PopulistsPopulists

PopulistsPopulists

1.1. Who are they?Who are they?– Populist movement starts with farmersPopulist movement starts with farmers– Organize together to change the systemOrganize together to change the system

2.2. Problems for FarmersProblems for Farmers– Crop prices fallingCrop prices falling– Railroads charging enormous fees to ship cropsRailroads charging enormous fees to ship crops– Had trouble repaying loansHad trouble repaying loans– Felt everyone was making money off themFelt everyone was making money off them

3.3. National GrangeNational Grange– Organization of farmersOrganization of farmers

• Created to help farmers help each otherCreated to help farmers help each other– Fought to get state governments to regulate Fought to get state governments to regulate

railroad pricesrailroad prices

4.4. Farmers’ AllianceFarmers’ Alliance– Fought against the gold standardFought against the gold standard– Gold Standard: each paper bill was worth a Gold Standard: each paper bill was worth a

certain amount of gold, could only print as much certain amount of gold, could only print as much money as there was gold in the treasurymoney as there was gold in the treasury

– Farmers wanted more paper money so they Farmers wanted more paper money so they wanted the Silver Standard as well (money wanted the Silver Standard as well (money backed by silver)backed by silver)

5.5. Populist PartyPopulist Party– New political party formed by farmers in the New political party formed by farmers in the

National Grange and in Farmer AlliancesNational Grange and in Farmer Alliances– Fought for income tax, bank regulation, Fought for income tax, bank regulation,

government regulation of railroads, and silver government regulation of railroads, and silver coinagecoinage

– 1892 Election: they won several seats in congress 1892 Election: they won several seats in congress and in several state officesand in several state offices

Populist Party• a. Sub-Treasury (opened in various counties which produced at least

$500,000 worth of agricultural products per year and would give loans for up to 80% of the crop)

b. Free Silver (coinage of silver)

c. Direct Election of Senators (17th Amendment to the Constitution)

d. Graduated Income Tax (16th Amendment to the Constitution)

e. Lower Tariffs to Help Farmers

f. Government Regulation of Railroad and Utilities

What is an allegory?

• a symbolic narrative

Yellow Brick Road

• Gold Standard in the country

Scarecrow

• Farmers (no brains by society's standards, but smarter than given credit for)

Cowardly Lion

• William Jennings Bryan (not a coward, but a leader, as lions are usually dominant)

Tin Man

• Industrialization (doesn’t have a heart, but doesn’t hate either)

Dorothy’s Slippers

• Silver exchange (YES they are red in the movie; this was done to make them stand out. In the original book the slippers were silver. Remember the slippers hold the power until the end, because silver was the exchange. Once back in Kansas they were gone, just as silver was overtaken by the Gold standard.)

Dorothy

• Level-headed, innocent humans

Wizard

• Politicians (trying to be all things to all people)

Winged Monkeys

• Plains Indians (Remember the mid-western view of farming, and having to deal with the Indians; they were not bad people but could be swayed by good and evil.)

Wicked Witch of the East

• Bankers who have nothing for farmers

Wicked Witch of the West

• Nature (water kills and the farmers need water)

Good Witch of the North

• Northern businesses that could seemingly do everything well, and were educated

Munchkins

• Little people of society (middle class and below)

Emerald City

• Washington, D.C.

Tornado

• The idea of “change”

Populist Party Poster

• Create a political cartoon or a campaign poster about the populist party.

• Make sure that at least three issues that they focused on are addressed.