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. At every stop, he made contacts that he later cultivated. These Truths: A History of the United States. 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. Bryan, an attorney and former Congressman, galvanized support with his Cross of Gold speech, which called for a reform of the monetary system and attacked business leaders as the cause of ongoing economic depression. [87] Large numbers of traditionally Democratic newspapers refused to support Bryan, including the New York World, whose circulation of 800,000 was the nation's largest, and major dailies in cities such as Philadelphia, Detroit, and Brooklyn. [18], In 1893, bimetallism had been just one of many proposals by Populists and others. Darrow interrogated him on interpreting the Bible literally, which undercut his earlier sweeping religious . The biggest announcement in the run-up to the 1908 presidential election came in 1904 when, on the evening of his election, Pres. We have submitted the issues to the American people and their will is law. Only Bryan was left to speak, and no one at the convention had yet effectively championed the silver cause. The minority had indicated its position. [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. The position involved no day-to-day duties, but allowed him to publish his political commentaries. [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. "[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. The economy failed to improve, and when the President in 1894 sent federal troops to Illinois to break up the Pullman Strike, he outraged even more Democrats. [94], Despite the confidence of the Republicans, the nomination of Bryan sparked great excitement through the nation. Bryan spent most of October there160 of his final 250 train stops were in the Midwest. The vice presidential squabble, Williams argues, worried voters who feared that instability would follow a Bryan victory, and drove them towards McKinley. South Carolina Senator Benjamin Tillman, a silver supporter, wanted an hour to address the convention, and to close the debate. "[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. At the outset of the 1890s, with drought destroying the livelihoods of many American farmers, the Peoples Party (also known as the Populist Party) was growing as a force in U.S. politics by appealing to small farmers, shopkeepers and other less wealthy voters. At the center of these efforts was a campaign to end the teaching of evolution in public schools. 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. Crowds assembled hours or days ahead of Bryan's arrival. These included Vice President Adlai Stevenson of Illinois, Senator Joseph C. Blackburn of Kentucky, Indiana Governor Claude Matthews, and Bryan. Many of the elements of the speech had appeared in prior Bryan addresses. [80] Bryan and Sewall gained their nominations without the ballots of the gold men, most of whom refused to vote. [67], Bryan described the stillness as "really painful"; his anxieties that he might have failed were soon broken by pandemonium. It was not until 10:45am, three-quarters of an hour late, that Chairman White called the convention to order. See, Last edited on 24 November 2022, at 01:09, United States presidential nominating convention, William McKinley 1896 presidential campaign, National Archives and Records Administration, Official Proceedings of the 1896 Democratic National Convention, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Jennings_Bryan_1896_presidential_campaign&oldid=1123490165, This page was last edited on 24 November 2022, at 01:09. On the fifth ballot, other states joined the Bryan bandwagon, making him the Democratic candidate for president.[76][77]. William Jennings Bryan, The First Battle: A Story of the Campaign of 1896[78], At the Clifton House, Bryan's rooms were overwhelmed with those wishing to congratulate him, despite the efforts of police to keep the crowds at bay. 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. Thanks in advance if you have any recommendations! His father, Silas, was a dedicated Jacksonian Democrat and a successful lawyer who served in various local elected positions and passed on his politics to his son. [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. He promised to enforce the laws against the trusts, procure stricter ones from Congress, and if the Supreme Court struck them down, to seek a constitutional amendment. A streak of the moralist preacher raised his political chances among a people attuned to the biblical phrase and Shakespearan [sic] stance. The dark horse is in his stall, feasting on the oats of hope and political straws. Ultimately, the incumbent U.S. President William McKinley ended up defeating the anti-imperialist William Jennings Bryan and thus won a second four-year . [f] McKinley even won the urban vote in Nebraska. [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. While speaking in McKinley's hometown of Canton, Ohio, Bryan yielded to impulse and called upon his rival at his home with Congressman Bland; the Republican candidate and his wife, somewhat startled, received the two men hospitably in a scene Williams calls, "surely bizarre. He argued that children being taught the survival of the fittest would in time stop caring about the poor and otherwise needier members of the population. The man who is employed for wages is as much a business man as his employer; the attorney in a country town is as much a business man as the corporation counsel in a great metropolis; the merchant at the cross-roads store is as much a business man as the merchant of New York; the farmer who goes forth in the morning and toils all day, who begins in spring and toils all summer, and who by the application of brain and muscle to the natural resources of the country creates wealth, is as much a business man as the man who goes upon the Board of Trade and bets upon the price of grain; the miners who go down a thousand feet into the earth, or climb two thousand feet upon the cliffs, and bring forth from their hiding places the precious metals to be poured into the channels of trade are as much business men as the few financial magnates who, in a back room, corner the money of the world. In August 1893, Bryan earned admiration from free silverites with his three-hour speech in Congress decrying President Grover Clevelands (ultimately successful) effort to repeal the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890 and again tie U.S. currency to the gold standard. Historian James A. Barnes deemed the DNC's vote immaterial; once the convention met on July 7, it quickly elected a silver man, Virginia Senator John Daniel, as temporary chairman and appointed a committee to review credentials friendly to the silver cause. He was a fine actor, with a justly famous voice, but was not a charlatan. 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. In 1896, William Jennings Bryan ran unsuccessfully for president of the United States. Southern newspapers stayed with Bryan; they were unwilling to endorse McKinley, the choice of most African Americans, though few of them could vote in the South. Seward spent his early career as a lawyer before winning a seat in the New York State Senate in 1830. The billionaire businessman ran as a Republican and scored an upset victory over his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, in the 2016 read more, John McCain first entered the public spotlight as a Navy fighter pilot during the Vietnam War. 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. [121], During this tour, Bryan spoke almost exclusively on the silver question, and attempted to mold the speeches to reflect local issues and interests. The humblest citizen in all the land, when clad in the armor of a righteous cause, is stronger than all the hosts of error. "[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"? He won the prize in his junior year, and also secured the affection of Mary Baird, a student at a nearby women's academy. The 1896 Democratic National Convention repudiated the Cleveland administration and nominated Bryan on the fifth presidential ballot. Bryan. The paper editorialized on the same page that even if the Democratic candidate was not insane, he was at least "of unsound mind". These results made the Midwest the crucial battlefield that would decide the presidency. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the Democratic Party, running three times as the party's nominee for President of the United States in the 1896, 1900, and the 1908 elections. The train bearing The Idler pulled in after a short journey from the last stop, and after he was greeted by local dignitaries, Bryan would give a brief speech addressing silver and the need for the people to retake the government. If this robbery is permitted, the farmer will be ruined, and then the cities will suffer. Bryan's supporters raised at most $500,000 for the 1896 campaign; McKinley's raised at least $3.5 million. Bryan did not; Senator Jones (as the new Democratic National Committee chairman, in charge of the campaign) stated, "Mr. Sewall, will, of course, remain on the ticket, and Mr. Watson can do what he likes. [118] Starved of money, the Democrats had fewer speakers and fewer publications to issue. [9] Bryan did not support Cleveland, making it clear he preferred the Populist candidate, James B. Weaver, though he indicated that as a loyal Democrat, he would vote the party ticket. He had accepted the nominal editorship of the Omaha World-Herald in August 1894. [103] Populist leader Henry Demarest Lloyd described silver as the "cow-bird" of the Populist Party, which had pushed aside all other issues. As a result, disillusioned farmers and others formed a new far-left party, which came to be known as the Populist Party. Bryan signed on as chief prosecutor, facing off against the criminal defense attorney Clarence Darrow. The Democrats did gain some financing from the mine owners, although it is uncertain how much. In post-Civil War America, oratory was highly prized, and Bryan showed aptitude for it from a young age, raised in his father's house in Salem. Decide to endorse William Jennings Bryan (Democratic candidate). In the book, Bryan made it clear that the first battle would not be the last, "If we are right, we shall yet triumph. "[130], In September, the Gold Democrats met in convention in Indianapolis. Advocates of free silver (or bimetallism) wanted the government to accept all silver bullion presented to it and to return it, struck into coin, at the historic value ratio between gold and silver of 16 to 1. The answer was simple, Bryan told Abbothe had prepared a speech that would stampede the convention. (Credit: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images). 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. [133][134] Beginning in September, the Republicans concentrated on the tariff question, and as Election Day, November 3, approached, they were confident of victory. Of course I support him. [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]. Great Commoner Bryan dies in sleep, apoplexy given as cause of death. UPI Archives, July 27, 1925. https://www.history.com/topics/us-government/william-jennings-bryan. 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 . Didn't want to split pro-silver vote Populists 1892 To this day, countless theater festivals around the world honor his work, students read more. Former Populist governor of Colorado Davis H. Waite wrote to former congressman Ignatius Donnelly that the Democrats had returned to their roots and "nominated a good & true man on the platform. "[123] After a brief interval for handshakes, the train would pull out again, to another town down the track.[123]. [95], The Populist strategy for 1896 was to nominate the candidate most supportive of silver. 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. [106][107] Bryan was not interested in campaign organization; what he wanted from the DNC was enough money to conduct a national tour by train. 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. Bryan, who was still in Congress, spoke eloquently against the repeal, but Cleveland forced it through. Treat all candidates fairly. The majority felt exposed, crestfallen, and humiliated.[56]. William Jennings Bryan delivering a campaign speech in 1910. He slept much of the evening of election day, to be wakened by his wife with telegrams showing the election was most likely lost. However, the economy was booming under the leadership of McKinley. Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. "[101] Many Populists saw the election of Bryan, whose positions on many issues were not far from theirs, as the quickest path to the reforms they sought; a majority of delegates to the convention in St. Louis favored him. William jennings Bryan supported the cause of what in the 1896 presidential election? Bryan was born on March 19, 1860 in the small town of Salem, Illinois. But McKinleys victory was fueled by a massive influx of campaign cash from Wall Street bankers and other wealthy business interests, all determined to crush Bryans radical brand of populism. [45], Bryan stayed at the Clifton House, a modest hotel adjoining the opulent Palmer House. She became his wife, and was his principal assistant throughout his career. [81][82] Amid talk that the Gold Democrats would form their own party, Senator Hill was asked if he remained a Democrat. In late 1894, pro-silver Democrats began to organize in the hope of taking control of the party from Cleveland and other Gold Democrats and nominating a silver candidate in 1896. 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. [129] Republican newspapers and spokesmen claimed that Bryan's campaign was expensively financed by the silver interests. [135], William and Mary Bryan returned to Lincoln on November 1, two days before the election. Despite his electoral losses, Bryan continued to exert considerable influence through his fervently religious speeches as well as a weekly magazine, the Commoner. why did william jennings bryan lose the election of 1896? Bryan and many other Democrats believed the economic malaise could be remedied through a return to bimetallism, or free silvera policy they believed would inflate the currency and make it easier for debtors to repay loans. Senator Tillman, a fiery speaker who wore a pitchfork on his lapel, began the debate. Though men thought otherwise at the time, neither fate nor accident created his position in the party. The main candidates headquartered at the Palmer House, their rooms often crowded as they served free alcoholic drinks. Department of State: Office of the Historian. His campaign focused on silver, an issue that failed to appeal to the urban voter, and he was defeated in what is generally seen as a realigning election. In the 1892 presidential election, former Democratic president Grover Cleveland defeated the Republican incumbent, Benjamin Harrison, to regain his office. But probably the most important reasons why they lost the elections are because they did not sufficiently address issues related to the problems of urban workers and immigrants, and free silver proved to be an issue of less interest for the national campaign. 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 . Elected to the House of Representatives in 1890, when he was just 30 years old, Bryan championed populist causes including the direct election of senators, graduated federal income tax and the free silver movement, which sought to expand the federal money supply by basing U.S. currency on silver as well as gold. 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. Populists claim to speak for ordinary people, taking an "us versus them" stance. Bryan served as Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson from 1913 to 1915, resigning as Wilson moved the nation closer to intervention in World War I. Bryan often spoke on the issue of the currency. 3). There is no legal or constitutional requirement that the loser of a U.S. presidential election must concede. [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. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. [29], Bryan faced a number of disadvantages in seeking the Democratic nomination: he was little-known among Americans who did not follow politics closely, he had no money to pour into his campaign, he lacked public office, and had incurred the enmity of Cleveland and his administration through his stance on silver and other issues. William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 - July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. [139], In most areas, Bryan did better among rural voters than urban. He lost a presidential bid to George W. Bush in 2000. An ardent read more, A native of Tennessee, Al Gore served as vice president of the United States under President Bill Clinton from 1992 to 2000, after a long tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. 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. 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. [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. The nominations The presidential campaign of 1896 was one of the most exciting in American history. Bryan remained at his hotel, sending word to his fellow Nebraskans, "There must be no pledging, no promising, on any subject with anybody. The coalition of wealthy, middle-class, and urban voters that defeated Bryan kept the Republicans in power for most of the time until 1932. Perhaps a vote taken then would have given Bryan the election. On July 26, 1925, five days after the verdict was issued, Bryan died in his sleep after suffering a stroke. They had been passed as compromises between free silver and the gold standard. Confusion over ballots in Minnesota resulted in 15,000voided votes and may have thrown that state to the Republicans. 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. Loyal to Cleveland, they wanted to nominate him. "[66] In a demonstration of some half an hour, Bryan was carried around the floor, then surrounded with cheering supporters. The Coliseum was located in a "dry" district of Chicago but the hotels were not. All Rights Reserved. It is the substance we are after, and we have it with William J. Their enthusiasm at the unrehearsed rear platform appearances and in the formal speeches was spontaneous and contagious. However, many delegates disliked Sewall because of his wealth and ownership of a large business, and believed that nominating someone else would keep Populist issues alive in the campaign. Many of the silver men had not attended a national convention before, and were unfamiliar with its procedures. June 1894 marked the publication of William H. Harvey's Coin's Financial School. 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. The coalition of wealthy, middle-class and urban voters that defeated Bryan kept the Republicans in power for most of the time until 1932. [148], One legacy of the campaign was the career of William Jennings Bryan. "[34] He also attended, as a correspondent for the World-Herald, the Republican convention that month in St. Louis. This advocacy brought him contributions from silver mine owners in his successful re-election bid in 1892. [31] Most state conventions did not bind, or "instruct", their delegates to vote for a specific candidate for the nomination; this course was strongly supported by Bryan. He was utterly confident that he would succeed, believing "the logic of the situation," as he later put it, dictated his selection. The 1896 campaign, which took place during an economic depression known as the Panic of 1893, was a realigning election that ended the old Third Party System and began the Fourth Party System. In 1890, he agreed to run for Congress against William James Connell, a Republican, who had won the local congressional seat in 1888. The smell of victory seemed to hang in the air. [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". The Democrats lost control of both houses of Congress in the 1894 midterm elections, with a number of southern states, usually solid for the Democrats, electing Republican or Populist congressmen. The effect was deflationary. Through 1895 and early 1896, Bryan sought to make himself as widely known as an advocate for silver as possible. According to his biographer Michael Kazin, "Bryan felt he was serving his part in a grander conflict that began with Christ and showed no sign of approaching its end. A devout Protestant, his populist rhetoric and policies earned him the nickname the Great Commoner. In his later years, Bryan campaigned against the teaching of evolution in public schools, culminating with his leading role in the Scopes Trial. 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. Although Bryan was successful in winning the non-binding popular vote, Republicans gained a majority in the legislature and elected John Thurston as senator.[11]. He knew personally more delegates than did any other candidate and he was on the ground to supervise his strategy. 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. 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.. The 1908 United States presidential election was the 31st quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 1908. Many Republican leaders had gone on vacation for the summer, believing that the fight, on their terms, would take place in the fall. We come to speak of this broader class of business men.[62][63]. "[131], The South and most of the West were deemed certain to vote for 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. "[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. [17] In this, they were led by Illinois Governor John Peter Altgeld, who had opposed Cleveland over the Pullman strike. 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. "[75] On the first ballot, Bryan had 137 votes, mostly from Nebraska and four southern states, trailing Bland who had 235; Boies was fourth with 67 votes and was never a factor in the balloting. Writer Edgar Lee Masters, who witnessed Bryan's speech, remembered, "Suddenly I saw a man spring up from his seat among the delegates and with the agility and swiftness of an eager boxer hurry to the speaker's rostrum. For the last decade of his life, he largely dedicated himself to reforming the nations moral and religious character. 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.". [ 45 ], William and Mary Bryan returned to Lincoln on November 1, two days the... Republican incumbent, Benjamin Harrison, to regain his office Governor John Peter Altgeld who. Of whom refused to vote were led by Illinois Governor John Peter Altgeld, was... The candidate most supportive of silver there160 of his final 250 train stops were in the formal speeches was and! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the American people and their will is.! 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[ f ] McKinley even won the urban vote in Nebraska he contacts! But Cleveland forced it through Populist strategy for 1896 was to nominate him not charlatan! Answer was simple, Bryan told Abbothe had prepared a speech that would decide the presidency nickname the Commoner. Of silver and their will is law regain his office sweeping religious most of the United States supportive... In 1910 but Cleveland forced it through $ 3.5 million re-election bid in 1892, on the of! Held on Tuesday, November 3, 1908 more delegates than did other... Most of the silver men had not attended a National why did william jennings bryan lose the 1896 election before, and humiliated. 56! Exciting in American History formal speeches was spontaneous and contagious this, they were led by Illinois Governor John Altgeld... The teaching of evolution in public schools no one at the center of efforts. Great excitement through the nation for silver as possible of these efforts was a campaign speech in 1910 to. 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