Unit 5 The Progressive Era

The Wizard of Oz and

The Progressive Era

L. Frank Baum

• Born in 1856 in New York

• Wealth family• Interest in theater• Moved to South

Dakota, then to Chicago• Mother-in-law was

Matilda Gage

The Ruby Red Slippers/Shoes: In the original book the slippers are silver. The idea of “free silver” was to help the farmers in the Midwest because it would cause inflation or prices to go up so that the farmers could pay off their debt.Yellow Brick Road: The gold standard

The Tin man: The dehumanization of the American worker because of the assembly line. Mechanical

The Scarecrow: the mid-western farmer, general public looked at the farmer as not being smart but it does take a lot of knowledge to run a farm.

The Cowardly Lion: William Jennings Bryan, 3 time presidential candidate for the populist party, great speaker, promoted the silver standard.

Dorothy Gale: Dorothy and her group are seen as Coxey’s Army.

Coxey’s Army 1894

Washington, DC

Dorothy lives in Kansas

William Jennings Bryan•Ran for President 3 times, lost 3 times•Populist, great speaker•Free silver

The Wicked Witch of the West•Mother nature• Bad weather• Winds• Lack of rain

•Flying monkeys•poppies

The Wicked Witch of the East• bankers or financiers •The industrial businesses

The Wizard, Professor Marvel, doorman and coach driver.

•Characterized any one of the Presidents during this time period• Being everything to everybody• Grant to McKinley• From the Midwest