LAD#20- William Jennings Bryan's Cross of Gold Speech

In 1896, Bryan defeated incumbent president Grover Cleveland to win the Democratic Party nomination for president. Just thirty-six, Bryan managed to attract the support of mainstream Democrats as well as disaffected third party Populists and Free Silverites. His moving "Cross of Gold" speech, delivered prior to his nomination, lambasted Eastern classes for supporting the gold standard at the expense of the average worker. Bryan's stance directly opposing conservative Grover Cleveland, united splintered Democrats and won the handsome "Boy Orator of the Platte" the nomination. In the speech, Bryan told his belief in the silver industry of the United States. He thought that silver should be distributed in a ratio of 16 ounces of silver for every gold ounce even though the standard market ratio was 32 to 1 and yelled out “you shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold”.

LAD#19- The Populist Party Platform

During the late 1890’s the emergence of a third party other than the democrats and the republicans began to take shape in the Populist Party. Their platform included Popular Election of U.S. Senators as provided in the Constitution (Article I, Section 3), senators were selected by the state legislatures, not by popular vote. It was believed that business lobbies exerted inordinate influence over the selection of these officials as well as Direct Democracy. The Populists urged the adoption of the initiative, referendum and recall as means to give the people a more direct voice in government. They also felt that the Government should have ownership of the railroads due to anger against the railroads for alleged price discrimination was so intense that the Populists advocated for federal appropriation. More over, the Populists viewed the graduated income tax as a means to pry loose a portion of the tremendous wealth of the nation's most prosperous citizens. A "graduated" tax meant that the rate of taxation would increase as one's income increased. Finally the populists felt there was a need for a Banking Reform because much of their economic hardship had been caused by bankers' unfair practices. They proposed to end the national banking system, a point of view not widely held.

LAD#21- Dawes Act

In 1887 the Indian reform movement in America took action with the creation of the Dawes Severalty Act. American policy toward Native Americans has always had tension between attempts to assimilate and attempts to remove. The Dawes Act, in some ways, represents both desires. Finally, the U.S. Congress, after years of trying to satisfy pro-settlement forces and protects Native American interests, wrote and passed the Dawes Act in 1887. In the act it made established tribes to break up into individual families instead. In addition the act was set up to Americanize the Indians by making them convert to Christianity and other white customs.

LAD#18- McKinley's War Message

The Spanish government sincerely wished to avoid war with the United States but faced tremendous internal problems coupled with a military situation in Cuba that had gotten out of control. In order to appease the Americans without provoking backlash in Spain, it agreed to two of the main conditions that the United States had laid down as necessary to gain peace in Cuba and although McKinley knew of these concessions when he went before Congress on April 11, the president had already decided to give in to both popular opinion and the pressure from his fellow Republicans and opt for war. In the address to the congress he first acknowledged the fact that the growing conflict with Spain and Cuba was getting out of hand and that although the united states had always kept the policy of neutrality during the conflict it had become to interfere with the lives of those in America. He began to realize that the actions taken by the two opposing sides had left them in a stalemate and the fighting would continue until some action was taken by an outside party. Although the United States under McKinley did what they could to be that influence peacefully, the president finally accepted the fact that war was needed to resolve the conflict.