Populism and the Jacksonian Democrats Answer to a past FRQ (Free Response Question) for an AP US History class.

Question: In what ways were the late nineteenth-century Populists the heirs of the Jacksonian-Democrats with respect to overall objectives and specific proposals for reform? The Populists of the late nineteenth-century were in many aspects the heirs of the Jacksonian Democrats, carrying on the legacy and tradition left behind. The Populists were very similar to the Jacksonians in many of their overall objectives and specific reform proposals. During the Jacksonian Era from about 1828-1842, the Democrats …

…of each was to upset the eastern powers; Jackson was to defeat the stranglehold of the aristocratic east on the nation's economic life; the Populists were set to defeat the stranglehold of the industrial east on the nation's economic life. Both parties were champions of the common man, although it was the Populists championing themselves. The legacy and tradition left behind by the Jacksonian Democrats was aptly picked up by the Populists of the nineteenth-century.