What are your two main political parties? Warm Up Who did Government favor at the end of the 1800’s? Farmers, Workers, Middle Class, Big Business or the poor? What are your two main political parties? Why do we have political parties?
Populism “What you farmers need to do is raise less corn and more Hell!” Mary Elizabeth Lease (1890) Populist Organizer
Populism: Defined Political movement that tried to help out the nation’s struggling farmers.
Problems on the Plains… Farmers were in trouble because of... More Debt Mechanization New Farm Land Why? Over Production Drove prices down
Populism Farmers were in trouble because of... 3. Specialization of Crops - Farmers only raise one crop (leads to trouble if that crop has problems) 4. Disasters - floods, boll-weevil, grasshoppers, drought
Populism Farmers were in trouble… 5. Corporate Greed Barbed wire trust, Harvester Trust, Fertilizer Trust, Banks, and Railroads "The Iron Horse Which Eats Up The Farmers' Produce.” 1873
The Grange What? Farmer’s Union founded by Oliver Kelly (MN) Cooperative movement - farmers pooled their money to make shared purchases of machinery, supplies, insurance, etc. How? Worked for pro-farmer laws Ex. Interstate Commerce Act - regulated rates of railroads
“Movement of the people…” Populist Party Created in 1892 Local Granges united on national level
Populist Party Platform -Secret ballot -Direct election of senators -Recall, Referendum, and Initiative -Government regulation of railroads, telegraphs, and telephones -Progressive income tax -More income=more taxes -free coinage of silver (Bimetallism)
Populist Party & Free Silver They wanted to use both silver and gold coins, thus increasing the amount of paper money in circulation. (Inflation)
A Populist President? William Jennings Bryan Ran as a Populist President in 1896 on platform of Free Silver
“Cross of Gold Speech” Delivered at the 1896 Democratic Convention
William McKinley Republican Front porch campaign thousands visit his home to hear him speak Popular in the Northeast Favors the gold standard
And the winner is… McKinley!
Fall of the Populists… After their defeat in the Election of 1896, the party fell apart. They did leave behind a couple of important things… Many ideas would be enacted during the Progressive Era Proved that the third party can be strong influence
The Wizard of Oz Written by Active Populist L. Frank Baum Most things in the book represent something important to the populist movement
The Wizard of Oz Basic Symbols: Ruby Slippers Yellow Brick Road Oz - In the book, were actually “Silver Slippers” (magic of Free Silver) Ruby Slippers Yellow Brick Road - “Gold” –represented many dangers for regular people (like Dorothy) - Abbreviation for Ounce (way gold is measured) Oz
The Wizard of Oz Characters: Dorothy Scarecrow Tin Man -Good natured American people, the common man. Dorothy Scarecrow - Farmers - Industrial Workers Tin Man
The Wizard of Oz Characters: Lion Wicked Witch of the West Wizard - William Jennings Bryan (a pacifist) Lion Wicked Witch of the West -Harsh climate and conditions on the plains. Defeated by water… Wizard - President of the United States
The Wizard of Oz Places: Emerald City Kansas - Washington D.C. (in the book, the color came from Green Glasses that everyone wore, a trick) Emerald City -Dry, dreary mid-western plains Kansas
“Gold Bugs” -Eastern Bankers and Industrialists -They favored keeping the “Gold Standard” Gold Standard: All paper money is backed by gold. Leaves fewer dollars in circulation (Deflation) Increases the value of the dollar