He made 27speeches, including seven in Omaha, the last concluding a few minutes before midnight. Former Governor William McKinley, the Republican candidate, defeated Democrat William Jennings Bryan. On this day in 1896, William Jennings Bryan delivered his rousing speech as a delegate to the Democratic convention declaring that mankind would not be "crucified on a cross of gold.". The question of the currency had been a major political issue since the mid-1870s. In March 1898, two years into William McKinley's first term as president, he gave Spainwhich was in the midst of a brutal campaign of repression in . "[70], When order was restored after Bryan's speech, the convention passed the platform, voting down the minority report and a resolution in support of the Cleveland administration; it then recessed for a few hours until 8:00pm, when nominating speeches were to be made. The paper editorialized on the same page that even if the Democratic candidate was not insane, he was at least "of unsound mind". Senator Jones felt compelled to spend five minutes (granted by the gold side), stating that the silver issue crossed sectional lines. Others dubbed Bryan a "Popocrat". Theodore Roosevelt announced that he would not seek a subsequent term in office. Bryan was born on March 19, 1860 in the small town of Salem, Illinois. The 1908 United States presidential election was the 31st quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 1908. The Cleveland Democrats were temporarily weak, and the Southern-Mountain coalition was ready to hand. William Jennings Bryan was born in rural Salem, Illinois, in 1860. Though he continued to publicly oppose U.S. involvement in World War I after his resignation, Bryan changed course after the nation entered the conflict in 1917 due to extensive popular support for the war effort. "[130], In September, the Gold Democrats met in convention in Indianapolis. William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925), the U.S. congressman from Nebraska, three-time presidential nominee and secretary of state, emerged near the end of the 19th century as a leading voice in the Democratic Party and the nation. 3). T.G.O.D Y.O.L.O They also lost the next 2 elections, in spite of their strong backing in the popular classes. "[102], Historian R. Hal Williams, in his book about the 1896 campaign, believes that the Populist nomination did Bryan little good; most Populists would have voted for him anyway and the endorsement allowed his opponents to paint him and his supporters as extremists. Biographies of the Secretaries of State: William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925). [117] McKinley's chosen strategy was a front porch campaign; he would remain at home, giving carefully scripted speeches to visiting delegations, much to the gratification of Canton's hot dog vendors and souvenir salesmen, who expanded facilities to meet the demand. The 1900 United States presidential election took place after an economic recovery from the Panic of 1893 as well as after the Spanish-American War, with the economy, foreign policy, and imperialism being the main issues of the campaign. He set his sights on higher office, believing he could be elected president in 1896 even though he remained a relatively minor figure in the Democratic Party. In 1896, William Jennings Bryan ran unsuccessfully for president of the United States. The left-wing Populist Party (which had hoped to nominate the only silver-supporting candidate) endorsed Bryan for president, but found Sewall unacceptable, substituting Thomas E. Watson of Georgia. Ever since the election of 1800, American presidential contests had, on some level, been a referendum on whether the country should be governed by agrarian interests (rural indebted farmers-the countryside-"main street") or industrial interests (business-the city-"wall street"). Bryan campaigned heavily on a platform of free silver in 1896, and continued that trend into the election of 1900. "[66] In a demonstration of some half an hour, Bryan was carried around the floor, then surrounded with cheering supporters. [74], The balloting for the presidential nomination was held on July 10, the day after the speech; a two-thirds majority was needed to nominate. A Missourian, Ezra Peters, wrote to Illinois Senator John M. Palmer, "Coins [sic] Financial School is raising h in this neck of the woods. When he spoke of himself as the nominee, some reacted as [journalist] Willis J. Abbot did and doubted his mental capacity. If the USA had been on a bimetallic standard between 1875 and 1890, the economy could have expanded far more than it did, restricted as it was in its monetary straight jacket. [13] Bryan, who had been elected after the passage of the latter enactment, initially had little to say on the subject. He knew that hard work could turn the discontent of the people into a revolt against the gold wing of the party, and no group of individuals ever labored more diligently to gain their political ends than did the silver men in the [Democratic Party] between 1893 and 1896. Bryan, a former Democratic congressman from Nebraska, gained his party's presidential nomination in July of that year after electrifying the Democratic National Convention with his Cross of Gold speech. Looking upon the loud Boies and Bland supporters, Bryan commented, "These people don't know it, but they will be cheering for me just this way tomorrow night. [39] When Senator Teller walked out of the Republican convention in protest over the currency plank, he immediately became another possible candidate for the Democratic nomination for president. Jill Lepore. Bryan, who was still in Congress, spoke eloquently against the repeal, but Cleveland forced it through. When early-voting Maine and Vermont went strongly Republican in September, this meant that McKinley would most likely win the Northeast. Bryan left the convention, returning to his hotel to await the outcome. Bland maintained his lead on the second and third ballots, but on the fourth, with the convention in a huge uproar, Bryan took the lead. I will add for the encouragement of those who still believe that money is not necessary to secure a Presidential nomination that my entire expenses while in attendance upon the convention were less than $100. "[142] By the end of 1896, Bryan had published his account of the campaign, The First Battle. He had accepted the nominal editorship of the Omaha World-Herald in August 1894. The main candidates headquartered at the Palmer House, their rooms often crowded as they served free alcoholic drinks. Speakers for both parties found eager audiences. voting restrictions what political restrictions did southern states place on african americans? [146] The election of 1896 marked a transition as the concerns of the rural population became secondary to those of the urban; according to Stanley Jones, "the Democratic Party reacted with less sensitivity than the Republicans to the hopes and fears of the new voters which the new age was producing". His campaign was low-key, without excessive publicity: Bryan did not want to attract the attention of more prominent candidates. He knew personally more delegates than did any other candidate and he was on the ground to supervise his strategy. Meanwhile, Hanna raised millions from business men to pay for speakers on the currency question and to flood the nation with hundreds of millions of pamphlets. Arthur F. Mullen, a resident of O'Neill, Nebraska, described the summer and fall of 1896: O'Neill buzzed with political disputation from dawn till next dawn. The Democrats nominated Arthur Sewall, a wealthy Maine banker and shipbuilder, for vice president. [81][82] Amid talk that the Gold Democrats would form their own party, Senator Hill was asked if he remained a Democrat. The answer was simple, Bryan told Abbothe had prepared a speech that would stampede the convention. [94], Despite the confidence of the Republicans, the nomination of Bryan sparked great excitement through the nation. [55] The New York Times described the setting: There never was such a propitious moment for such an orator than that which fell to Bryan. Many of the silver men had not attended a national convention before, and were unfamiliar with its procedures. [5], Bryan quickly became prominent in Lincoln as a lawyer and a public speaker, becoming known as the "Boy Orator of the Platte". "[66], As he spoke his final sentence, he brought his hands to his head, fingers extended in imitation of thorns; amid dead silence in the Coliseum, he extended his arms, recalling with words and posture the Crucifixion of Jesus, and held that position for several seconds. Throughout the nation, voters were intensely interested in the campaign, studying the flood of pamphlets. [38] Illinois Governor Altgeld, a leader of the silver movement, was ineligible because he was not a natural-born U.S. citizen as required for the presidency in the Constitution. [f] McKinley even won the urban vote in Nebraska. The election of 1896 is seen as the beginning of a new era in American politics, or a "realignment" election. The book included (as foils to the title character) many of Chicago's most prominent men of business; some, such as banker and future Secretary of the Treasury Lyman Gage, issued denials that they had participated in any such lectures. [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. Their enthusiasm at the unrehearsed rear platform appearances and in the formal speeches was spontaneous and contagious. For the last decade of his life, he largely dedicated himself to reforming the nations moral and religious character. Party members in many states, including Nebraska, demanded inflation of the currency through issuance of paper or silver currency, allowing easier repayment of debt. On the fifth ballot, other states joined the Bryan bandwagon, making him the Democratic candidate for president.[76][77]. Bryan was quoting from an 1878 speech by Cleveland's Treasury Secretary, Hill remained neutral in the campaign, despite urgings to go over to the Gold Democrats, seeking to preserve his control of the state Democratic party, and also hoping (in vain) to secure his own re-election by the legislature. [1] As a judge's son, the younger Bryan had ample opportunity to observe the art of speechmaking in courtrooms, political rallies, and at church and revival meetings. [105], After the Democratic convention, Bryan had returned triumphantly to Lincoln, making speeches along the way. [73] As Missouri Senator George Vest nominated Bland, his oratory was drowned out by the gallery, "Bryan, Bryan, W.J. Mary Bryan had joined her husband in late September; on The Idler, the Bryans were able to eat and sleep in relative comfort. 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