Essay Questions for Thinking through Sources 17

Assess Sources of Unity and Division: These documents represent perspectives from some of the diverse constituencies that united under the umbrella of the Populist Party in the 1890s. What do they reveal about the factors that united Populists across the nation in that era? What do they reveal about the divisions and conflicts that served as obstacles to the larger Populist agenda?

Assess Perspectives: The Populist movement of the late nineteenth century sought to restore the recognition and influence that farmers and agriculture had had before industrialization transformed the United States, but it also worked to change American society in radical and forward-looking ways. Based on the information available in these documents, write an essay that identifies the conservative and radical elements of the Populists’ program and makes an argument about whether the group was more conservative or more radical.

Place Sources in Context: Examine each of these five sources with the social, political, and economic contexts of the late nineteenth century in mind. In what ways are these sources reacting against the conventional wisdom of their time? How was each shaped by the social and political circumstances in which it was created?

Consider Past and Present: As in the late nineteenth century, the United States in the twenty-first century is struggling with the effects of recent economic transformations and debating questions about the federal government’s role promoting business and protecting social welfare. What do the featured late-nineteenth-century documents contain that might aid our understanding of contemporary American politics? What light does the Populist movement shed on questions about the direction the United States should take? In what ways can the history of Populism serve as a cautionary tale?