"We demand the free and unlimited coinage of silver and gold at the present legal ratio of 16 to 1." — Populist (People's) Party Platform, Omaha, 1892
The trend in wheat prices best explains why farmers supported which Populist demand?
- Acheck_circle
Free coinage of silver to expand the money supply and raise crop prices.
- B
A return to the gold standard to lower wheat prices further.
- C
Abolishing the federal income tax.
- D
Repealing antitrust legislation.
Explanation
Falling crop prices made fixed mortgage debts harder to repay. Free silver would inflate the currency, raising commodity prices and easing debt burdens. This drove the Populist platform and Bryan's 1896 "Cross of Gold" campaign.