Programs

At the turn of the 20th century, Populists and radical Democrats pushed for political and economic reforms in the U.S. The Populist Party, driven by struggling farmers, called for measures like the free coinage of silver and government control of railroads. Though the Populists faded, their ideas influenced the Progressive Era, when radical Democrats pushed for antitrust laws, business regulations, women’s suffrage, and labor rights, all aimed at reducing corporate power and improving conditions for ordinary Americans.