On the 116th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Populist Party adopted the Omaha Platform as the basic set of principles for the party. Members of the Populist Party were frustrated with two political parties that, from their perspective, were so wrapped up in their own political struggles that they had neglected the needs of the people. The Populist Party believed much of the government, as well as the voting process, to be corrupt. They believed that there was inadequate currency, primarily due to the demonetization of silver and greed. They believed in labor unions and approved expansion of government regulations to ensure the end of oppression, poverty, and injustice. Lastly, they believed their reform movement would continue until “every wrong is remedied and equal rights and equal privileges securely established for all the men and women of this country.”
In the Preamble, the Populist Party laid out all the wrongs they saw in the country, using emotion to grab the attention of the reader. The Platform clearly showed the character of the Party through their demands revolving around labor, finance, transportation, and land ownership. The final section of the document, the Expression of Sentiments, offered logical applications for their demands in order to resolve the issues of their Party’s focus.
The greatest impact of the Populist Party and their Platform was the attention brought to the issues. Over the following 100 years, many of the proposals in the platform were enacted, the majority as part of the New Deal following the Great Depression.
A document like the Populist Party’s Platform could easily be written for the similar issues we face today. If this was a modern document, I would certainly find it a convincing argument to join their Party’s membership.
I think you did a very good job with this assignment. I agree that the biggest impact was the attention it brought to issues. This attention made it possible for people to recognize issues and work to correct them. I also agree with you that the party offered a very convincing argument.
ReplyDeleteExcellent assessment! I absolutely agree that there are many parallels between our current political and economic situation and those that spawned the Populist Party. I also agree that the attention brought to the issues was the most important result of the movement. Though it would not be entirely accurate to credit the Populist Party with enacting any of their stated reform goals, the fact that they remained major issues well into the following century certainly begs the question,"Would these reforms have gained national support without Populist action?"
ReplyDeleteExcellent job on the TA analysis and how you noted the similarities with today occurring problems within the system. The party system back then in comparison to today's system are similar, and how the government proves that they are not giving to the needs of the people and more of giving to their own needs and what their party wants. How they offered to grab the readers attention through their ethos is always a very convincing way and the key to persuading an audience or readers mind to side with the author. In all, excellent TA along with your analysis on it to summarize it all.
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