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Populist Party Thesis

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During the late nineteenth century, inequality was at its finest. Disagreements from unrightful decisions made by the government set off strikes, reforms and protests, which accelerated changes, all over the country. Oppression of farmers and wage workers hit hardest, as government decisions and how the country was running seemed to affect them the most. Gilded age farmers and workers demanded correct wages, the expansion of power of the government, and to nationalize various systems in the best interests of the people. Various interest groups were created, and aimed to gain popularity but were not successful enough to make a change. As a result, the Populist party was created, determined to affect the lives of many in the United States, by …show more content…

In response to these changes, the Populist party arose, designed to protest against the unfair livelihood the government created for farmers and wage workers. A decade before, “The Farmers’ Alliance appeared,” (Stewart) practicing “cooperative marketing and lobbied the government for various kinds of business and banking regulation.” (Stewart) Even though the Farmers’ Alliance was unsuccessful, farmers and wage workers still desired equal treatment in the workforce, which inspired the creation of the Populists party, or people’s party, in Omaha, Nebraska. The Omaha Platform was the founding documents of the Populists party, and “We have witnessed more than a quarter of a century the struggles of the two great political parties for power and plunder, while grievous wrongs have been inflicted upon the suffering people.” (The Omaha Platform) While the Republican and Democratic parties fought for the upper hand in the government, laws were created that hurt people that were already hurting. These wrongs sparked farmers and wage workers to reform and protest for the promotion and the betterment of the lives of American citizens within the workforce. The Populist party declared that “the union of the labor forces of the United States this day consummated shall be permanent and perpetual.” (The Omaha Platform) The permanence of the union of the labor forces would ensure protection over farmer and wage workers rights, and would support their interests. The Omaha Platform of the Populists party also declared that “wealth belongs to him who creates it, and every dollar taken from industry without an equivalent is robbery” (The Omaha Platform) At this time, wealthy Americans owned the majority of the country's wealth, which came from owning factories and the means of manufacturing. Farmers and wage

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