The Grange Movement

1. The Grange Movement • During the 1870s, the Grangers advocated programs such as the following: • Cooperative purchasing ventures as a means to obtain lower prices on farm equipment and supplies • Pooling of savings as an alternative to dependence on corrupt banks, an early form of credit union • Cooperative grain elevators to hold non-perishable crops until the optimal times to sell • An abortive effort to manufacture farm equipment; this venture depleted the Granger organization's funds and was instrumental in its decline.

2. Political uprising • Populist Movement or Agrarian Revolt • Currency reform – silver as the basis of value, not gold • Graduated income tax • Limit government spending to essentials to lower taxes • Government ownership of the railroads • Land should not be bought by speculators or foreigners • Currency reform represented the class division of the nation, with the silver standard representing the hard working farmers, and gold representing the bankers and businessmen of the cities. • Gold is scarcer and concentrates in the hands of the wealthy, whereas silver is more accessible to the masses (so they say)

3. The Purpose of a 3rd Party • Grange +Socialism  Populism • If a third party scarcely holds a chance of winning major elective office in the United States, what is, and has been, their vital function in the political process? • 1888 • 1892 • 1896

4. Tone of historical documents • What is tone? • Why is it important in our understanding of history? • What kind of song would the “lyrics” go with? What adjectives describe that music/sound/energy?

5. Fell in Love with a Girl • Fell in love with a girlfell in love once and almost completelyshe's in love with the worldbut sometimes these feelingscan be so misleadingshe turns and says are you alright?I said I must be fine cause my heart's still beatingcome and kiss me by the riverside,bobby says it's fine he don't consider it cheatingRed hair with a curlmellow roll for the flavorand the eyes were peepingcan't keep away from the girlthese two sides of my brainneed to have a meetingcan't think of anything to domy left brain knows thatall love is fleetingshe's just looking for something newand I said it once beforebut it bears repeating • Can't think of anything to domy left brain knows thatall love is fleetingshe's just looking for something newand I said it once beforebut it bears repeatingFell in love with a girlfell in love once and almost completelyshe's in love with the worldbut sometimes these feelingscan be so misleadingshe turns and says are you alright?I said I must be fine cause my heart's still beatingcome and kiss me by the riverside,bobby says it's fine he don't consider it cheatingCan't think of anything to domy left brain knows thatall love is fleetingshe's just looking for something newand I said it once beforebut it bears repeating

6. Cross of Gold – William Jennings Bryan