Explain the free silver policy supported by the People's (Populist) Party, as well as two other goals of the movement.

How did the populist movement impact the election of 1896?

It was most often called the People's Party since it stood for the common folk. Farmers, in particular, were behind the party and supported it. It was on the 116th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence that the group held its first national convention to lay down the laws of their organization.

The Preamble to the Declaration of action began with, "The conditions which surround us best justify our cooperation; we meet in the midst of a nation brought to the verge of moral, political and material ruin. Corruption dominates the ballot-box, the Legislatures, the Congress and touches even the ermine of the bench." It then went on to discuss the ways in which the populist party intended to change America.

First, the party intended to take care of those in the labor force and to only allow wealth to go to the person who creates it rather than industry giants. The party followed the adage, "If any will not work, neither shall he eat." They also wanted the people to take over ownership of the railroads. They had additional guidelines for transportation, finance and land.

2.)., Populist party members developed as a result of America moving from a rural to an urban society. In the 1890s crop prices fell as production rose, but getting credit for the farmer was becoming hard and interest rates were rising. Farmers wanted a system where crops could be placed in storage and use them as collateral for low interest government loans. Republicans opposed the populists while the democrats lined up with them. The farmers wanted more money in circulation. Since having more money in circulation would raise prices. Businessmen wanted gold backing of the dollar rather than silver because silver was going lower and that in turn would cheapen money as the price of silver dropped. William Jennings Bryan ran as a democratic candidate for the presidency in 1896, but lost to the Republican candidate McKinley mostly because McKinley raised and spent $3 million on his campaign. Populism lasted up to WW1, but lessened in the 1920s even though the farmer was again hurting because of the economy in rural America.