bryan's cross of gold political cartoon analysis

On the night of July 8, William Jennings Bryan revealed himself as the candidate the silverites were looking for by delivering one of the most famous speeches in American history. He did for Rome what Jackson did when he destroyed the bank conspiracy and saved America. He decried the gold standard, concluding the speech, "you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold". It simply intends to put the burdens of government justly upon the backs of the people. At Bryan's words, he threw his hat into the air, slapped the empty seat in front of him with his coat, and shouted, "My God! Political cartoons historically and currently play a significant role in public discourse about serious and important issues. Why doesnt he tell us what he is going to do if they fail to secure an international agreement. The galleries were filled with white as spectators waved handkerchiefs, and it was several minutes before he could continue. [96] Bryan spoke on silver throughout the campaign; he rarely addressed other issues. [103][104], Writer Edgar Lee Masters called the speech, "the beginning of a changed America. Why, as individuals we might have been glad to compliment the gentleman from New York [Senator Hill], but we knew that the people for whom we speak would never be willing to put him in a position where he could thwart the will of the Democratic Party. Why, that man who used to boast that he looked like Napoleon, that man shudders today when he thinks that he was nominated on the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. I come to speak to you in defense of a cause as holy as the cause of libertythe cause of humanity. Some, wrote another reporter, like demented things, divested themselves of their coats and flung them high in the air. The next day the convention nominated Bryan for President on the fifth ballot. From the money plank of the Democratic platform[48], Good luck favored Bryanhe was considered for various convention roles by the silverites, but each time was not selected. 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. My friends, we have made no criticism. In his address, Bryan supported "free silver" (i.e. The individual is but an atom; he is born, he acts, he dies; but principles are eternal; and this has been a contest of principle. If they dare to come out in the open field and defend the gold standard as a good thing, we shall fight them to the uttermost, having behind us the producing masses of the nation and the world. Russell's address was inaudible to most of the Coliseum; he was ill and died just over a week later. Critics contended that the inflation which would follow the introduction of such a policy would harm workers, whose wages would not rise as fast as prices would, and the operation of Gresham's law would drive gold from circulation, effectively placing the United States on a silver standard. Although the recording does not capture the power and drama of the original address, it does allow us to hear Bryan delivering this famous speech.]. My friend, in this land of the free you need fear no tyrant who will spring up from among the people. He says that we are opposing the national bank currency. We defy them! We have petitioned, and our petitions have been scorned; we have entreated, and our entreaties have been disregarded; we have begged, and they have mocked when our calamity came. [1] Bryan's address helped catapult him to the Democratic Party's presidential nomination and is considered one of the greatest political speeches in American history. Latuff here in this cartoon is showing the uncaring of the president to the country. That is the question which the party must answer first, and then it must be answered by each individual hereafter. Once the convention came to order, Arkansas Senator James K. Jones, chair of the Committee on Resolutions, read the proposed platform to cheers by many delegates; the reading of the pro-gold minority report attracted less applause. William Jennings Bryan. A cartoon from the magazine "Judge" criticizing William Jennings Bryan for his "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. [87] The pro-silver Cleveland Plain Dealer called Bryan's speech "an eloquent, stirring, and manly appeal". The next day the convention nominated Bryan for President on the fifth ballot. This takeover was considered far more important than was the choice of presidential candidate, and the committee decided to take no position on who should win the race for the nomination, reasoning that the victor, no matter who he was, would be a silver man. "[92] A farmer in Iowa, in a letter to Bryan, stated, "You are the first big man that i [sic] ever wrote to. The late 19th century saw divergent views in economics as the laissez-faire orthodoxy was questioned by younger economists, and both sides found ample support for their views from theorists. (This inflationary measure would have increased the amount of money in circulation and aided cash-poor and debt-burdened farmers.) This teaching guide helps instructors use a specific primary source set, Patronage and Populism: The Politics of the Gilded Age, in the classroom. 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. [18], Despite the repeal of the act, economic conditions failed to improve. According to William Jennings Byran:. . Introduction: -attractions of a political cartoon ii. He had already begun work on a speech. The full text of William Jenning Bryan's famous "Cross of Gold" speech appears below. "[91] Bryan's words gave rise to later economic and political philosophies, including Huey Long's 1930s Share Our Wealth program, with its trigger phrase, "Every Man a King" inspired by Bryan's speech. It is the issue of 1776 over again. Historian Stanley Jones, in his study of the 1896 election, suggests that western Democrats would have opposed Cleveland even if the party had held its congressional majority in 1894; with the disastrous defeat, they believed the party would be wiped out in the West if it did not support silver. We have entreated, and our entreaties have been disregarded. My friends, we shall declare that this nation is able to legislate for its own people on every question without waiting for the aid or consent of any other nation on earth, and upon that issue we expect to carry every single state in the Union. Standing upon this victory-crowned summit, will it turn its face to the rising or the setting sun? It is for these that we speak. Both men spoke to hundreds of thousands of people from their chosen venues. They complain about the plank which declares against the life tenure in office. [106] Historian R. Hal Williams suggested that the opposite philosophy, of legislation for the masses leading to prosperity for all, advocated by Bryan in his speech, informed the domestic policies of later Democratic presidents, including Franklin Roosevelt with his New Deal.[107]. The temporary chairmanship, for example, would have permitted him to deliver the keynote address. The money went for speakers, pamphlets, and other means of conveying their "sound money" campaign to the voter. Bryan had been a dark horse candidate with little support in the convention. The merchant at the crossroads store is as much a businessman as the merchant of New York. Handout 4: Cross of Gold Speech, one copy for each student Handout 4: Cross of Gold SpeechTeacher Answer Key Handout 5: Assessment, one copy for each student Five signs on large sheets of paper or cardstock with one of the following written on each: Inflation, Deflation, Gold Notes, Silver Notes, and Greenbacks. But in this contest, brother has been arrayed against brother, and father against son. Albert Shaw, editor of The Review of Reviews, stated that after Bryan's nomination, many easterners professed not to have heard of him but: "If, indeed, they had not heard of Mr. Bryan before, they had failed to follow closely the course of American politics in the past eight years. The Democratic Party wanted to create more upward mobility for people. 28 Monday Mar 2016. BRYAN: CROSS OF GOLD. [75] The lengthy passage as he discussed the platform and the Republicans helped calm the audience, ensuring he would be heard as he reached his peroration. He mocked McKinley, said by some to resemble Napoleon, noting that he was nominated on the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. [59] According to political scientist Richard F. Bensel in his study of the 1896 Democratic convention, "Although the silver men knew they would win this fight, they nonetheless needed someone to tell themand the gold menwhy they must enshrine silver at the heart of the platform. According to Jones, it was clear that Bland could not win, and that Bryan could not be stopped. They say we passed an unconstitutional law. That will give you criticisms. Bryan is arguing against the gold standard and so he isn't apt to paint gold in those idyllic terms. After speeches on the subject by several U.S. The Democratic party has won the greatest success in its history. No, my friends, it will never be the judgment of this people. 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. He cared about politics and his religion equally. The 1880s saw a steep decline in the prices of grain and other agricultural commodities. Bryan also ran in the years 1900 and 1908 which became failures. I had never had such an opportunity before in my life and never expect to have again. What we need is an Andrew Jackson to stand as Jackson stood, against the encroachments of aggregated wealth. Which? If the gold standard is the standard of civilization, why, my friends, should we not have it? They went away apologetically, not having known Bryan sought the nomination. We do not come as individuals. [87] The Chicago Tribune reported that Bryan had lit the spark "which touched off the trail of gun-powder". 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. 19. Publishing regularly in Harper's Weekly . [Note on the recording: In 1896 recording technology was in its infancy, and recording a political convention would have been impossible. doubt, because there is scarcely a State here today asking for the gold standard which is not in the absolute control of the Republican party. Cleveland friend and former Postmaster General Donald M. Dickinson wrote to the President in June 1896 hoping that the delegates would recognize "common sense" and be frightened at the thought of nominating a radical. Subscribe 84K views 7 years ago This is a speech from Democratic Candidate William Jennings Bryan, which he originally delivered in 1896. We reply to them that changing conditions make new issues; that the principles upon which rest Democracy are as everlasting as the hills; but that they must be applied to new conditions as they arise. 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