Topic 2

Politics and the Farm Revolt

 

 

A. General Characteristics

 

  1. Politics was a form of mass entertainment – People enjoyed following political campaigns, and they voted in large numbers. Average voter turnout in presidential elections was about 79%.

 

  1. The major parties tended to avoid the really serious problems and issues. Why?

 

 

–         As is the case today, the parties were very evenly divided, and a difference of a few thousand votes in a national election could determine the final outcome of that election. (Like 2000 and 2004)

 

–         Both parties made up of conflicting interest groups. Republicans – northern and western farmers and industrial leaders and they often had conflicting interests.  Democrats – made up of southern farmers and northern merchants and bankers with different interests.

 

–         Result: To avoid losing voters and to avoid splitting their parties, both parties avoided facing the most serious issues of the day:

 

–         Plenty of problems and issues needing attention which were mostly ignored:

 

•          Growth of business monopolies

 

•          Racial tensions

 

•          Poverty of industrial workers

 

•          Child labor

 

•          Corruption in government

 

–         Instead: Talked about non-issues – Things that were not really that important

           

•          Republicans – Patriotism: wrapped themselves in the flag and tried to paint the Democrats as being traitors and rebels. The Democrats are just not quite loyal, cannot be trusted…(waving the bloody shirt)

 

•          Democrats – Tried to counter the Republican flag waving by insisting that they were just as loyal as the Republicans. So, there was much argument over who was more loyal to flag and country!

 

•          Both – Threw a lot of mud; an age of negative campaigning. Threw a lot of stuff at their opponents hoping something would stick!

 

  1. Time of very average political leadership. You are hard pressed to find anything in the way of outstanding political leadership in America in the late 19th century. No Washington’s, Jefferson’s, or Lincoln’s, for example, occupied the presidency during this period.

 

American presidents of the late 19th century are among the least known, and while some of them accomplished a few things in office, others accomplished very little.