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Bryan's “Cross of Gold” Speech: Mesmerizing the Masses
Bryan’s “Cross of Gold” Speech: Mesmerizing the Masses The most famous speech in American political history was delivered by William Jennings Bryan on July 9, 1896, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The issue was whether to endorse the free coinage of silver at a ratio of silver to gold of 16 to 1. (This inflationary measure would have increased the amount of money in circulation and aided cash-poor and debt-burdened farmers.) After speeches on the subject by several U.S. Senators, Bryan rose to speak. The thirty-six-year-old former Congressman from Nebraska aspired to be the Democratic nominee for president, and he had been skillfully, but quietly, building support for himself among the delegates. His dramatic speaking style and rhetoric roused the crowd to frenzy. The response, wrote one reporter, “came like one great burst of artillery.” Men and women screamed and waved their hats and canes. “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. The full text of William Jenning Bryan’s famous “Cross of Gold” speech appears below. The audio portion is an excerpt. [Note on the recording: In 1896 recording technology was in its infancy, and recording a political convention would have been impossible. But in the early 20th century, the fame of Bryan’s “Cross of Gold” speech led him to repeat it numerous times on the Chautauqua lecture circuit where he was an enormously popular speaker. -
Free Silver"; Montana's Political Dream of Economic Prosperity, 1864-1900
University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1969 "Free silver"; Montana's political dream of economic prosperity, 1864-1900 James Daniel Harrington The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Harrington, James Daniel, ""Free silver"; Montana's political dream of economic prosperity, 1864-1900" (1969). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 1418. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/1418 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. "FREE SILVER MONTANA'S POLITICAL DREAM OF ECONOMIC PROSPERITY: 1864-19 00 By James D. Harrington B. A. Carroll College, 1961 Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA 1969 Approved by: Chairman, Board of Examiners . /d . Date UMI Number: EP36155 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMT Disaartation Publishing UMI EP36155 Published by ProQuest LLC (2012). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. -
The Case for a 100 Percent Gold Dollar by Murray N
The Case for a 100 Percent Gold Dollar By Murray N. Rothbard Publication history: Leland Yeager (ed.), In Search of a Monetary Constitution. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1962, pp. 94-136. Reprinted as The Case For a 100 Percent Gold Dollar. Washington, DC: Libertarian Review Press, 1974, and Auburn, Ala: Mises Institute, 1991, 2005. © Mises Institute, 2005. Preface When this essay was published, nearly thirty years ago, America was in the midst of the Bretton Woods system, a Keynesian international monetary system that had been foisted upon the world by the United States and British governments in 1945. The Bretton Woods system was an international dollar standard masquerading as a “gold standard,” in order to lend the well- deserved prestige of the world’s oldest and most stable money, gold, to the increasingly inflated and depreciated dollar. But this post-World War II system was only a grotesque parody of a gold standard. In the pre-World War I “classical” gold standard, every currency unit, be it dollar, pound, franc, or mark, was defined as a certain unit of weight of gold. Thus, the “dollar” was defined as approximately 1/20 of an ounce of gold, while the pound sterling was defined as a little less than 1/4 of a gold ounce, thus fixing the exchange rate between the two (and between all other currencies) at the ratio of their weights.1 Since every national currency was defined as being a certain weight of gold, paper francs or dollars, or bank deposits were redeemable by the issuer, whether government or bank, in that weight of gold. -
Collapsible Coliseum Cross of Gold
a'" VOLUME 18 PUBUSHED BY THE HYDE PARK HISTORICAL SOCIETY AUTUMN 1996 BY JAMES STRONKS In the swnmer of 1895 "The Greatest Building on Earth" (so said the flag on its roof) was going up on 63d Street, a block west of Stony Island Avenue. Inland Architect said "The Coliseum" was ~ the biggest building erected in America \ since the Columbian Exposition, and its ):4> statistics were indeed awesome. Longer than two football fields, it covered 51/2 acres of floor space and would seat 20,000 easily. Eleven enormous cantilever trusses spanned 218 feet of airspace, enclosing nearly a city block. A tower twenty stories high would dominate the neighborhood, its elevators rising to an observatory/cafe, with a roof-garden music-hall atop that, and at the pinnacle a giant electric searchlight visible for miles. The Coliseum's mammoth steel skeleton was all but completed ...and then it happened. At 11:10 p.m. on August 21 the immense framework collapsed. The appalling roar scared people off a standing train as far away as 47th Street. At dawn the next morning engineers with long faces inspected the ruins to determine the cause. Newspaper reporters licked their pencil points, eager to pin blame and expose a scandal. But THE there really wasn't any. The collapse was evidently caused by some 75 tons of lumber having been stacked on the roof COLLAPSIBLE so as to bear too heavily upon the last truss put into place, one which was not yet completely bolted into the structure COLISEUM as a whole. There was no scandal in the AND THE design, declared American Architect and Building N ews (Boston): "Both architect and engineer bear names of the best CROSS OF GOLD repute in the country." Just the same, it did not name them. -
Gold Democrats and the Decline of Classical Liberalism, 1896–1900
SUBSCRIBE NOW AND RECEIVE CRISIS AND LEVIATHAN* FREE! “The Independent Review does not accept “The Independent Review is pronouncements of government officials nor the excellent.” conventional wisdom at face value.” —GARY BECKER, Noble Laureate —JOHN R. MACARTHUR, Publisher, Harper’s in Economic Sciences Subscribe to The Independent Review and receive a free book of your choice* such as the 25th Anniversary Edition of Crisis and Leviathan: Critical Episodes in the Growth of American Government, by Founding Editor Robert Higgs. This quarterly journal, guided by co-editors Christopher J. Coyne, and Michael C. Munger, and Robert M. Whaples offers leading-edge insights on today’s most critical issues in economics, healthcare, education, law, history, political science, philosophy, and sociology. Thought-provoking and educational, The Independent Review is blazing the way toward informed debate! Student? Educator? Journalist? Business or civic leader? Engaged citizen? This journal is for YOU! *Order today for more FREE book options Perfect for students or anyone on the go! The Independent Review is available on mobile devices or tablets: iOS devices, Amazon Kindle Fire, or Android through Magzter. INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE, 100 SWAN WAY, OAKLAND, CA 94621 • 800-927-8733 • [email protected] PROMO CODE IRA1703 Gold Democrats and the Decline of Classical Liberalism, 1896–1900 —————— ✦ —————— DAVID T. BEITO AND LINDA ROYSTER BEITO n 1896 a new political party was born, the National Democratic Party (NDP). The founders of the NDP included some of the leading exponents of classical I liberalism during the late nineteenth century. Few of those men, however, fore- saw the ultimate fate of their new party and of the philosophy of limited government that it championed. -
The Populist Movement
The populist movement Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Montgomery, Winona Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Public Domain: This material has been identified as being free of known restrictions under U.S. copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights. Download date 29/09/2021 21:06:34 Item License http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/ Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/627573 THE POPULIST MOVEMENT WINONA MONTGOMERY LIBRAIO UNIV. OF ARIZONA T HE P 0 P U.L 1ST OVEMENT A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA in PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE R _IQUIREMENTS- FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER of ARTS BY WINONA MONTGOMERY MAY 15 1923 E929/ // ACKUOWLEDGEMENT The writer wishes to acknowlede her indebted- ness to Professor H. A. Hubbard Associate Professor Ida C. Reid under whose direction this thesis was written, for their interest and advice. THE POPULIST MOVEMENT FORCES THAT CAUSED THE POPULIST mnv:TTET2 Chapter I Situation of the Farmer. A. EzTDansion of the West. 1. Increased agricultural production. Fall in „prices of agriraltural -)roducts. 3. Increased demand for money. B. Railroads. 1. 7elcomed 137 farmers. 2. Farmers objected to hi7h freight rates. 3. Farmers opposed Railroad ownership of land. C. Period of Depression. 1. Poor crops. 2. Low prices of cotton. D. Organization. 1. Grange 2. Farmer' l o c a l organizations. 3. Farmers' Alliance and Cobr- - ati7re Union. 4. Farmers' and Laborers' Union of America. 5. National Farmers' Alliance. Chapter II American Labor. A. Low Wao:es. 1. Table of wages. 2• City caused laborers;' expenses to increase. -
Above the World: William Jennings Bryan's View of the American
Nebraska History posts materials online for your personal use. Please remember that the contents of Nebraska History are copyrighted by the Nebraska State Historical Society (except for materials credited to other institutions). The NSHS retains its copyrights even to materials it posts on the web. For permission to re-use materials or for photo ordering information, please see: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/magazine/permission.htm Nebraska State Historical Society members receive four issues of Nebraska History and four issues of Nebraska History News annually. For membership information, see: http://nebraskahistory.org/admin/members/index.htm Article Title: Above the World: William Jennings Bryan’s View of the American Nation in International Affairs Full Citation: Arthur Bud Ogle, “Above the World: William Jennings Bryan’s View of the American Nation in International Affairs,” Nebraska History 61 (1980): 153-171. URL of article: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/publicat/history/full-text/1980-2-Bryan_Intl_Affairs.pdf Date: 2/17/2010 Article Summary: One of the major elements in Bryan’s intellectual and political life has been largely ignored by both critics and admirers of William Jennings Bryan: his vital patriotism and nationalism. By clarifying Bryan’s Americanism, the author illuminates an essential element in his political philosophy and the consistent reason behind his foreign policy. Domestically Bryan thought the United States could be a unified monolithic community. Internationally he thought America still dominated her hemisphere and could, by sheer energy and purity of commitment, re-order the world. Bryan failed to understand that his vision of the American national was unrealizable. The America he believed in was totally vulnerable to domestic intolerance and international arrogance. -
The Panic of 1893 and the Election of 1896
U.S. HISTORY LESSON 3.4 The Panic of 1893 and the Election of 1896 reform human capital debt safety net trade-off GDP deficit priorities spending Medicare mandatory budget Social Security revenue health care governance discretionary baby boomers economic growth infrastructure ESSENTIAL DILEMMA Were the contradictory responses political leaders had to the panic of 1893 driven more by economic/political self-interest or by differing visions of what kind of country they wanted the United States to be? INTRODUCTION “Wall Street Topsy-Turvy, The Famous ‘Street’ Passes Another Eventful Black Friday. It is said at the Treasury that the time has passed when the Government can aid Wall Street.” —Arkansas Gazette, May 5, 1893 (McMillan, 2010) In August 1893, President Grover Cleveland called a special session of Congress to deal with the financial panic that had hit the United States. Although historians have since taken a more complex view of the causes of the panic, in his message to the special session, Cleveland looked back 3 years to the previous administration, and named the Sherman Silver Purchase Act as the cause of the panic: Our unfortunate plight is . principally chargeable to Congressional legislation touching the purchase and coinage of silver by the General Government. This legislation is embodied in a statute passed on the 14th day of July, 1890, which was the culmination of much agitation on the subject involved, and which may be considered a truce, after a long struggle, between the advocates of free silver coinage and those intending to be more conservative. (Cleveland, 1893) President Cleveland oversaw the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act before the year’s end and, perhaps by coincidence, the panic only intensified. -
Evaluating the Economic Policies of Grover Cleveland
SUBSCRIBE NOW AND RECEIVE CRISIS AND LEVIATHAN* FREE! “The Independent Review does not accept “The Independent Review is pronouncements of government officials nor the excellent.” conventional wisdom at face value.” —GARY BECKER, Noble Laureate —JOHN R. MACARTHUR, Publisher, Harper’s in Economic Sciences Subscribe to The Independent Review and receive a free book of your choice* such as the 25th Anniversary Edition of Crisis and Leviathan: Critical Episodes in the Growth of American Government, by Founding Editor Robert Higgs. This quarterly journal, guided by co-editors Christopher J. Coyne, and Michael C. Munger, and Robert M. Whaples offers leading-edge insights on today’s most critical issues in economics, healthcare, education, law, history, political science, philosophy, and sociology. Thought-provoking and educational, The Independent Review is blazing the way toward informed debate! Student? Educator? Journalist? Business or civic leader? Engaged citizen? This journal is for YOU! *Order today for more FREE book options Perfect for students or anyone on the go! The Independent Review is available on mobile devices or tablets: iOS devices, Amazon Kindle Fire, or Android through Magzter. INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE, 100 SWAN WAY, OAKLAND, CA 94621 • 800-927-8733 • [email protected] PROMO CODE IRA1703 “Henceforth, I Must Have No Friends” Evaluating the Economic Policies of Grover Cleveland F BRANDON DUPONT [Government paternalism] is the bane of republican institutions and the constant peril of our government by the people. It degrades to the purposes of wily craft the plan of rule our fathers established and bequeathed to us as an object of our love and veneration. It perverts the patriotic sentiments of our countrymen and tempts them to pitiful calculation of the sordid gain to be derived from their Government’s maintenance. -
'The “Wizard of Oz” As a Monetary Allegory,' Journal Of
Hugh Rockoff of Rutgers University, ‘The “Wizard of Oz” as a Monetary Allegory,’ Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 98, 1990, pp. 739-760. I. Introduction The Wizard of Oz is perhaps the best-loved American children's story. The movie, starring Judy Garland, Bert Lahr, Ray Bolger and company, is an annual television ritual. The book on which the movie is based, L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, however, is not only a child's tale but also a sophisticated commentary on the political and economic debates of the Populist Era.1 Previous interpretations have focused on the political and social aspects of the allegory. The most important of these is Littlefield ([1966] 1968), although his interpretation was adumbrated by Nye (1951), Gardner and Nye (1957), Sackett (I960), and Bewley ([1964] 1970). My purpose is to unlock the references in the Wizard of Oz to the monetary debates of the 1890s. When the story is viewed in this light, the real reason the Cowardly Lion fell asleep in the field of poppies, the identity of the Wizard of Oz, the significance of the strange number of hallways and rooms in the Emerald Palace, and the reason the Wicked Witch of the West was so happy to get one of Dorothy's shoes become clear. Thus interpreted, the Wizard of Oz becomes a powerful pedagogic device. Few students of money and banking or economic history will forget the battle between the advocates of free silver and the defenders of the gold standard when it is explained through the Wizard of Oz. -
William Jennings Bryan: Boy Orator, Broken Man, and the "Evolution" of America's Public Philosophy
University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Great Plains Quarterly Great Plains Studies, Center for May 2002 WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN: BOY ORATOR, BROKEN MAN, AND THE "EVOLUTION" OF AMERICA'S PUBLIC PHILOSOPHY Troy A. Murphy University of Michigan-Dearborn Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsquarterly Part of the Other International and Area Studies Commons Murphy, Troy A., "WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN: BOY ORATOR, BROKEN MAN, AND THE "EVOLUTION" OF AMERICA'S PUBLIC PHILOSOPHY" (2002). Great Plains Quarterly. 40. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsquarterly/40 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Great Plains Studies, Center for at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Plains Quarterly by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Published in Great Plains Quarterly, vol. 22, no. 2 (Spring 2002). Published by the Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Copyright © 2000 Center for Great Plains Studies. Used by permission. WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN BOY ORATOR, BROKEN MAN, AND THE "EVOLUTION" OF AMERICA'S PUBLIC PHILOSOPHY TROY A. MURPHY He wanted our religion to rest on the basis of love and not on the basis of force; and, my friends, when we get down to the root of our government, and the root of our religion, we find that they alike rest on the doctrine of human brotherhood-"that all men are created equal." - William Jennings Bryan, on Thomas Jefferson1 If you would be entirely accurate you should represent me as using a double-barreled shot- gun, firing one barrel at the elephant as he tries to enter the treasury and another at Darwinism-the monkey-as he tries to enter the schoolroom. -
Populism to Fascism: a Look at the Political Mind of Milford Howard
POPULISM TO FASCISM: A LOOK AT THE POLITICAL MIND OF MILFORD HOWARD MICHAEL JAMES MILLIGAN Oakville, Ontario, Canada B.A., University of Toronto, 1982 A thesis presented to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Virginia in Candidacy for the Degree of !1aster of Arts Concoran Department of History University of Virginia May, 19 85 / /.c- ',>< . .; / . ../ I k /� Acknowledgements Every life is interesting; if not the personality, then the environment, the country, the life itself is interesting. Man likes to enter into another existence, he likes to touch the subtlest fibers of another's heart, and to listen to its beating. Alexander Herzen My Past and Thoughts Examining the life of Milford Howard was a fascinating experience. I cannot deny that I have gained an admiration and affection for the man. Through Howard I have also gained a very personal and informative view of Populism and the early New South. This is certainly not to say that Howard was important and influential in the general scheme of Southern politics and society, he was not. I do suggest, however, that Howard's concerns and actions, like those of any thoughtful, sensitive individual, are worthy of note and investigation. As much as the perceived "successes" of his time, Howard's life helps us understand the historical era in which he struggled. I have many people to thank for their assistance. Mr. James Kuykendall and Mrs. Elizabeth Howard of the Landmarks Historical Society of Fort Payne, Alabama were invaluable in collecting and relaying information on Milford Howard. I found their enthusiasm for Howard contagious.