[49][50], Delegates, as they waited for the committees to complete their work, spent much of the first two days listening to various orators. Delegates called for better-known speakers, such as Altgeld or Bryan, but were granted neither then; the Illinois governor declined, and the Nebraskan, once seated, spent much of his time away from the convention floor at the platform committee meeting at the Palmer House. Why, if they tell us that the gold standard is a good thing, we point to their platform and tell them that their platform pledges the party to get rid of a gold standard and substitute bimetallism. It is the issue of 1776 over again. Mr. McKinley was the most popular man among the Republicans ; and everybody three months ago in the Republican Party prophesied his election. 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. Hamilton proposed a monetary system based on bimetallism, in which the new currency would be equal to a given amount of gold, or a larger amount of silver; at the time a given weight of gold was worth about 15 times as much as the same amount of silver. Bryan later wrote, "This was another unexpected bit of good fortune. Introduction: -attractions of a political cartoon ii. The gentleman who just preceded me [Governor Russell] spoke of the old state of Massachusetts. The bankers did not want loans repaid in an inflated currencythe gold standard was deflationary, and as creditors, they preferred to be paid in such a currency, whereas debtors preferred to repay in inflated currency. I deny it. Cross of Gold speech, classic of American political oratory delivered on July 8, 1896, by William Jennings Bryan in closing the debate on the party platform at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago during the campaign for the presidential election of 1896. Many Americans, however, believed that bimetallism (making both gold and silver legal tender) was necessary for the nation's economic health. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Born Mark Elliot Zuckerberg May 14, 1984 (age 38) White Plains, New York, U.S. Education: Harvard University (dropped out) Occupations: Internet entrepreneur, philanthropist. The memorable speech was given at the 1896 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Other delegations, seeing that Bryan would be nominated, also switched, securing the victory. He was defeated in the general election by the Republican candidate, former Ohio governor William McKinley . Mark Zuckerberg - Zuckerberg in April 2019. I had never had such an opportunity before in my life and never expect to have again. time before some commentator alludes to William Jennings Bryan's "Cross of Gold" speech at the 1896 Democratic convention as the leading example of an orator's ability to sway listeners. Conditions have arisen and we are attempting to meet those conditions. The person who gave the Cross of Gold speech was the orator and politician William Jennings Bryan. That is the question which the party must answer first, and then it must be answered by each individual hereafter. The humblest citizen in all the land when clad in the armor of a righteous cause is stronger than all the whole hosts of error that they can bring. We come to speak of this broader class of business men. Leave a comment. Updates? He says he also wants to amend this platform so as to provide that if we fail to maintain the parity within a year that we will then suspend the coinage of silver. Bryan, who remained at his hotel, sent word to the Nebraska delegation to make no deals on his behalf. Bryan consented, on condition that his own time was extended by the same amount; this was agreed to. Our website may have some collections that include images that are in the public domain, not protected by copyright or where the copyright ownership is unknown. He cared about politics and his religion equally. [74], With this call to action, Bryan abandoned any hint at compromise, and adopted the techniques of the radical, polarizing orator, finding no common ground between silver and gold forces. Let me assure him that not one person in all this convention entertains the least hostility to the people of the state of Massachusetts. The Nebraskan later described the audience as like a trained choir. [32], The 1896 Democratic convention opened at the Chicago Coliseum on July 7, 1896. However, the senator wanted 50 minutes to speak, too long for a closing address, and at Bryan's request agreed to open the debate instead. This handout is a great resource for helping students analyze this key political cartoon from the Populist Movement and the Election of 1896 featuring William Jennings Bryan and the "Cross of Gold" speech. Three months ago, when it was confidently asserted that those who believed in the gold standard would frame our platforms and nominate our candidates, even the advocates of the gold standard did not think that we could elect a President; but they had good reasons for the suspicion, because there is scarcely a state here today asking for the gold standard that is not within the absolute control of the Republican Party. The 1896 Democratic National Convention followed events unique in post-Civil War American history. If the gold standard is the standard of civilization, why, my friends, should we not have it? Because upon the paramount issue in this campaign there is not a spot of ground upon which the enemy will dare to challenge battle. Consciousness of grievances of years and not of months was reflected in the decisive action of the state Democratic conventions in the spring and early summer of 1896. Much activity took place in advance of the formal opening as the silver and (vastly outnumbered) gold forces prepared their strategies. [105] Author and political commentator William Safire, in his political dictionary, traced the term "trickle-down economics" (common in the Reagan era) to Bryan's statement that some believe that government should legislate for the wealthy, and allow prosperity to "leak through" on those below. We are fighting in the defense of our homes, our families, and posterity. Many in the public saw the bonds as benefiting bankers, not the nation. The individual is but an atom; he is born, he acts, he dies; but principles are eternal, and this has been a contest over a principle. Lafayette, CA: d press, 1995. William Jennings Bryan and the Cross of Gold Speech - US 101 - YouTube In 1896, former Nebraska Congressman William Jennings Bryan became the Democratic nominee for President by delivering. [84][85] On the second ballot, Bryan still stood second, but had gained as other candidates had fallen away. In 1921 (25 years after the original speech), he recorded portions of the speech for Gennett Records in Richmond, Indiana. 2023 The Granger Collection LTD d/b/a GRANGER - Historical Picture Archive. The audio portion is an excerpt. Some people, for the most part Democrats, joined the far-left Populist Party. [54] He was followed by two other gold men, Senator William Vilas of Wisconsin and former Massachusetts Governor William E. Russell. . The Democratic idea, however, has been that if you legislate to make the masses prosperous, their prosperity will find its way up through every class which rests upon them. [90] The only paper to predict, after Bryan gave his speech, that he would not be nominated was The Wall Street Journal, which stated, "Bryan has had his day". People who were free-silver thought that currency reform would end them. The full text of William Jenning Bryans famous Cross of Gold speech appears below. [6] Silver was now undervalued at the Mint; accordingly little was presented for striking into money. [64] Throughout the speech, Bryan had the delegates in the palm of his hand; they cheered on cue. When the Republicans in June 1896 nominated former Ohio Governor William McKinley for president and passed at his request a platform strongly supporting "sound money" (the gold standard unless modified by international agreement), a number of "Silver Republicans" walked out of the convention. They manufactured that leader in the convention, a fabrication in which Bryan was only too happy to assist.[108]. Bryan made a speech called "Cross of Gold", which had a strong reaction with the audience and included religious imagery. [101] According to rhetorical historian William Harpine in his study of the rhetoric of the 1896 campaign, "Bryan's speech cast a net for the true believers, but only for the true believers. Forward-Looking Statements Except for historical information, this presentation may contain certain "forward-looking statements". They complain about the plank which declares against the life tenure in office. We go forth confident that we shall win. He says that we are opposing the national bank currency. The bill, as modified by amendments sponsored by Iowa Senator William B. Allison, did not reverse the 1873 provisions, but required the Treasury to purchase a minimum of $2 million of silver bullion per month; the profit, or seignorage from monetizing the silver was to be used to purchase more silver bullion. [94], Bryan's nomination divided the party. Cross of Gold Speech - Analysis | Milestone Documents - Milestone Documents William Jennings Bryan: "Cross of Gold" Speech Log in to see the full document and commentary. [5] It was not until 1834 that Congress acted, changing the gold/silver ratio to 16.002:1. Nevertheless, large crowds gathered outside the public entrances; the galleries were quickly packed. The farmer who goes forth in the morning and toils all day, begins in the spring and toils all summer, and by the application of brain and muscle to the natural resources of this country creates wealth, is as much a businessman as the man who goes upon the Board of Trade and bets upon the price of grain. William Jennings Bryan's "Cross of Gold" oration was primarily an expression of his (A) fundamentalist religious beliefs (B) neutral stance toward the belligerents of the First World War (C) advocacy of free and unlimited coinage of silver (D) opposition to teaching the theory of evolution in public schools (E) anti-imperialist convictions . [64] According to Bensel, the self-deprecation helped disarm the delegates. Upon the side of the idle holders of idle capital, or upon the side of the struggling masses? As the gold men spoke, Bryan ate a sandwich to settle his stomach; he was often nervous before major speeches. I want to suggest this truth, that if the gold standard is a good thing we ought to declare in favor of its retention and not in favor of abandoning it; and if the gold standard is a bad thing, why should we wait until some other nations are willing to help us to let it go? He sent letters to national convention delegates, urging them to support silver, and enclosing copies of his photograph, writings, and speeches. "[89] The New York Times disparaged Bryan as "the gifted blatherskite from Nebraska". It did not become unconstitutional until one judge changed his mind; and we cannot be expected to know when a judge will change his mind. Gold Democrats looked to the President for leadership, but Cleveland, trusting few in his party, did not involve himself further in the gold efforts, but spent the week of the convention fishing off the New Jersey coast. The image that is selected for the analysis is from the pre-1856 epoch of US history, and it represents the imagination of the political and social life as it was imagined by artists. The income tax is a just law. Silver advocates argued that this dropoff, which caused the price of grain to fall below its cost of production, was caused by the failure of the government to adequately increase the money supply, which had remained steady on a per capita basis. [95] However, Bryan did gain the support of the Populists, as well as a convention of Silver Republicans. [41], One of the leaders of the silver movement was Illinois Governor Altgeld; a native of Germany, he was constitutionally barred from the presidency by his foreign birth. [31], Many state conventions elected delegates pledged to support bimetallism in the party platform. [103][104], Writer Edgar Lee Masters called the speech, "the beginning of a changed America. We are prepared to meet them on either issue or on both. [1][78], Now, Bryan was ready to conclude the speech, and according to his biographer, Michael Kazin, step "into the headlines of American history". I shall object to bringing this question down to a level of persons. 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