That evening, Bryan dined with his wife and with friends. "[63] He continued: Upon which side will the Democratic Party fight; upon the side of "the idle holders of idle capital" or upon the side of "the struggling masses"? [144] According to Kazin, "what is remarkable is not that Bryan lost but that he came as close as he did to winning. But they had limited room to maneuver in a period of extremely tight competition. [104] The National Silver Party, mostly former Republicans, met at the same time as the Populists; both conventions were in St. Louis. They had been passed as compromises between free silver and the gold standard. [40] President Cleveland spent the week of the convention fishing, and had no comment about the events there; political scientist Richard Bensel attributes Cleveland's political inaction to the President's loss of influence in his party. The 1896 race is generally seen as a realigning election. Bryan's biographer, Paolo Coletta, suggests that Bryan may have played a part in inciting the silver men's departure; he was in close contact with Silver Republicans such as Teller and South Dakota Senator Richard Pettigrew. [120], On September 11, 1896, Bryan departed on a train trip that continued until November 1, two days before the election. [67], Bryan described the stillness as "really painful"; his anxieties that he might have failed were soon broken by pandemonium. [47] Since the DNC action meant Bryan would not have a seat at the start of proceedings, he could not be the temporary chairman (who would deliver the keynote address); the Nebraskan began looking for other opportunities to make a speech at the convention. [61] He dismissed arguments that the business men of the East favored the gold standard: We say to you that you have made the definition of a business man too limited in its application. 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. Bryan's endorsement, soon after Chicago, by the Populists, his statement that he would undertake a nationwide tour on an unprecedented scale, and word from local activists of the strong silver sentiment in areas Republicans had to win to take the election, jarred McKinley's party from its complacency. I was thinking of finding a book for him for Christmas that could help his research. Soon afterwards, the delegates, bored, shouted for a speech from Bryan, but he was not to be found. Populist leaders correctly believed the Republicans unlikely to nominate a silver man. In the speech, Bryan, who was from . The Populists proposed both greater government control over the economy (with some calling for government ownership of railroads) and giving the people power over government through the secret ballot, direct election of United States Senators (who were, until 1913, elected by state legislatures), and replacement of the Electoral College with direct election of the president and vice president by popular vote. The galleries were quickly packed, but the delegates, slowed by fatigue from the first two days and the long journey from the downtown hotels, were slower to arrive. "[72] Bryan had made no arrangements for formal nominating speeches given the short timeframe, and was surprised when word was brought to him at the Clifton House that he had been nominated by Henry Lewis of Georgia: the candidate had expected the Kansas delegation to name him. Bryan signed on as chief prosecutor, facing off against the criminal defense attorney Clarence Darrow. [4] Looking for a growing city in which his practice could thrive, he moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1887. Many Republican leaders had gone on vacation for the summer, believing that the fight, on their terms, would take place in the fall. [126] In what Williams describes as "a political campaign that became an American legend",[106] Bryan traveled to 27 of the 45 states, logging 18,000 miles (29,000km), and in his estimated 600 speeches reached some 5,000,000 listeners. Any possible candidacy depended on silver supporters being successful in electing the bulk of convention delegates; accordingly Bryan backed such efforts. [62][64] He responded to an argument by Senator Vilas that from silver forces might arise a Robespierre. The minority report attracted the opposite reaction.[54]. [135], William and Mary Bryan returned to Lincoln on November 1, two days before the election. Bryan was well rested. He introduced several proposals for the direct election of senators and to eliminate tariff barriers in industries dominated by monopolies or trusts. Those that served principally as agricultural centers or had been founded along the railroad favored Bryan. [129] Republican newspapers and spokesmen claimed that Bryan's campaign was expensively financed by the silver interests. [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. 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. William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 - July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. "[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". [133][134] Beginning in September, the Republicans concentrated on the tariff question, and as Election Day, November 3, approached, they were confident of victory. No delegation must be permitted to violate instructions given by a state convention. Active in Democratic Party politics, Sewall was one of the few eastern party leaders to support silver, was wealthy and could help finance the campaign; he also balanced the ticket geographically. 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. When both Hill and Bryan (who was selected as the other pro-silver speaker) objected to such a long closing address, Tillman settled for 50minutes and for opening the debate rather than closing it; Bryan was given 25minutes to close. why did william jennings bryan lose the election of 1896? The coalition of wealthy, middle-class and urban voters that defeated Bryan kept the Republicans in power for most of the time until 1932. There was loud cheering as Bryan stood at the lectern; it took him a full minute to gain silence. Bryan campaigned heavily on a platform of free silver in 1896, and continued that trend into the election of 1900. [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. He lost a presidential bid to George W. Bush in 2000. He was not yet done with campaigning, however; on November 2, he undertook a train journey across Nebraska in support of Democratic congressional candidates. See, In New England, Cleveland had won Connecticut in 1892 while losing the region as a whole by 53,000votes, Bryan won no states and lost New England by over 172,000 votes. The minority had indicated its position. The Republican William Howard Taft worked as a judge in Ohio Superior Court and in the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals before accepting a post as the first civilian governor of the Philippines in 1900. [37], In the run up to the Democratic National Convention, set to begin at the Chicago Coliseum on July 7, 1896, no candidate was seen as an overwhelming favorite for the presidential nomination. On the fifth ballot, other states joined the Bryan bandwagon, making him the Democratic candidate for president.[76][77]. [6][7][8], In Congress, Bryan was appointed to the powerful Ways and Means Committee and became a major spokesman on the tariff and money questions. To this day, countless theater festivals around the world honor his work, students read more. "Silver Dick" Bland was seen as the elder statesman of the silver movement; he had originated the Bland-Allison Act of 1878, while Boies' victories for governor in a normally Republican state made him attractive as a candidate who might compete with McKinley in the crucial Midwest. "[52], On the morning of July 9, 1896, thousands of people waited outside the Coliseum, hoping to hear the platform debate. The 1896 presidential race is generally considered a realigning election, when there is a major shift in voting patterns, upsetting the political balance. After running unsuccessfully for the Senate in 1894, Bryan returned to Nebraska and became editor of the Omaha World-Herald. His campaign was low-key, without excessive publicity: Bryan did not want to attract the attention of more prominent candidates. Bryan quipped, "I seem to have plenty of friends now, but I remember well when they were very few. Someone who presented ten dollars in silver bullion would receive back almost twice that in silver coin. [122] He did not campaign on Sundays, but on most other days spoke between 20 and 30 times. After Bryan helped rally support behind Woodrow Wilson in the 1912 presidential election, Wilson chose the now-elder Democratic statesman as his secretary of state. "[142] By the end of 1896, Bryan had published his account of the campaign, The First Battle. He was defeated in the general election by the Republican candidate, former Ohio governor William McKinley . [95], The Populist strategy for 1896 was to nominate the candidate most supportive of silver. NAACP what organization used the court system to fight discrimination? Loyal to Cleveland, they wanted to nominate him. Speakers for both parties found eager audiences. Secretary of War and Republican Party nominee William Howard Taft defeated three-time Democratic nominee William Jennings Bryan.. Popular incumbent President Theodore Roosevelt honored his promise not to seek a third term, and persuaded his close friend, Taft, to . [30] As state conventions met to nominate delegates to the July national convention, for the most part, they supported silver, and sent silver men to Chicago. Instead, he sought the Senate seat that the Nebraska legislature would fill in January 1895. They also lost the next 2 elections, in spite of their strong backing in the popular classes. The Gold Democrats received quiet financial support from Hanna and the Republicans. While the farmers of the south and west continued to support Bryan's proposed economic policies, many found McKinley's to be effective enough. He was defeated in the general election by the Republican candidate, former Ohio governor William McKinley. Poor Grover Cleveland a hard-money, laissez-faire Democrat was blamed for the panic of 1893, and many leading Cleveland Democrats lost their gubernatorial and senatorial posts in the 1894 elections. To those who cling to the gold standard, he declared in closing: You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.. [80] Bryan and Sewall gained their nominations without the ballots of the gold men, most of whom refused to vote. It was badly received even by silver delegates, who wished to think of silver as a patriotic, national issue. New York Senator Hill was next: the leading spokesman for gold, both gold and silver delegates quieted to hear him. "[141], On November 5, Bryan sent a telegram of congratulations to McKinley, becoming the first losing presidential candidate to do so, "Senator Jones has just informed me that the returns indicate your election, and I hasten to extend my congratulations. Although not a landslide shift comparable to election swings in the twentieth century, McKinley's victory ended the pattern of close popular margins that had characterized elections since the Civil War. Why did William Jennings Bryan lose? The biggest announcement in the run-up to the 1908 presidential election came in 1904 when, on the evening of his election, Pres. The shortness of the speech did not dismay the crowds, who knew his arguments well: they were there to see and hear William Jennings Bryanone listener told him that he had read every one of his speeches, and had ridden 50 miles (80km) to hear him, "And, by gum, if I wasn't a Republican, I'd vote for you. 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. A friend of mine is a student of American religious history with a particular interest in William Jennings Bryan and the Populists. [27], Through early 1896, Bryan quietly sought the nomination. [118] Starved of money, the Democrats had fewer speakers and fewer publications to issue. 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. 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.". [73] As Missouri Senator George Vest nominated Bland, his oratory was drowned out by the gallery, "Bryan, Bryan, W.J. A bowery had been built for the Fourth of July picnic and dance. William Jennings Bryan delivering a campaign speech in 1910. The coalition of wealthy, middle-class, and urban voters that defeated Bryan kept the Republicans in power for most of the time until 1932. [32] Once delegates were selected, Bryan wrote to party officials and obtained a list; he sent copies of his speeches, clippings from the World-Herald, and his photograph to each delegate.[28]. Both had openly declared their candidacies, and were the only Democrats to have organizations seeking to obtain pledged delegates. If this robbery is permitted, the farmer will be ruined, and then the cities will suffer. [13] Bryan, who had been elected after the passage of the latter enactment, initially had little to say on the subject. The Cleveland Democrats were temporarily weak, and the Southern-Mountain coalition was ready to hand. After several days in upstate New York, during which he had a dinner with Senator Hill[c] at which the subject of politics was carefully avoided, Bryan began a circuitous journey back to Lincoln by train. This popular treatment of the currency issue was highly influential. McKinley did well in the border states of Maryland, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Historian H. Wayne Morgan described Bryan: Robert La Follette remembered Bryan as "a tall, slender, handsome fellow who looked like a young divine". [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. The New York World reported, "The floor of the convention seemed to heave up. Retrieved May 19, 2012. 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 . The Coliseum was located in a "dry" district of Chicago but the hotels were not. On July 26, 1925, five days after the verdict was issued, Bryan died in his sleep after suffering a stroke. These results made the Midwest the crucial battlefield that would decide the presidency. Why did the populist party support william jennings Bryan for president in the presidential election of 1896? [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. Carrying some 200 people, the train bore signs on each of its five cars, such as "The W.J. [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. [85][86] Some of the Democratic political machines, such as New York's Tammany Hall, decided to ignore the national ticket and concentrate on electing local and congressional candidates. [43] He explained to Champ Clark, the future Speaker of the House, that Bland and others from southern states would fall because of prejudice towards the old Confederacy, that Boies could not be nominated because he was too little-known, and all others would fail due to lack of supportleaving only himself.[44]. As a result, disillusioned farmers and others formed a new far-left party, which came to be known as the Populist Party. A streak of the moralist preacher raised his political chances among a people attuned to the biblical phrase and Shakespearan [sic] stance. Source (Electoral Vote): "Electoral College Box Scores 17891996". [121], During this tour, Bryan spoke almost exclusively on the silver question, and attempted to mold the speeches to reflect local issues and interests. [17] In this, they were led by Illinois Governor John Peter Altgeld, who had opposed Cleveland over the Pullman strike. In the book, Bryan made it clear that the first battle would not be the last, "If we are right, we shall yet triumph. (Credit: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images). The dark horse is in his stall, feasting on the oats of hope and political straws. [33] Bryan spoke at her funeral, quoting lines from Second Timothy: "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. [35] Bryan was deeply moved when, after the adoption of the platform, Colorado Senator Henry M. Teller led a walkout of silver-supporting Republicans. Their enthusiasm at the unrehearsed rear platform appearances and in the formal speeches was spontaneous and contagious. The 1900 United States presidential election was the 29th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 6, 1900.In a re-match of the 1896 race, incumbent Republican President William McKinley defeated his Democratic challenger, William Jennings Bryan.McKinley's victory made him the first president to win a consecutive re-election since Ulysses S. Grant had accomplished the same . William Jennings Bryan (D) Loading. South Carolina Senator Benjamin Tillman, a silver supporter, wanted an hour to address the convention, and to close the debate. However, the economy was booming under the leadership of McKinley. The 1896 race is generally seen as a realigning election. [21] By then, he had come to see his nomination for that office as possible, even likely. The coalition of wealthy, middle-class and urban voters that defeated Bryan kept the Republicans in power for most of the time until 1932. Even in the South, Bryan attracted 59% of the rural vote, but only 44% of the urban vote, taking 57% of the southern vote overall. Biographies of the Secretaries of State: William Jennings Bryan (1860-1925). Bryan arrived during the delay; he was greeted with a musical tribute from one of the convention bands,[a] which then returned to playing a medley of Irish melodies. "[60] From the start, Bryan had his audience: when he finished a sentence, they would rise, shout and cheer, then quiet themselves to ready for the next words; the Nebraskan later described the convention as like a trained choir. However, the President ruled this out; his Cabinet members also refused to run. By the 1930s, he had built the nations largest media empire, including more than two dozen newspapers in major cities nationwide, read more, Populism is a style of politics used to mobilize mass movements against ruling powers. He campaigned relentlessly, traveling around the country and giving hundreds of speeches to millions of people, while his Republican opponent, Ohio Governor William McKinley, stayed home and gave speeches from his porch. I will not aid them to press down upon the bleeding brow of labor this crown of thorns."[26]. 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. [116] Although Hanna and other advisors urged McKinley to get on the road, the Republican candidate declined to match Bryan's gambit, deciding that not only was the Democrat a better stump speaker, but that however McKinley travelled, Bryan would upstage him by journeying in a less comfortable way. Men and women threw their hats into the air, not caring where they might come down. [138] Palmer received less than 1% of the vote, but his vote total in Kentucky was greater than McKinley's margin of victory there. 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. Thanks in advance if you have any recommendations! As Hill was determined to take the platform fight to the full convention, the committee discussed who should speak in the debate, and allocated 75minutes to each side. When early-voting Maine and Vermont went strongly Republican in September, this meant that McKinley would most likely win the Northeast. Bryan's supporters raised at most $500,000 for the 1896 campaign; McKinley's raised at least $3.5 million. Seward spent his early career as a lawyer before winning a seat in the New York State Senate in 1830. [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. Through the almost three decades before his death in 1925, he was ever present on political platform and speaking circuit, fighting first for silver, and then for other causes. Attending Illinois College beginning in 1877, Bryan devoted himself to winning the school prize for speaking. We come to speak of this broader class of business men.[62][63]. See. Free silver especially resonated among farmers in the South and West, as well as miners. [148], One legacy of the campaign was the career of William Jennings Bryan. 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. United States presidential election of 1896, American presidential election held on November 3, 1896, in which Republican William McKinley defeated Democrat - Populist William Jennings Bryan.
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