Editing People's Party (United States) (section)

== Formation ==
[[File:Peoples Party at Columbus Nebraska.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1|People's Party candidate nominating convention held at [[Columbus, Nebraska]], July 15, 1890]]
The Farmer's Alliance had initially sought to work within the two-party system, but by 1891 many party leaders had become convinced of the need for a third party that could challenge the conservatism of both major parties.<ref>Goodwyn (1978), pp. 127–128</ref> In the [[United States elections, 1890|1890 elections]], Farmer's Alliance-backed candidates won dozens of races for the U.S. House of Representatives and gained majorities in several state legislatures.<ref>Brands (2010), p. 438</ref> Many of these individuals were elected in coalition with Democrats; in Nebraska, the Farmer's Alliance forged an alliance with newly elected Congressman [[William Jennings Bryan]], while in Tennessee, local Farmer's Alliance leader [[John P. Buchanan]] was elected governor on the Democratic ticket.<ref>Goodwyn (1978), pp. 143–144</ref> As most leading Democrats refused to endorse the Sub-Treasury, many leaders of the Farmer's Alliance remained dissatisfied with both major parties.<ref>Goodwyn (1978), pp. 147–148, 159</ref>

In December 1890, a Farmer's Alliance convention re-stated the organization's platform with the [[Ocala Demands]]; Farmer's Alliance leaders also agreed to hold another convention in early 1892 to discuss the possibility of establishing a third party if Democrats failed to adopt their policy goals.<ref>Goodwyn (1978), p. 151</ref> Among those who favored the establishment of a third party were Farmer's Alliance president [[Leonidas L. Polk]], Georgia newspaper editor [[Thomas E. Watson]], and former Congressman [[Ignatius L. Donnelly]] of Minnesota.<ref>Goodwyn (1978), pp. 163–165</ref>

[[File:1892PopulistPoster.png|thumb|upright=1.00|1892 People's Party campaign poster promoting [[James B. Weaver|James Weaver]] for President of the United States]]
The February 1892 Farmer's Alliance convention was attended by supporters of [[Edward Bellamy]] and [[Henry George]],<ref>Brands (2010), p. 439</ref> as well as current and former members of the [[Greenback Party]], [[Prohibition Party]], [[Anti-Monopoly Party]], [[Labor Reform Party]], [[Union Labor Party]], [[United Labor Party (New York)|United Labor Party]], Workingmen Party, and dozens of other minor parties. Delivering the final speech of the convention, Ignatius L. Donnelly, stated, "We meet in the midst of a nation brought to the verge of moral, political, and material ruin. ... We seek to restore the government of the republic to the hands of the 'plain people' with whom it originated. Our doors are open to all points of the compass. ... The interests of rural and urban labor are the same; their enemies are identical."<ref name="kazin2729">Kazin (1995), pp. 27–29</ref> Following Donnelly's speech, delegates agreed to establish the People's Party and hold a [[United States presidential nominating convention|presidential nominating convention]] on July 4 in [[Omaha, Nebraska]].<ref>Goodwyn (1978), pp. 167–168, 171</ref> Journalists covering the fledgling party began referring to it as the "Populist Party," and that term quickly became widely popular.<ref name="kazinnyt">{{cite news |last1=Kazin |first1=Michael |title=How Can Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders Both Be 'Populist'? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/magazine/how-can-donald-trump-and-bernie-sanders-both-be-populist.html |access-date=26 November 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=22 March 2016}}</ref>