1. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nauLgZISozs -

2. -What problems did the farmers face in the late 1800s
-What problems did the farmers face in the late 1800s? -How did the Populist Party help them?

3. Homework
Read and highlight article on Populism and answer questions that follow.

5. Why is Auntie Em so stressed?
Farmers in the late 1800s faced hardship and isolation
Stressed over debt, tariffs, and railroad prices!
Tariffs protected farmers from competition from foreign farm goods, but drove up prices of manufactured goods.
Tariffs also made it harder for farmers to sell their products abroad because foreign countries couldn’t afford them.
Felt high tariff policy favored the eastern manufacturer.

8. Who is the Wicked Witch of the West?
Bankers and Eastern industrialists.
They want a gold standard (dollar is backed by gold) because they like the idea that their loans will be paid back with money backed by gold.

10. What is the Yellow Brick Road?
The Gold Standard
Would limit the amount of money in circulation and deflate (drive down) prices.
Would stabilize economy and protect wealthy, but
Would hurt farmers who had to pay off debts.

12. Who are the munchkins?
Average people who don’t think and are therefore manipulated controlled by the propoganda of the bankers and industrialists.

14. Why are the ruby slippers so important?
Ruby slippers (actually “silver slippers” in the original story) represent the free and unlimited coinage of silver, the solution that will solve the farmers’ problems.
Would increase money supply and drive up prices.
Farmers would get more money for goods and
Pay off debts more easily.

16. Who is the Scarecrow? Wise, but naïve western farmer
Wanted an increase in the money supply which would raise prices on their farm products, thus increasing their incomes.

18. Who is the tinman? Dehumanized industrial worker
Joins labor union to improve working conditions and wages
Farmers hope that union workers will support them.

20. What’s Oz? Washington D.C. – the nation’s capital
The place you need to get to to make change or to get what you want – to get new laws made!

22. What was the Grange? Initially a social organization for farmers
Becomes political when farmers realize railroad companies are hurting their livelihoods by charging unfair prices.
Start to push for state laws regulating railroads. (laws upheld in Munn v. Illinois)
Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 – regulated railroad prices.

26. What did populist party stand for?
Founded in 1892
Increased circulation of money
Unlimited minting of silver
Progressive income tax (rich pay more, poor pay less)
Government ownership of country’s communication and transportation systems.
8 hour work day

29. Who was the Wizard? William Jennings Bryan
Presidential candidate in 1896 for new Populist Party and Democratic Party
Pushed for free and unlimited coinage of silver.

31. Cross of Gold Speech Emotional plea for free silver
Used biblical references
“You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns. You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold!”
William Jennings Bryan

32. Bryan loses in election of 1896 to McKinley
McKinley was supported by big business
Wanted gold standard
Bryan carried Democratic West and South, but not midwestern and northern states
Factory workers feared that free silver might cause inflation and hurt the buying power of their wages.
Populism could not unite needs of farmers and city workers.

34. Populism When economy improved after the election, populism died out.
However, the goals of populism lived on and their ideas were incorporated into the other parties.