during the 1896 campaign, william jennings bryan

C. Was supported by Populists and Democrats. Many were disappointed; the Democratic candidate read a two-hour speech from a manuscript, wishing to look statesmanlike, and fearing that if he spoke without a script, the press would misrepresent his words. Tried to deemphasize his platform's demand for free silver c. Promised to continue the policies of Grover Cleveland d. Refused to mix politics an religion e. Ran what journalists called a "front-porch campaign" [65], Bryan concluded the address, seizing a place in American history:[66], Having behind us the producing masses of this nation and the world, supported by the commercial interests, the laboring interests, and the toilers everywhere, we will answer their demand for a gold standard by saying to them: "You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns; you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold. Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. He condemned court-ordered injunctions against strikers, like the one employed by President Cleveland against the Pullman strikers, and he endorsed a progressive federal income tax. [46], Just before the convention, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) made initial determinations of which delegations were to be seatedonce convened, delegates would make the final determination after the convention's Credentials Committee reported. [24][25] Several times, in his addresses, Bryan repeated variations on lines he had spoken in Congress in December 1894, decrying the gold standard, "I will not help to crucify mankind upon a cross of gold. . Stephen Jay Gould thinks that the end of the Arkansas court case regarding the science of creation marked the ultimate end of the controversy that surrounded evolution vs. creation. The answer was simple, Bryan told Abbothe had prepared a speech that would stampede the convention. Gold was also made money, but its value was pegged to the silver dollar at a ratio of 15 to 1, and then 16 to 1. [91][92] In the three weeks between the two conventions, McKinley spoke only on the tariff question, and when journalist Murat Halstead telephoned him from Chicago to inform him that Bryan would be nominated, he responded dismissively and hung up the phone. Bryan Club" and "Keep Your Eye on Nebraska. Some had made brief speaking engagements, but it was considered undignified for a candidate to actively campaign on his own behalf. William Jennings Bryan "Cross of Gold" Speech July 9, 1896 The delegates were stunned. The culmination of the campaign was a decree, issued by Hanna, that November 2 would be designated Flag Day for Republicans, who were expected to assemble in the cities, villages, and hamlets nearest their homes and show their patriotism, devotion to country and the flag, and their intention to support the party which stands for protection, sound money, and good government. [New York Times, October 27, 1896, page 2]. "[57] The Nebraska delegation waved red handkerchiefs as Bryan progressed to the podium;[56] he wore an alpaca sack suit more typical of Lincoln and the West than of Chicago. The Populist Party grew out of the agrarian discontent of the 1890s, especially in the South and West of the Mississippi River. Picture Information. They read Bryan when they couldn't go off to listen to him. Treat all candidates fairly. A bowery had been built for the Fourth of July picnic and dance. [108] According to Stanley Jones in his study of the 1896 campaign, "Bryan expected that he alone, carrying to the people the message of free silver, would win the election for his party. They began to focus on the man they saw as holding McKinleys puppet stringsMark Hanna. 1896 Presidential Campaign 31 4. Even contemporaries sensed that it was of un usual significance in the political history of the nation. October 29, 1896 | Speech. His campaign mastermind, Cleveland businessman Mark Hanna, attracted 750,000 people to Canton during the campaign and enlisted thousands of speakers to stump elsewhere on McKinleys behalf. Cleveland had achieved his goals, but in doing so had also split the Democratic Party over fiscal policy. The clashes between William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan during the 1896 and 1900 presidential elections changed the course of American politics. Who were the philosophes and what did they advocate? The Republicans combined the bimetallism issue with the tariff question and promised a return to prosperity, social order, and morality. Bryan lostbut lines were drawn. What were the goals and results of Stalin's five-year plans? B. The climax of his career was undoubtedly the1896 presidential campaign. It was badly received even by silver delegates, who wished to think of silver as a patriotic, national issue. Though men thought otherwise at the time, neither fate nor accident created his position in the party. Bryan sensed the possibility of becoming the nominee long before 1896; his ambition was fully matured several months prior to the convention, and there is evidence that his hopes were becoming tinged with certainty before he left for Chicago. With this law, the supply of primary money was cut in half. The central issue was the country's money supply. The New York World reported, "The floor of the convention seemed to heave up. Why was the development of cast-iron and steel-frame construction techniques significant to the growth of cities? William Jennings Bryan was the youngest man ever to be nominated for president by a major party. McDonald/Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG/Getty Images. WATCH: Americas Book of Secrets: The Gold Conspiracy. "[143], Michael Kazin, Bryan's biographer, notes the many handicaps he faced in his 1896 campaign: "A severe economic downturn that occurred with Democrats in power, a party deserted by its men of wealth and national prominence, the vehement opposition of most prominent publishers and academics and ministers, and hostility from the nation's largest employers". Hannas McKinley and the Full Dinner Pail slogan had been more convincing. Those that served principally as agricultural centers or had been founded along the railroad favored Bryan. they included something to please every taste, social class, and type, serve as a great place for immigrant men to meet women. At first, he rode in public cars, and made his own travel arrangements, looking up train schedules and even carrying his own bags from train station to hotel. His 'Cross of Gold' speech, given to conclude the debate on the party platform, immediately transformed him into a favorite for the nomination, and he won it the next day. "[142] By the end of 1896, Bryan had published his account of the campaign, The First Battle. The Presidential Election of 1900 would be a rematch of the Presidential Election of 1896 against William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan. The nation was regionally split, with the industrial East and Midwest for McKinley, and with Bryan carrying the Solid South and the silver strongholds of the Rocky Mountain states. [35] Bryan was deeply moved when, after the adoption of the platform, Colorado Senator Henry M. Teller led a walkout of silver-supporting Republicans. "[100] Populist Kansas Congressman Jerry Simpson wrote, "I care not for party names. The 1878 BlandAllison Act and the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890 required the government to buy large quantities of silver and strike it into coin. Just before his death, the man many called the Great Commoner employed his oratorical skills one last time, arguing against the teaching of evolution in the Scopes Trial. Members of the Committee on Resolutions (also called the Platform Committee) intended to elect California Senator Stephen M. White as chairman; they found that he had already been co-opted as permanent chairman of the convention. But back in 1896, when William Jennings Bryan gave his Cross of Gold Speech and launched his first presidential campaign, the gold standard was a twenty-three year experiment whose results, for millions of small farmers across the American Midwest, had been devastating. The Presidential Election of 1896 took place after The Panic of 1893 had sunk the nation into a recession. The most electric moment of his speech came at the end, when he drew on his evangelical Christian faith. [119] Among the foremost supporters of Bryan was publisher William Randolph Hearst who both contributed to Bryan's campaign and slanted his newspapers' coverage in his favor. It allowed larger numbers of people to become commuters and live away from the central city. Palmer was a 79-year-old former Union general, Buckner a 73-year-old former Confederate of that rank; the ticket was the oldest in combined age in American history, and Palmer the second-oldest presidential candidate (behind Peter Cooper of the Greenback Party; Bryan was the youngest). The paper editorialized on the same page that even if the Democratic candidate was not insane, he was at least "of unsound mind". Bryan later asked the Platform Committee chairman, Arkansas Senator James K. Jones why he was given such a crucial role as closing the platform debate; Senator Jones responded that he had three reasons: Bryan's long service in the silver cause, the Nebraskan was the only major speaker not to have addressed the convention, and that Jones had a sore throat. Writers such as Edgar Lee Masters, Hamlin Garland and his fellow Nebraskan, Willa Cather, like Bryan came from the prairies; they wrote of their admiration for him and his first battle. South Carolina Senator Benjamin Tillman, a silver supporter, wanted an hour to address the convention, and to close the debate. In his bookThe First Battle(1896), Bryan writes: Friday was one of the long days. To that end, it was important that the Populists not nominate a rival silver candidate, and he took pains to cultivate good relations with Populist leaders. On the domestic front, Republicans supported pensions for Union veterans and economic opportunities for women (without mentioning suffrage), and opposed anti-Black activities in the South. The more radical mid-roaders wanted to remain a separate organization and pursue a larger agenda. [73] As Missouri Senator George Vest nominated Bland, his oratory was drowned out by the gallery, "Bryan, Bryan, W.J. What distinguished the Farmers' Alliances from the Granger movement? Bryans appeal to Americas farmers and the working class, his passionate support of the free silver movement and his powerful speaking style galvanized both disaffected Democrats and members of the Peoples (or Populist) Party, turning the election into one of the most hard-fought and consequential in the nations history. [151] The poet Vachel Lindsay, 16years old in 1896, passionately followed Bryan's first campaign, and wrote of him many years later: Where is that boy, that Heaven-born Bryan,That Homer Bryan, who sang from the West?Gone to join the shadows with Altgeld the Eagle,Where the kings and the slaves and the troubadours rest.[152]. The leading candidates were former Missouri congressman Richard P. Bland and former Iowa governor Horace Boies. He practiced law in Jacksonville (188387) before moving to Lincoln, Nebraska, where he was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1890. McKinleys win began an era of Republican dominance, and economic prosperity, that would last for nearly four decades. Of the remaining men, Bryan maneuvered to be the last to speak in the platform debate on July 9. [20], In March 1895, the same month he left Congress, Bryan passed his 35thbirthday, making him constitutionally eligible for the presidency. California Do not sell my personal information. Bryan also argued that free silver would provide more money for industrial expansion and job creation. Bryan's sterling record on the issue left the Populists with a stark choice: They could endorse Bryan, and risk losing their separate identity as a party, or nominate another candidate, thus dividing the pro-silver vote to McKinley's benefit. They had been passed as compromises between free silver and the gold standard. . Written by William Hope Harvey,Coins Financial Schoolsold hundreds of millions of copies, and perpetuated the belief that Americas economic hard times was the result of a national and international conspiracy against silver. "[123] After a brief interval for handshakes, the train would pull out again, to another town down the track.[123]. 50.In the 1896 campaign, William Jennings Bryan a. [53] Once White started the proceedings, he turned over the gavel to Senator Jones, who read the proposed platform to great applause from silver delegates, and hissing from gold men. Bryan quipped, "I seem to have plenty of friends now, but I remember well when they were very few. [132] Early Republican polls had shown Bryan ahead in crucial Midwestern states, including McKinley's Ohio. William Jennings Bryan proposed not just bringing silver . He was a congressman and then governor of the state, and even had a distinguished Civil War record, which was still a political asset more than three decades after the war had ended. This was a matter of intense interest for the silver delegates: Bryan had written to large numbers of delegates urging them to support his men over their gold rivals; once in Chicago, he and his fellow Nebraskans had spoken with many others about the dispute. In the address, Bryan supported bimetallism or free silver, which he believed would bring the nation prosperity. [96][97] According to Stanley Jones, "the Democratic endorsement of silver and Bryan at Chicago precipitated the disintegration" of the Populist Party;[98] it was never again a force in national politics after 1896. [121], During this tour, Bryan spoke almost exclusively on the silver question, and attempted to mold the speeches to reflect local issues and interests. During the campaign for the presidential election of 1884, many prominent Republican leaders and supporters left the party because: large cities and major universities in the Northeast, It was the first federal law to restrict immigration on the basis of race and class. McKinley and Hanna gently mocked Dawes, telling him that Bland would be the nominee. What was the main problem with Bryan's campaign in 1896? Despite his diplomatic inexperience, he made a distinctive contribution to world law by espousing arbitration to prevent war. HistoryOnTheNet 2000-2019. If they dare to come out in the open field and defend the gold standard as a good thing, we shall fight them to the uttermost, having behind us the producing masses of the nation and the world. Gold Democrats had success in the Northeast, and little elsewhere. Because there was a very limited gold supply, all property declined in value in comparison to gold (or gold increased dramatically in value and buying power). An economic depression had begun in 1893, and public opinionand . He was young, had a respectable but not burdensome record, came from the West, and understood the arts of conciliation. At their convention in St. Louis, the Populists passed a wide-ranging reform platform and then nominated Bryan for president. Illinois Senator John M. Palmer was eager to be the presidential candidate, and the convention nominated him with Kentucky's Simon Bolivar Buckner as his running mate. "[110][111][112] August 12 was an extremely hot day in New York, especially for the crowd jammed into the Garden; when Missouri Governor William J. Bryan ended his rousing oration with religious imagery: Having behind us the producing masses of this nation and the world, supported by the commercial interests, the laboring interests and the toilers everywhere, we will answer their demand for a gold standard by saying to them: You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold. Facing severe restrictions in their free time, married working women often: Young, urban women eager for recreation frequented all of the following EXCEPT: During the presidential election of 1892, the Populist candidate James B. Weaver: One of the causes of the 1893 depression was failure of: During the depression of 1893, unemployment hovered around: demanded government jobs for the unemployed. [2][3], While attending law school from 1881 to 1883, Bryan was a clerk to former Illinois senator Lyman Trumbull, who influenced him in a dislike for wealth and business monopolies. At every stop, he made contacts that he later cultivated. The humblest citizen in all the land, when clad in the armor of a righteous cause, is stronger than all the hosts of error. Hear William Jennings Bryan deliver his Cross of Gold speech at the Democratic National Convention, 43 Questions About Politics (Mostly in the United States) Compiled from Britannicas Quizzes. [81][82] Amid talk that the Gold Democrats would form their own party, Senator Hill was asked if he remained a Democrat. The mid-roaders started an anti-Bryan protest, but it was cut short when the lights were turned on. Earned the Republican nomination. Evoking the attitudes of the time toward gimmicky quack medicine, Theodore Roosevelt said of Hannas efforts, He has advertised McKinley as if he were a patent medicine! Hanna also engineered a masterful response to Bryans Cross of Gold Speech. Loyal to Cleveland, they wanted to nominate him. William McKinley was the overwhelming favorite,anotherin a series of Republican candidates who came from Ohio, reflecting the growing political clout of the American Midwest. The top of the cane features a small portrait bust of Bryan with a small United States seal, with the eagle and shield, and a ribbon with the words "Free Coinage and Prosperity . Bryan, with this declaration, set the theme of his argument, and as it would prove, his campaign: that the welfare of humanity was at stake with the silver issue. Garret Hobart, a businessman and state politician from New Jersey, was nominated for vice president in the hopes that he would help his party carry his home state for the first time since 1872. Bryan always regarded that argument as the speech's most powerful part, despite the fame its conclusion would gain. [139], In most areas, Bryan did better among rural voters than urban. During the drawn out debate over excluding James, . He was not yet done with campaigning, however; on November 2, he undertook a train journey across Nebraska in support of Democratic congressional candidates. Sherman's act required the government to pay out gold in exchange for silver and paper currency, and through the early months of 1893 gold flowed out of the Treasury. [105], After the Democratic convention, Bryan had returned triumphantly to Lincoln, making speeches along the way. Bryan was a Christian who believed in a literal interpretation of the Bible. [69] In the midst of the crazed crowd, Altgeld, a Bland supporter, commented to his friend, lawyer Clarence Darrow, "That is the greatest speech I ever listened to. A high protective tariff was emphasized, in conjunction with reciprocal trade agreements with other nations. He called for reform of the monetary system, an end to the gold standard, and promised government relief efforts for farmers and others hurt by the economic depression. For a more detailed treatment of the background to the currency question, see, For further information on the procedures of American political conventions, see, William Jennings Bryan 1896 presidential campaign, Attacks and Gold Democrats; the final days. "Bryan, Bryan, Bryan, Bryan" is a lyric poem by American poet Vachel Lindsay. Bryan remained at his hotel, sending word to his fellow Nebraskans, "There must be no pledging, no promising, on any subject with anybody. Bryan promoted a statement signed by 31 House Democrats urging Democrats to become the party of free silver. If this robbery is permitted, the farmer will be ruined, and then the cities will suffer. Why was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 significant in American immigration history? [120], On September 11, 1896, Bryan departed on a train trip that continued until November 1, two days before the election. The position involved no day-to-day duties, but allowed him to publish his political commentaries. By 1896, following the Panic of 1893, the party had become almost exclusively identified with the free silver movement. 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