Plodding Through The Presidents

May 23, 2023

Populism in The Wizard of Oz

We go on a bimetal-curious adventure over the rainbow to dig into the history of L. Frank Baum's American fairy tale The Wizard of Oz and its alleged connections to William Jennings Bryan and the Populist movement of the 1890s. Then, Howard talks with author Peter Shea about Bryan and other presidential candidates who never made it to the presidency—including Aaron Burr and John C. Calhoun—all featured in Shea's book "In The Arena: A History of American Presidential Hopefuls." Special thanks to finance professional and friend of the pod Martin Smith for his insights on the appeal of the bimetallic standard. Find show notes, sources, and more at plodpod.com Consider joining our Patreon family at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents Check out our merch store at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/plodding-through-the-presidents?ref_id=24294

1 hr 7 min