History of the United States

In the United States, bimetallism (gold vs silver) became a center of political conflict toward the end of the nineteenth century. Newly discovered silver mines in the American West caused an effective decrease in the value of money. In 1873, in order to de-monetize silver, the government passed the Fourth Coinage Act, just as these silver resources were beginning to be exploited. Proponents of monetary silver, known as the Silverites, referred to this act as "The Crime of '73," as it was judged to have inhibited inflation. Instead deflation resulted, causing problems for farmers with large mortgages who found they could sell their goods for only a fraction of their post-Civil War price.

In addition, improvements in transport meant it was cheaper for farmers to ship their grain to Europe, and they over-expanded production until there was a glut on the market. The Panic of 1893 was a severe nationwide depression that brought the money issue to the fore. The "silverites" argued that using silver would inflate themoney supply and mean more cash for everyone, which they equated with prosperity. The gold advocates said silver would permanently depress the economy, but thatsound money produced by a gold standard would restore prosperity.

A direct response to the Granger Movement was Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois set maximum rates for grain storage and shipping. The Granger Movement took place in the 1800s.

The people in steerage were at the bottom of the ship and below water level. There were no windows, no rooms, and very little of anything else. The ships in the 1900's divided decks according to classes of people. The decks were separated with locked gates and the upper deck people who paid the most for passage never met or saw the people on the other decks. The immigrants below were locked in so they couldn't have access to the upper decks. They were considered the poorest dirtiest people on the ship so we're sold the worse accommodations.

The Assassination of President James Garfield

They were muckrakers who dramatized the need for reform

factory work paid wages in cash, which was not always the case on farms.

Their newspapers were filled with sensational stories designed to get the widest possible readership.

Bryan toured the country and spoke directly to the people