Post on 01-Apr-2015
transcript
Populism & Free Silver
meet….
Fantastic fairytale
Populist parable?
Scarecrow
Farmers
Tinman
Factory Workers
Cowardly Lion
William Jennings
Bryan
Before I became the prosecutor in the Scopes Trial
The Wizard of OzJust a scam artist (represented
previous bad presidents) who fooled people into seeing a green city (Washington D.C.) at the end of the yellow
road
The Wicked Witch of the EastRepresented rich senators, bankers, andindustrialists who abused and overworked workers (munchkins)
Senator Marcus Hanna
who fooled people into
seeing greenback$ at the end of the
“gold standard” road.
The Yellow Brick RoadGold Standard
The happy ending for a Populist Parable?
The Scarecrow/Farmers find their brains
The Tin Woodman/Factory Workers find their strength.
The Cowardly Lion/William Jennings Bryan finds his courage and speaks out.
And Dorothy’s magic SILVER slippers (“not ruby!”)
whisk her away from the green fantasy city of Oz to the real world of Kansas.
A happy ending for the Populist fairy tale…
but not what really happened.
Populism and Free Silver lost out to the bankers and the gold standard