The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Battle over Free Silver vs. Gold
Standard
The Debate
• Free Silver
– More money
– Pay off debts
• inflation
• Gold Standard
– Money back by gold
• Made it more valuable
• Less money in circulation
– deflationary
The Supporters
• Silver
– Populists
– Northern farmers and
southerners
– Westerners
– William Jennings Byan
• 1896 election
• “Cross of Gold” speech
• Gold
– Republicans
– Indutrialists/Capitalists
1900 Presidential Election
• Bryan: Democrat
– Anti-imperialist
– Free Silver
• William McKinley:
Republican
– Pro-War
– Gold Standard
• Bryan attacked
– Unpatriotic
– Drops anti-imperialist
stance
• Pushes Silver issue
– Loses
Frank Baum
• Populist
• Supports Silver
• Publishes “The Wizard
of Oz” in April 1900
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–
–
–
In the midst of election
Extremely popular
Doesn’t help Bryan
Does help state elections
The Elections of 1884
• Blaine (Rep.) v.
Cleveland (Dem.)
– Mugwumps
• Liberal Republicans that
leave party and join
Democrats
– “Rum, Romanism, and
rebellion”
• Seen as slander on
Catholic church
– Cleveland WINS
Cleveland Presidency
• Well liked by most
– Went up against
politicians, pressure
groups, and Tammany
Hall
• Tariff Issue
– Want to lower tariff to
curb abuses of Congress
• Republicans wanted it
raised
• Becomes issue in 1888
election
Election of 1888 & 1892
• 1888
– Cleveland loses electoral
vote to Benjamin Harrison
but wins popular vote
• 1890 mid-terms
– Democrats sweep Congress
• 1892
– Cleveland wins
• Only president voted out
and back in 4 yrs later
Panic of 1893
• Railroads and Loans
from England
– Took them out to pay for
expansions
– British hard times
• Call in loans
– Reading and
Philadelphia RR fail
– Stock Market Crashes
• Hard times
– Especially for farmers
Coxey’s Army
• Jacob Coxey
– Advocates the creation
of public works
programs to put people
to work
– 500 march on
Washington with
petition
• Kept out of capital by
armed police
• Congress ignores them
• WHY?
– radicalism
Election of 1896
• McKinley (Rep.) vs.
Bryan (Dem.)
• Big Issue is the Gold
Standard vs. Free Silver
– Thousands donated to
McKinley by
businessmen
• Fear of free silver and
inflation
• McKinley Wins