bryan's cross of gold political cartoon analysis

Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again as if by magic; but destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country.[76]. Having behind us the commercial interests and the laboring interests and all the toiling masses, we shall answer their demands for a gold standard by saying to them, you shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns. Other delegations, seeing that Bryan would be nominated, also switched, securing the victory. 1896 speech by U.S. politician William Jennings Bryan in support of a bimetallic standard, William Jennings Bryan being carried on the shoulders of delegates after giving the speech, Also attributed to an 1892 speech by President, For additional detail on the political career of William Jennings Bryan before and during the 1896 campaign, see, For a fuller explanation of the procedures of American political conventions, see, Possible recording of the original speech, Audio excerpt of the speech later recorded by William Jennings Bryan, William Jennings Bryan presidential campaign, 1896, United States presidential nominating convention, William Jennings Bryan presidential campaign, 1896 General election campaign, Official Proceedings of the 1896 Democratic National Convention. They say we passed an unconstitutional law. As Hill moved to the podium, a reporter friend passed Bryan a note urging him to make a patriotic speech without hint of sectionalism; Bryan responded, "You will not be disappointed. The gold standard, which the United States had effectively been on since 1873, limited the money supply but eased trade with other nations, such as the United Kingdom, whose currency was also based on gold. At 36 years old, with two terms in Congress and a failed 1894 run for Senate under his belt, Bryan was the party's most outspoken and effective champion of silver. I shall not slander the fair state of Massachusetts nor the state of New York by saying that when citizens are confronted with the proposition, Is this nation able to attend to its own business?I will not slander either one by saying that the people of those states will declare our helpless impotency as a nation to attend to our own business. Bryan, having established the right of silver supporters to petition, explained why that petition was not to be denied: It is for these that we speak. free coinage of silver at silver-gold ratio of 16 to 1 issue in Bryan's Cross of Gold speech [72] When Bryan resumed, his comparison of miner with miser again electrified the audience; the uproar prevented him from continuing for several minutes. [9], To advocates of what became known as free silver, the 1873 act became known as the "Crime of '73". "[92], When McKinley heard that Bryan was likely to be the nominee, he called the report "rot" and hung up the phone. [96] Bryan spoke on silver throughout the campaign; he rarely addressed other issues. This statement attracted great cheering, and Bryan turned to rhetorically demolish the compromise position on bimetallismthat it should only be accomplished through international agreement: It is the issue of 1776 over again. From the beginning of the speech, Bryan suggests that his cause is righteous and. bimetallism), which he believed would bring the nation prosperity. We defy them! If they tell us that the gold standard is the standard of civilization, we reply to them that this, the most enlightened of all nations of the earth, has never declared for a gold standard, and both the parties this year are declaring against it. The Washington Post newspaper recorded, "bedlam broke loose, delirium reigned supreme. [7], The Coinage Act of 1873 eliminated the standard silver dollar. He stood second out of fourteen candidates in the first ballot, behind Bland. Bryan consented, on condition that his own time was extended by the same amount; this was agreed to. Both men spoke to hundreds of thousands of people from their chosen venues. The audio portion is an excerpt. In his "Cross of Gold" speech, Bryan argued that the debate over monetary policy was part of a broader struggle for democracy, political independence and the welfare of the "common man." Bryan's speech was met with rapturous applause and a celebration on the floor of the convention that lasted for over half an hour. It made no secret of these preparations. The new unit of currency was defined to be equal to 24.75 grains (1.604g) of gold, or alternatively, 371.25 grains (24.057g) of silver, establishing a ratio of value between gold and silver of 15:1. I deny it. We have simply called attention to what you know. They could only beg them to spare the party the humiliation of broken traditions and the overthrowing of established control. Advocates of the gold standard attributed the decline to advances in production and transportation. [32], The 1896 Democratic convention opened at the Chicago Coliseum on July 7, 1896. But if he means to say that we cannot change our monetary system without protecting those who have loaned money before the change was made, I want to ask him where, in law or in morals, he can find authority for not protecting the debtors when the act of 1873 was passed when he now insists that we must protect the creditor. For twenty years, Americans had been bitterly divided over the nation's monetary standard. We do not come as aggressors. The sympathies of the Democratic Party, as shown by the platform, are on the side of the struggling masses, who have ever been the foundation of the Democratic Party.[77]. [1][78], Now, Bryan was ready to conclude the speech, and according to his biographer, Michael Kazin, step "into the headlines of American history". We do not come as individuals. It offers discussion questions, classroom activities, and primary source analysis tools. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The sympathies of the Democratic Party, as described by the platform, are on the side of the struggling masses, who have ever been the foundation of the Democratic Party. [1], Bryan later described the silence as "really painful" and momentarily thought he had failed. The gentleman who just preceded me [Governor Russell] spoke of the old state of Massachusetts. . 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 . 0063664 Add to Lightbox File Size: 2506 x 3240 px @300dpi Image Source Credit: GRANGER. Circulars were being distributed in Illinois, and admirers in Nebraska, North Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and other states were urging his selection among their friends. American cartoon by Grant Hamilton, 1896, on William Jennings Bryan's 'Cross of Gold' speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which won Bryan the presidential nomination. Accordingly, Bryan became the final speaker on the platform. Contemporary estimates were an unemployment rate as high as 25%. Although he would only be 36 years old in 1896one year above the constitutional minimumhe believed the silver question could carry him not only to the nomination, but to the presidency. Can you find the other strategies in his speech? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. [17] In his conclusion, Bryan reached back in history: When a crisis like the present arose and the national bank of his day sought to control the politics of the nation, God raised up an Andrew Jackson, who had the courage to grapple with that great enemy, and by overthrowing it, he made himself the idol of the people and reinstated the Democratic party in public confidence. The policemen were swept away by the flood of delegates, who raised Bryan to their shoulders and carried him around the floor. McKinley won more easily than in 1896, making inroads in the silver West. (The cartoon appeared in the post-dated July 7 issue of Harper's Weekly, published in late June.) Will it choose blessings or cursingslife or deathwhich? They manufactured that leader in the convention, a fabrication in which Bryan was only too happy to assist.[108]. [33] Silver forces were supported by the Democratic National Bimetallic Committee, the umbrella group formed in 1895 to support silver Democrats in their insurgency against Cleveland. There are those who believe that if you just legislate to make the well-to-do prosperous, that their prosperity will leak through on those below. The attorney in a country town is as much a businessman as the corporation counsel in a great metropolis. (This inflationary measure would have increased the amount of money in circulation and aided cash-poor and debt-burdened farmers.) Hear William Jennings Bryan deliver his Cross of Gold speech at the Democratic National Convention, William Jennings Bryan: presidential campaign poster, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Cross-of-Gold-speech, The Library of Congress - "Cross of Gold" Speech, Public Broadcasting Service - Cross of Gold Speech. [5] It was not until 1834 that Congress acted, changing the gold/silver ratio to 16.002:1. Our ancestors, when but 3 million, had the courage to declare their political independence of every other nation upon earth. [27] However, part of his strategy was to remain inconspicuous until the last possible moment at the convention. The majority of cartoons are from the 1908 campaigan, but there cartoons that feature 1920 election and Bryan's borther Charles Bryan. Those who are opposed to this proposition tell us that the issue of paper money is a function of the bank and that the government ought to go out of the banking business. Behind the scenes and the irony: -fueling of the trucks uncaring of the president iv. Never before in the history of this country has there been witnessed such a contest as that through which we have passed. No, my friends, that will never be the verdict of our people. That was Cicero, who destroyed the conspiracies of Cataline and saved Rome. It is because no private character, however pure, no personal popularity, however great, can protect from the avenging wrath of an indignant people the man who will either declare that he is in favor of fastening the gold standard upon this people, or who is willing to surrender the right of self-government and place legislative control in the hands of foreign potentates and powers. When I find a man who is not willing to pay his share of the burden of the government which protects him, I find a man who is unworthy to enjoy the blessings of a government like ours. They called for the return to pre-1873 laws, which would require the Mint to take all the silver offered it and return it, struck into silver dollars. [100] Stanley Jones, however, suggested that even if Bryan had never delivered it, he would still have been nominated. Pursuant to this promise, government gold reserves dwindled over the following three years. But note the change. [6] Silver was now undervalued at the Mint; accordingly little was presented for striking into money. [25] Bryan biographer Paulo E. Coletta wrote, "during this year [July 1894 June 1895] of calamities, disintegration and revolution, each crisis aided Bryan because it caused division within his party and permitted him to contest for its mastery as it slipped from Cleveland's fingers. [83], The balloting began the following morning, July 10, with a two-thirds vote necessary to nominate. You come to us and tell us that the great cities are in favor of the gold standard. Out of all of the prominent business figures that arose during the Gilded Age, Andrew Carnegie is perhaps viewed in the most positive light. [71] The police in the convention hall, not sharing the enthusiasm for silver, were described by the press (some of whose members were caught up in the frenzy) as standing as if they thought the audience was about to turn on them. 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The 1896 Democratic convention opened at the Mint ; accordingly little was presented for striking into money the... Mia Johansson Harvard, Dr Romantic 2 Ending, Explain Why The Munich Putsch Failed 12 Marks, Orrville Police Department Officers, Madison Cawthorn Home, Articles B

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