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The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz. “A Parable on Populism”. L. Frank Baum. Born in 1856 to a wealthy family in Pennsylvania. 1888- Moves with wife to South Dakota to open a store. Business fails due to bad credit. 1891- Moves to Chicago to work for the Evening Post.

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The Wizard of Oz

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  1. The Wizard of Oz “A Parable on Populism”

  2. L. Frank Baum • Born in 1856 to a wealthy family in Pennsylvania. • 1888- Moves with wife to South Dakota to open a store. • Business fails due to bad credit. • 1891- Moves to Chicago to work for the Evening Post. • 1900- Along with illustrator W.W. Denslow, writes a “modern fairy tale.” • The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. • Goes on to write 13 other novels about the land of Oz.

  3. Baum’s Politics • Supported William Jennings Bryan in 1896. • Marched in the torchlight parades. • Wrote a poem for William McKinley in 1896. • Gave a speech to the Democrats against the Republicans. • The next night gave a speech to the Republicans against the Democrats. • What was Baum’s politics? • Relatively unknown!!

  4. The Gold and Silver Movement

  5. The Money Supply • The total amount of currency (paper and coin) in circulation. • 1933- U.S. went to a fiat-money system. • The dollar only has value because people give it value.

  6. The Bimetallic Standard • Mint Act of 1792- the basic monetary system in the U.S. would be gold and silver coins. • Silver coins- 371.25 grains of pure silver • Gold coins- 24.75 grains of pure gold. • 15:1 ratio. • 1834- ratio was raised to 16:1.

  7. The Gold Standard • Gold becomes very plentiful in 1849. • Coinage Act of 1873- Silver taken off the list of coins due to its unpopularity. • 1875- Congress orders all Civil War greenbacks to be redeemed in Gold. • American unofficially goes on the Gold Standard.

  8. The Silver Standard • 1870’s- Silver producing states in the West (Nevada, Montana, Idaho) demand a return of silver to circulation at the 16:1 ratio. • Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890- Congress purchases silver for coinage. • Panic of 1893 is blamed on the Gold Standard. • Populist Party joins the silver crusade.

  9. Populism in America

  10. Farming in America • Farming is the #1 industry in the 1870’s. • Drought, falling prices, and railroad monopolies place an economic strain on the farmers.

  11. The National Grange • Formed in 1867. • Militant organization of farmers against the railroads and monopolies. • Distrustful of banks and metal coins. • Want to go to greenback currency whose value was controlled by the government.

  12. The Populist Party • Created in the 1890’s by ex-Greenback Party members. • Omaha Platform • Establish a paper money system controlled by the government and a 16:1 coin system. • Run James B. Weaver for President in 1892. • Carries 4 states (Colorado, Kansas, Idaho, and Nevada.) • Nominates William Jennings Bryan along with the Democrats in the election of 1896.

  13. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz A Political and Monetary Allegory

  14. Dorothy • Naïve, young, and simple. • Represents the American people. • She is every man led astray who seeks a way home.

  15. The Scarecrow • Represents the Midwestern farmer. • Brainless, but clever. • At the end of the book, he is left in charge of Oz. • Idea probably taken from this 1896 cartoon.

  16. The Tin Woodsman • Represents the industrial workers. • The Wicked Witch of the East had cursed him so that every time he swung his ax he lost a body part. • Replaced by tin body parts that had rusted to immobility. • The Depression of 1893. • Probably taken from this 1899 soap ad.

  17. The Cowardly Lion • William Jennings Bryan • Tried to run for President 3 times, but failed. • Politicians were always drawn as lions by 1890’s cartoonists.

  18. The Tornado • Used in 1890’s by cartoonists to represent political upheaval. • Represents the silver standard movement that swept the country.

  19. Kansas • Populist stronghold in the 1890’s. • Represents the sad times on a struggling farm in the Midwest.

  20. The Witches • The wicked witches represent the supporters of McKinley in the East and the West. • The good witches represent the supporters of Bryan in the North and the South.

  21. The Yellow Brick Road • Represents the Gold Standard. • Dorothy’s silver slippers represents the silver standard. • The journey to the Emerald City (greenbacks) represents how both gold and silver must work together to achieve success. • Dorothy could have clicked her silver shoes 3 times and gone home. • Bryan ran for President 3 times.

  22. The Wizard • President William McKinley. • He appears differently to each character. • He makes promises he cannot keep. • Thought to be all-powerful, but exposed to be a charlatan.

  23. Other Characters • The Munchkins- the ordinary citizens. • Uncle Henry- Henry Wallace, farm magazine editor. • The Monkeys- The Indians of the Great Plains. • Toto- The Prohibition movement. • “Teetotaler”

  24. The Land of Oz • Oz= ounce • The standard unit of measurement for silver and gold. • The Emerald City • Green to represent the paper money.

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