Description
Write and submit a brief response to the following question:
According to Lears what was the founding history of the Populist Party and what led people to believe the Party was necessary?
Reference:Jackson Lears, Rebirth of a Nation: The Making of Modern America, 1877-1920. Harper Perennial, 2009. Chapter 4, pp. 133-166
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Introduction
American citizens especially those engaged in productive labor were desiring for a new beginning after the Civil War and the World War I that had significantly impacted their lives. They dreamt for physical, moral, and spiritual rebirth which was the start to the new modern United States. According to Lears, the farmers at this decade were unhappy with the Republican and the Democratic parties. In the words of Lears, this period was characterized by a longing for a great change which helped develop the present United States. People longed for beneficial social changes in the economy which were threatened by loan-sharking merchants, speculators, and bankers during the 19th century and the populist movement was one of the most important political movement that aimed to change the lives of a majority of the Americans.[1] The party originated around the 1890s and spread quickly throughout the United States, and it was formed by members of the farmers’ alliances.
The South had been ravaged by the Civil War, and private, and public lives had been impacted. There was a common language of opposition to irresponsible wealth, a common expression that elevated public good over private gain. According to Lears, such ideas brought the wave of the populist movement and other democratic movements.[2] These political movements challenged the regime at the time, and they helped pave the way for the growing insurgency that took place from the start of the twentieth century. According to Lears, the populists wanted the government to play a more active role in the economy of the country. They supported easy access to credit, recognition of unions, better conditions for the Americans working in factories, government taking over the rail, telephone, and telegraphs systems, and an advanced income tax. The populists led by their determined leaders demanded that money should be put under management that is democratic and that benefits the public. Through such strategies, the populist movement was able to appeal across regional boundaries and racial lines.
[1] Lears, 156
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