Tasks:
- Today in class, we started to transition to the last part of Period Six by participating in some review to prepare for Monday's DBQ (1/25).
- Introduction: Industrialization brings about many changes, some beneficial to society and others quite harmful to society. Reformers identify the problems stemming from industrialization, and seek to bring about change.
- Review the different types of reform that we have already covered in class:
- Labor reform - major problems facing the workers by the late 19th century = long hours, low wages, horrible conditions. Unions begin to organize to put pressure on local/state/federal government and big business to bring change.
- Farmer reform - major problems facing the farmers by the late 19th century = overproduction, low food prices, increased farm tenancy. Farmers begin to organize, first, in Farmers' Alliances, cooperative groups that sought help for large groups of farmers. Then, by creating a third political party, the People's Party or Populists.
- Review important Populist demands. Consider what the Populist Party achieved.
- Why did the Populists fail to meet their demands? (refer to Zinn p. 294 - 295 for an answer)
- Consider my thesis; what am I arguing in response to the farmer DBQ?
The time between the end of the Civil War and the end of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency was a time of great upheaval and change in America, especially for farmers. Although industrialization brought many beneficial changes to America, the mechanization of agriculture, increased economic instability, and government practices favorable to big business severely harmed American farmers. In an attempt to combat the excesses of industrial growth, farmers organized; however, their efforts did not fundamentally produce immediate change.
