Farmers and Populism exam

What was the main purpose of the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887?

• To ensure the spread of manufacturing across the frontier.

• To remove import taxes for goods shipped from one state to another

• To protect American agriculture and industry from foreign competition

• To prevent railroads from charging farmers and merchants high shipping rates

This quote is from Farmer's Alliance member Mary Elizabeth Lease in the late 1800s: "The great common people of this country are slaves, and monopoly is the master. . .The politicians said we suffered from overproduction. Overproduction, when10,000 little children, so statistics tell us, starve to death every year in the United States. . . We will stand by our homes and stay by our fireside by force if necessary, and we will not pay our debts to the loan--shark companies until the government pays its debts to us." Based on this quote, what do you think Lease meant?

• Although slavery has been abolished in this country, African Americans still find themselves discriminated against.

• Greater control over large corporations will help agricultural workers reclaim their lives

• Farmers produce more food than the population can handle, but they are not permitted to sell their surpluses to other markets

• Although child labor is a severe problem in the country, government leaders have done nothing to prevent children from working.

What effect did the cry for “free silver” have on the currency standard?

• End the gold standard

• Add silver to the gold standard

• Replace the gold standard with silver

• None of the above

In 1887 Congress enacted a law stated that it shall be unlawful for any common carrier subject to the provisions of this act to charge or receive any greater compensation in the aggregate for the transportation of passengers or of like kind of property, under substantially similar circumstances and conditions, for a shorter than for a longer distance over the same line, in the same direction, the shorter being included within the longer distance. Why did Congress pass this law?

• Only Congress had the right to regulate economic activities even within a single state

• Congress wanted to save natural resources by discouraging shipments over long distances

• The Supreme Court had overruled state laws prohibiting unjust practices by interstate railroads

Why did the Populist party want unlimited coinage of silver?

• To increase the amount of money in circulation and raise farm prices

• To reduce economic inflation

• To raise campaign contribution limits

The railroad monopolies put immense financial strain with their high shipping costs on what group in particular?

• The industrialists

• The farmers

• The government

• Tourists

Which political party did the Populist party eventually fuse with?

• Democrats

• Republicans

• Progressives

Agricultural overproduction, scarcity of money, high shipping costs, debt, and rural isolation are examples of...

• Monopoly

• Farmers Problems

• Pull factors of Westward Expansion

• Cross of Gold Speech

Who was the Republican candidate for the 1896 election?

• William Jennings Bryan

• William McKinley

• John D Rockefeller

• Oliver Hudson Kelley

Who was the Democratic candidate for the 1896 election?

• William Jennings Bryan

• William McKinley

• John D. Rockefeller

• Oliver Hudson Kelley