jan 15, 1896 - The Election of 1896: William Jennings Bryan, Cross of Gold(WXT, POL)

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Prior to the election of 1896, the Democrats were divided between those who were pro-gold and those who were pro-silver and looking for a leader to represent them. In the Chicago convention, William Jennings Bryan, a 36 year old prosilver Democrat, in his “Cross Gold” speech romanticised the conflict between the Democrats, antagonizing the pro-gold Democrats making them out to seem like an oppressive force that holds no consideration for the lives of the laborers of America. This bold and extravagant display of loyalty to the prosilver Democrats captured the hearts of the prosilver Democrats and made Bryan the leader to the prosilver Democrats as well as a nominee for presidency. At this point the Democrat platform mostly supported silver despite it’s inflationary rates and worked alongside the Populist party to put more silver in circulation of the American economy. In fact in their convention, the Populist party also nominated William Jennings Bryan for presidency. However, the faction of “Gold Bug” Democrats, were unsatisfied with Bryan as well as the free silver movement, so some Democrats either supported the creation of a separate National Democratic party or simply voted Republican.To combat the against the “Gold Bug” democrats as well as the Republicans Bryan campaigned his presidency like a crusade traveling from one end of the country to another having 18,000 candidates deliver speeches across America in support of the Democratic-Populist party. Yet, his efforts would go to waste nearing the end of elections as wheat prices raised and factory owners told their workers that the factories would shut down if Bryan gets elected, completely shifting the motion of the elections favoring McKinley and ultimately handing McKinley the presidency.

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