nov 3, 1896 - Election of 1896
Description:
A presidential election that placed Ohio Republican William McKinley as the 25th president over Nebraska Democrat William Jennings Bryan. This succeeded the election of 1892, in which the Populist Party saw a relatively successful campaign, though they did not come close to winning the election. In 1896, the Democratic Party ran Bryan on their ticket, a man very sympathetic to the Populists' ideals, thus "acquiring" their party. Bryan insisted on campaigning state-by-state, delivering fiery speeches that whipped his audiences into a frenzy. In one such speech, he claimed the working man was being crucified upon a gold cross, a reference to the growing dislike by the working class of the gold standard, an economic system in which the value of the nation's currency was directly tied to how much gold it possessed in its reserves. McKinley, on the other hand, was considered the safer candidate, promising nothing too radical. He also had the advantage of having over thirty times the campaign finances as Bryan, as he was pro-big business and therefore had millions put into his campaign by robber barons (Bryan's campaign raised $300 thousand, while McKinley's hit $10 million). Another distinction of the election was that the two candidates gave speeches themselves, as opposed to the past where candidates had their campaign team vouch for them. When voting day came around, Bryan swept the West and South, but McKinley won the more populated New England and Midwest, securing the presidency for him. The election was significant because it was considered to be the first modern election, and that it showed the changing issues for the parties. It also meant the end of one of the most successful third parties in the country's history.
Added to timeline:
US History Timeline
An outline of major events from (mostly early) US history.
...
Date:
Images:
![]()
