Compare and Contrast the Populists and Progressives

Subject  > History Term Papers  > North American History

As the United States advanced into the twentieth century, the Populists and Progressives saw numerous economic, political, and social problems in need of reform. The Populist movement was a result of a campaign by the Farmer's Alliance. Their chief organizer was a man named Ignatius Donnelly whose proposals were passed into law in the Progressive era. The Omaha Platform was adopted by the newly formed party and it called for the free coinage of silver. From an economic standpoint, the Populists hoped that this inflationary measure would eradicate the financial burden that plagued the nation's farmers. It also demanded reformation of the banking system, the graduated income tax, the secret ballot, the direct election of senators, and the eight-hour workday. Similarly, ...

... Dewey introduced progressive education, which taught working class children about Victorian morals, democracy, and capitalism. Another social reform of much merit was the establishment of settlement houses. These settlement houses offered services to the urban poor, and the immigrants that composed this social class. Unlike the progressives, the populists viewed immigrants as the equivalent to aliens, and they treated them as such. All in all, Jane Addams, the cofounder of the Hull House and a vanguard for progressivism, provided adult education classes and recreational sports for children and adults. Ultimately, class played a primary role in the failure of the populists and the success of the progressives. The populists failed for a wide variety of reasons.

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