Cross of gold. Cross of Gold (Wednesday Theatre) 2022-12-23
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The "Cross of Gold" speech was given by William Jennings Bryan at the Democratic National Convention in 1896. It was a pivotal moment in American political history and helped to establish Bryan as a leading figure in the Democratic Party.
The main theme of the speech was the issue of monetary policy and the use of gold as the basis for the United States' currency. At the time, the country was on the gold standard, which meant that the value of the currency was tied to the value of gold. Bryan argued that this policy was harmful to the working class and farmers, who he believed were being hurt by the deflation that occurred when the value of gold increased.
Bryan argued that the gold standard was a tool used by the wealthy to enrich themselves at the expense of the poor. He called for the adoption of a bimetallic standard, which would allow the use of both gold and silver as currency. He believed that this would help to stabilize prices and improve the lives of ordinary Americans.
The speech was met with great enthusiasm by the audience and helped to establish Bryan as a champion of the working class. It also marked a shift in the Democratic Party towards a more populist, progressive ideology.
The "Cross of Gold" speech is still remembered today as a powerful moment in American political history and a testament to Bryan's commitment to the working class. It remains a reminder of the importance of fighting for economic justice and the need to ensure that the interests of all Americans are represented in government policy.
William Jennings Bryan
It simply intends to put the burdens of government justly upon the backs of the people. 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. Three months later, at Memphis, an organization was perfected, and the silver Democrats went forth openly and boldly and courageously proclaiming their belief and declaring that if successful they would crystallize in a platform the declaration which they had made; and then began the conflict with a zeal approaching the zeal which inspired the crusaders who followed Peter the Hermit. If they say bimetallism is good, but that we cannot have it until other nations help us, we reply that, instead of having a gold standard because England has, we will restore bimetallism, and then let England have bimetallism because the United States has it. The Democratic idea has been that if you legislate to make the masses prosperous their prosperity will find its way up and through every class that rests upon it.
. It was not unconstitutional when it went before the Supreme Court for the first time. Retrieved 18 June 2022. He states first that the United States is overly vigilant about the prospect of tyranny. Other flavors listed are also present but none dominate.
At this gathering the Illinois native William Jennings Bryan transfixed the audience with a speech in favor of free silver. That is the question that the party must answer first; and then it must be answered by each individual hereafter. Trust arrangements helped to end much of the ruinous competition that had sent prices and profits plummeting in 1893. Barnes, in his historical journal article pointing out myths that have arisen about Bryan's candidacy and campaign, stated that Bryan's efforts bore fruit even before the convention: By April, 1896, many individuals were quietly working for Bryan's nomination. So if they come to meet us on that, we can present the history of our nation.
Very drinkable and rounded. His dramatic speaking style and rhetoric roused the crowd to a frenzy. 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. Good amount of bubbles streaming up from the bottom. If the gold standard is a good thing, why try to get rid of it? The 1880s saw a steep decline in the prices of grain and other agricultural commodities.
Bryan's "Cross of Gold" Speech: Mesmerizing the Masses
We beg no longer; we entreat no more; we petition no more. Retrieved December 27, 2011. Realigning America: McKinley, Bryan and the Remarkable Election of 1896. So if they come to meet us on that, we can present the history of our nation. But destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country.
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. One of the arguments against bimetallism is that it will hurt businesses. The Presidential Election of 1896. Bryan explains that the Republican presidential nominee, William McKinley, has advocated for the gold standard and would only be willing to consider bimetallism if other countries adopt a policy of bimetallism. More than that, we can tell them this, that they will search the pages of history in vain to find a single instance in which the common people of any land ever declared themselves in favor of a gold standard. No, my friends, that will never be the verdict of our people. The man who is employed for wages is as much a businessman as his employer.
The merchant at the crossroads store is as much a businessman as the merchant of New York. Reprinted in The Annals of America, Vol. Bryan further suggests that this wavering shows weakness in the Republican platform. This crowd-pleasing favorite is part of the City Series -- classic styles for any session, proudly brewed only in Chicago. You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold. Without a clear issue differentiating its candidates from the two major parties, the Populist Party ceased to exist as a political organization. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
In the future these movements, widely diverse yet somehow related in their attempt to define and forge a modern America, marked a period that Americans came to call the Progressive Era. I come to speak to you in defense of a cause as holy as the cause of liberty—the cause of humanity. That is the question which the party must answer first, and then it must be answered by each individual hereafter. We are fighting in the defense of our homes, our families, and posterity. We have simply called attention to what you know. Three months later, at Memphis, an organization was perfected, and the silver Democrats went forth openly and boldly and courageously proclaiming their belief and declaring that if successful they would crystallize in a platform the declaration which they had made; and then began the conflict with a zeal approaching the zeal which inspired the crusaders who followed Peter the Hermit. This inflationary measure would have increased the amount of money in circulation and aided cash-poor and debt-burdened farmers.
While this is undoubtedly a part of Domestic policy, this speech is riddled with examples of how inept American isolationism was to be in the following century. We reply that when we advocate a thing which we believe will be successful we are not compelled to raise a doubt as to our own sincerity by trying to show what we will do if we are wrong. In light of these changes, in 1890, a law was passed requiring the United States government to buy back silver at inflated rates. New York: Sanford J. We do not come as aggressors. We have petitioned, and our petitions have been scorned. The dissidents nominated their own ticket; the split in the vote would contribute to Bryan's defeat.
