How did economic problems affect American politics in the 1890s?

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Figure false: Coxey’s army
Figure false: A contingent of Coxey’s army stops to rest on its way to Washington, D.C. A “petition in boots,” Coxey’s followers were well dressed. Music was an important component of the march, including the anthem “Marching with Coxey.” Band members are pictured on the right with their instruments. Despite their peaceful pose, the marchers stirred the fears of many Americans, who predicted an uprising of the unemployed. Ohio Historical Society.

THE DEPRESSION that began in the spring of 1893 and lasted for more than four years put nearly half of the labor force out of work, a higher percentage than during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The human cost of the depression was staggering. “I Take my pen in hand to let you know that we are Starving to death,” a Kansas farm woman wrote to the governor in 1894. “Last cent gone,” wrote a young widow in her diary. “Children went to work without their breakfasts.” Following the harsh dictates of social Darwinism and laissez-faire, the majority of America’s elected officials believed that it was inappropriate for the government to intervene. But the scope of the depression made it impossible for churches and local agencies to supply sufficient relief, and increasingly Americans called on the federal government to take action. Armies of the unemployed marched on Washington to demand relief, and the Populist Party experienced a surge of support as the election of 1896 approached.

CHRONOLOGY

1894

  • – Coxey’s army marches to Washington, D.C.

1896

  • – Democrats and Populists support William Jennings Bryan for president.
  • – William McKinley is elected president.

CHAPTER LOCATOR

Why did American farmers organize alliances in the late nineteenth century?

What led to the labor wars of the 1890s?

How were women involved in late-nineteenth-century politics?

How did economic problems affect American politics in the 1890s?

Why did the United States largely abandon its isolationist foreign policy in the 1890s?

Conclusion: What was the connection between domestic strife and foreign policy?

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