The Meanings
of Populism

During the final decade of the nineteenth century, farmers and workers organized politically in unprecedented ways. American laborers argued for a new kind of democracy, one more in line with their social and economic interests. Deciding that they would never meet their goals within the Republican or Democratic parties, in 1892 farmers formed a third party, the People’s Party, or the Populists. Part of the success of the Populist Party came from its expansive platform. Not only did it argue for the expansion of the monetary supply, but it also called for federal ownership of communication and railroads, a government subtreasury to allow farmers to borrow money against the value of their stored crops, an eight-hour workday, and the right to vote for women. Many Populists argued that black and white farmers and workers should work together to force change, and for a time the party managed to forge an interracial coalition.

People’s Party candidates were elected to offices at the local and national level during the 1890s, and the party won electoral votes in the presidential election of 1892. But the party imploded following the defeat of William Jennings Bryan, the joint Populist-Democratic presidential candidate, four years later. The Populist legacy, however, lived on into the twentieth century. Many of the social and political issues and policies of the Progressive and New Deal eras were rooted in the demands of the People’s Party.

The following documents reveal the meanings of Populism for those who led and participated in the movement. As you examine these documents, consider the common themes that united the Populists, as well as ideas that may have driven them apart.