![]() ![]() Never before in the history of American politics has a great issue been fought out as this issue has been by the voters themselves. Never before in the history of this country has there been witnessed such a contest as that through which we have passed. The individual is but an atom he is born, he acts, he dies but principles are eternal and this has been a contest of principle. I shall object to bringing this question down to a level of persons. When this debate is concluded, a motion will be made to lay upon the table the resolution offered in commendation of the administration and also the resolution in condemnation of the administration. I come to speak to you in defense of a cause as holy as the cause of liberty-the cause of humanity. The humblest citizen in all the land when clad in the armor of a righteous cause is stronger than all the whole hosts of error that they can bring. I would be presumptuous, indeed, to present myself against the distinguished gentlemen to whom you have listened if this were but a measuring of ability but this is not a contest among persons. ![]() Try updating to the latest version of your browser. Your browser is unable to play the audio element. ![]() The full text of William Jenning Bryan’s famous “Cross of Gold” speech appears below. “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 response, wrote one reporter, “came like one great burst of artillery.” Men and women screamed and waved their hats and canes. His dramatic speaking style and rhetoric roused the crowd to a frenzy. 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. ![]() (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. The issue was whether to endorse the free coinage of silver at a ratio of silver to gold of 16 to 1. 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. Bryan’s “Cross of Gold” Speech: Mesmerizing the Masses ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |