1. Farmers in the west have 2 problems: The Populists

2. Debts Owed money for Land, machinery, seed, etc. Hard to pay debts since Banks and wealthy controlled $ supply Rich want less $ printed, only backed by gold-called “goldbugs” Farmers wantgold & silver Used to back $ so more can be printed-called “free silverites” and bimetallism

3. Railroads Were overcharging farmers to ship crops. Had a monopoly. Farmers want thegovernment to stop this and regulate them They form a social/political organization called The Grange founder Oliver Kelley The Grange successfully elect local & state politicians to regulate RRs in states. Upheld by court case Munn v Illinois But most RRs run between states and need federaloversight. Interstate Commerce Act Will be passed, but not enforced.

4. Populism Members:Farmers, factory workers, the common “little people” of society Wanted:Bimetallism, limited hours of work, gov’t regulation of RRs Nominate:William Jennings Bryan to run for president Bryan’s Cross of Gold Speech

5. Republicans Members:Many are wealthy powerful business interests McKinley poster

6. Double Entry Journal On your paper, create a chart with 2 columns and 5 rows. Label the left column “quotes” and the right column “reflection.” Pick 4 quotes from the Lease and Bryan texts. Copy them directly into your quote column. Read each quote and reflect on it. Record this in the right column. You may draw a picture make connections to other media, yourself, or the world Ask social questions pertaining to race, class, gender, etc. Include personal reflections (I agree with this…, I wonder if…etc.

7. QuotesReflection “You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.” Maybe he’s using a religious reference because many small, poor, common people were religious and familiar with biblical stories?

8. Thinking Cards The color of your card will determine your job for the text. Yellow- express the positive aspects of the text Red- express the emotions in the text White- give neutral facts connected to the text Green- write 2 discussion questions about the text Black- express the negative aspects of the text Blue- facilitate discussion and deeper understanding of the text within the group

9. Now answer this question… Why were speakers like Lease and Bryan popular with farmers in the 1890s? Your answer should be in paragraph form, give 1-2 sentences of background info about populism, list 2 reasons why farmers supported Lease and Bryan, and include 2 quotes to support the reasons you gave.

10. Populism & The Wizard of Oz Oz: ounces Dorothy: common people Wicked Witches: East-Banks, West- RRs Munchkins: farmers, miners, etc Yellow Brick Road: gold standard Dorothy’s slippers: silver Tin Man: factory workers Scarecrow: farmers The Lion: William Jennings Bryan The Wizard: President of US