Reform Movements in Kansas during the Gilded Age
Reform movements in Kansas during the Gilded Age focused on addressing issues such as the concentration of wealth, rise of industry, alcohol abuse, and women's suffrage. Kansas played a significant role in prohibition efforts, with women leading the fight for temperance and even resorting to direct action. Additionally, the state pioneered women's suffrage by granting voting rights in municipal elections, allowing women to participate actively in politics.
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REFORM MOVEMENTS IN REFORM MOVEMENTS IN KANSAS KANSAS
GILDED AGE GILDED AGE The Gilded Age saw a rise in industry There was a great amount of money to be made in industry; however few benefited from it The rich tend to get richer and the poor get poorer There was a great deal of materialism and corruption (politicians being paid for favors)
GILDED AGE GILDED AGE At this time about 5% controlled the majority of the nation s wealth Most Americans were below the poverty line An economic depression hit the country in the 1870s Banks close and people lost their jobs People were unsure about spending money so businesses could not sell goods There was no trust of people who had wealth and power
PROHIBITION PROHIBITION Abuse of alcohol was major concern during the Gilded Age Took men away from their families since they were at the saloons and it brought about poor behavior by those who drank alcohol Many women in Kansas start to fight to limit and even prohibit alcohol in Kansas They promoted temperance and moderation in the use of alcohol
PROHIBITION PROHIBITION Kansas was the first state to constitutionally outlaw alcohol statewide However it was a hard law to enforce since people still made it in their homes and some alcohol was allowed for medicinal purposes Many saloons continued to operate and just paid a fine to the government Carrie Nation took matters into her own hands and began to go to saloons with a hatchet and smash the saloons up
WOMENS SUFFRAGE WOMEN S SUFFRAGE The main goal was to achieve voting rights on the national level, but when that was not first achieved, the women of Kansas worked for municipal suffrage which they were able to win Kansas was the first state to give women the right to vote in municipal elections Women could also run for city offices and several women won the city office positions Women were able to bring attention to new issues that were not discussed in politics before
POPULISM POPULISM Populism was a national movement associated with farmers and the difficult economic times along with inequality of wealth in the country Corruption in industry was also a major concern New technology allowed the farmer to be more efficient but also caused him to go into debt to afford this new technology Surpluses and poor crops caused farmers to go bankrupt and be foreclosed on This caused people to leave the state because they could no longer make a living as a farmer
POPULISM POPULISM The main question of the People s Party was whether the government should represent big business or the workers Farmers were angry with the railroads because they felt they charged unfair prices to transport crops Farmers were also upset with banks because they charged them high interest rates for their loans
SOCIALISM IN KANSAS SOCIALISM IN KANSAS People with the socialist philosophy wanted to see wealth in American society distributed to all economic classes as evenly as possible They also wanted to give the government more control over American society
PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT America was shifting from an agricultural society to a urban society Movement was about creating a better society and moving forward Focused on helping those who could not always help themselves This movement achieved many of their goals such as child labor laws, the eight hour work day, and public health reform The laws that were passed made the government and businesses more accountable to the people
