Grangers, Populists, Cross of Gold, and… The Wizard of Oz?
U.S. History
Munn v. Illinois (1877)
Wabash v. Illinois (1886)
1- A case in which the U.S. Supreme
1- The Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific
Court upheld the power of
Railway Company challenged the
government to regulate private
intervention of the state of Illinois in
industries
its business
2- Illinois legislature had set the
2- The state of Illinois had passed a law
penalizing railroads if they charged
maximum rates that private
companies could charge for the
the same or more for shipping freight
for shorter distances than for longer
storage and transport of agricultural
products (due to pressure from
distances
3- The Supreme Court declared that
Granger Movement)
3- The Chicago grain warehouse firm of
states could not regulate commerce
Munn and Scott was subsequently
that went beyond their boundaries
4- The Court ruled that only Congress
found guilty of violating the law but
appealed the conviction on the
could regulate rates on interstate
commerce
grounds that the Illinois regulation
5- In 1887, Congress passed the
represented an unconstitutional
Interstate Commerce Act;
deprivation of property without due
prohibiting railroads for charging
process of law
4- Court ruled grain storage facilities
different rates to customers shipping
were devoted to public use; thus their
goods the same distance; also banned
rates were subject to public
the charging of more for short hauls
regulation
than for long hauls over the same
~ Britannica
route
Questions:
1- What did the Supreme Court uphold in Munn v. Illinois?
________________________________________________________________________
2- What had the Illinois legislature set?
________________________________________________________________________
3- Why did the Chicago grain warehouse firm of Munn and Scott appeal?
________________________________________________________________________
4- What did the Court rule?
________________________________________________________________________
5- Were farmers happy about the ruling? Why?
________________________________________________________________________
6- What did the railroads challenge in Wabash v. Illinois?
________________________________________________________________________
7- What did the Court rule?
________________________________________________________________________
8- Were farmers happy about the ruling? Why?
________________________________________________________________________
9- What did Congress do immediately following the ruling?
________________________________________________________________________
Analyze the chart:
The Grange Movement:
Populist Party:
Election of 1896:
* 1867
* 1891 – 1896
* Formed to reduce the
isolation of farmers and to
spread information about
new farming techniques
* Despite the successes of
the Grange Movement,
farmers continued to
experience problems
* The Democratic Party
nominated William
Jennings Bryan for
President after he delivered
a speech at the convention
* Began urging economic
and political reform
* Blamed the railroads for
many of their difficulties
* Elected candidates to
state legislatures who
promised to regulate the
railroads
* In 1892, farmers gave
their support to the
Populist Party, a new
national political party
representing laborers,
farmers, and industrial
workers in the struggle
against banking and
railroad interests
- “Cross of Gold” Speech
praised farmers and
denounced bankers for
“crucifying mankind on a
cross of gold”
- But Bryan’s moral
outrage frightened many
voters, and he lost to
Republican William
McKinley
* Goals:
Election of 1900:
* When the Supreme Court - Unlimited coinage of
decision in Wabash ended
silver to raise farm prices
state regulation of
and make loan repayments * Pitted Bryan against
railroads; turned to
easier
McKinley
Congress
- Direct election of Senators
instead of by state
- McKinley’s second
* Congress passed the
legislatures
victory marked the end of
Interstate Commerce Act;
- Secret ballot to protect
the Populist Party
the first step towards
voters from intimidation
having the federal
- Immigration Restrictions - In subsequent years, new
government regulate unfair with quotas
gold discoveries, higher
business practices
- Graduated Income Tax to farm prices, and rural
tax wealthy individuals at a migration to the cities
higher rate
weakened interest in a
- Eight hour work day
separate farmer’s party
~ The Key to
- Government Ownership
Understanding U.S. History of railroads, telegraphs,
and Government
and telephones
1- Identify two significant characteristics of the Grange Movement:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2- Who did Grangers blame for their problems?
________________________________________________________________________
3- How did the Grangers influence U.S. History?
________________________________________________________________________
4- Identify two significant characteristics of the Populist Party:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
5- List several goals of the Populist Party:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
6- The Populist Party demonstrates how a third party can influence American politics.
What goals of the Populist Party have been adopted in the United States?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
7- Who was William Jennings Bryan?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
8- What was the main idea of his “Cross of Gold” speech?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
9- Why did William Jennings Bryan not win the election of 1896?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
10- What election marked the end of the Populist Party?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Identify the significant images in
the cartoon:
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
Define sacrilegious.
____________________________
____________________________
Why do you think the cartoonist
portrays William Jennings
Bryan as being a sacrilegious
candidate?
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
What does this cartoon reveal
about the American public at the
time?
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
Is the Wonderful Wizard of Oz a Parable to Teach the Lessons of the Populist Era at the
End of the 19th Century?
In 1964, Henry Littlefield, a teacher of American History, wrote a thesis that argued throughout the book The
Wonderful Wizard of Oz were carefully placed metaphors that represented people and events of the Populist Era
that ended with the Election of 1896. Research (Google it) and complete the chart below in order to match the
character from the book to the person/event from the time period.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Character
Person, Group, or Place from the Populist Era
Dorothy
Kansas
Wicked Witch of the East
Tin Woodsman
Scarecrow
Cowardly Lion
Yellow Brick Road
Silver Slippers (Ruby)
Emerald City
Oz
The Wizard
Munchkins
Wicked Witch of the West
Flying Monkeys
Glinda the Good Witch
Toto
An argumentative essay, or thesis, is written to argue a point of view. Mr. Littlefield matched the characters in the
book to history to prove his point. Many people since have argued that there really is no underlying meaning in the
characters. What do you think? Explain how the book The Wizard of Oz is OR is not a parable for the Populist
movement. You must support your argument with at least 2 examples. Please highlight or underline your thesis
AND highlight or underline the 2 examples used to support your thesis. Answer in Notebook.