Richmond Chapter 11: Prohibition to Populism, 1870-1900, 17 November 2005

I really enjoyed reading this chapter. This chapter was about the political and social movements in Kansas at the end of the 19th century. Richmond discussed prohibition in Kansas. I did not know that Kansas was the first state to have constitutional prohibition. I guess that it is not a surprise that in 2005 we are still talking about Sunday liquor sales.

Richmond did a great job of discussing Populism through the eyes of Kansas. I think I will use this approach when I teach about Populism. I can combine Kansas History and American History together and it will be relevant to my students. One of the things I really got from this chapter was a real look at who Populists were. Populists were thought of as rugged farmer-types. The vision I see is one similar to "The Beverly Hillbillies". I think I will spend more time giving the kids a real picture of who these people were and what they accomplished. I want them to see that they were average people that changed America.