video. Then, study the image below, read the explanations, and highlight main ideas regarding agrarian revolt and the Grange. Section 2: Read, pp 385-390, and then complete the review by answering the questions in the spaces provided (Some are completed for you). You may also have to reference chapters 16-18 for main ideas from Period 6. 1. Identify and explain political, economic, and social consequences of closing the frontier. What were the main goals of the Populists? (p. 386-387) Out of the Farmer’s Alliance a new political party emerged in the early 1890s – the People’s party. Better known as the Populists, these frustrated farmers attacked Wall Street and the “money trust.” They called for nationalizing railroads, telephones, and telegraphs; instituting a graduated income tax; and creating a new federal “sub treasury” – a scheme to provide farmers with loans for crops stored in government-owned warehouses, where they could be held until market prices rose. They also wanted the free and unlimited coinage of silver – yet another of the debtors’ demands for inflation that echoed continuously throughout the Gilded Age. What was the impact of this growing conflict between farmers and business on American society? Mary Elizabeth Lease was nicknamed “the Kansas Pythoness” and “Mary Yellin’.” Farmers and laborers united to form a third She was an athletically built woman who made approximately 160 speeches in 1890 party which supported many changes in criticizing aristocracy, a government “of Wall Street, by Wall Street, and for Wall order to reduce corruption and better the Street.” lives of the working poor.
    [Show full text]
  • Bryan, Populism and Utah
    Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 1975 Bryan, Populism and Utah Herbert E. Cihak Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the Mormon Studies Commons, and the Political Science Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Cihak, Herbert E., "Bryan, Populism and Utah" (1975). Theses and Dissertations. 4602. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/4602 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. BRYAN POPULISM AND UTAH A thesis presented to the department of political science brigham young university in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree master of arts by herbert E cihak august 1975 this thesis by herbert E cihak is accepted in its present form by the department of political science of brigham young university as satisfying the thesis requirement for the degree of master of arts J heithhelthmelville cammicommiittqf chairman eleeie001 robert H sloverslovercomrikitteecor itteeattee member J ar7r & lateyatete department chairman 11 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES iv PREFACE v introduction i1 chapter J THE POPULIST REVOLT 5 early farm alliances popuusxnpo jjlbprn f y awn rheaheyhee pepecletpepletoe lesies s party in utah II11 BRYAN FREE SILVER AND SEWALL 15 the silver craze preconventionpre
    [Show full text]