Final answer:
The People's Party, known as the Populists, outlined significant reforms in their Omaha Platform such as direct election of U.S. senators, direct democracy tools like referenda, the eight-hour workday, and government control over railroads, which aimed at increasing federal government support for the welfare of all citizens.
Step-by-step explanation:
The proposals included in the People's Party platform, also known as the Populists, were formulated during their convention in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1892, and issued as the Omaha Platform. This platform outlined a series of reforms to increase the economic and social welfare of Americans, particularly farmers, laborers, and other working-class citizens.
Key proposals advocated for by the People's Party included the direct election of U.S. senators, which was later realized through the Seventeenth Amendment, a more direct democracy with systems like the referendum and the recall of elected officials, the eight-hour workday, and term limits for politicians. Additionally, they supported the use of a secret ballot, the end of the gold standard for currency, government control over railroads, and the establishment of a federal income tax.
The Omaha Platform was a critical document reflecting the desires for a more proactive federal government intervention in the economy to protect and support the welfare of all citizens, contrasting sharply with the dominant laissez-faire attitudes of the era.