In 1896, William Jennings Bryan ran for President of the United States. The former
Democraticcongressman from
Nebraska, who gained his party's presidential nomination in July of that year after electrifying the
Democratic National Convention with his
Cross of Gold speech, was defeated in
the general election by the
Republican candidate, former Ohio governor
William McKinley. Born in 1860, Bryan grew up in rural
Illinois and in 1887 moved to Nebraska, where he practiced law and entered politics. He won election to the
House of Representatives in 1890, and was re-elected in 1892, before mounting an unsuccessful
Senate campaign. Despite the loss, he set his sights on higher office, believing he could be elected president in 1896 even though he remained a relatively minor figure in the Democratic Party. In anticipation of a presidential run, he spent much of 1895 and early 1896 making speeches across the United States; his compelling oratory increased his popularity in his party. After gaining the nomination, he undertook an extensive tour by rail to bring his campaign to the people, speaking some 600 times, to an estimated 5,000,000 listeners. His campaign focused on prosperity through
bimetallism (or
free silver), an issue which failed to appeal to the urban voter. (
Full article...)
This Wikipedia is written in
English. Started in 2001 (2001), it currently contains
4,094,999 articles. Many other Wikipedias are available; some of the largest are listed below.
In 1896, William Jennings Bryan ran for President of the United States. The former
Democraticcongressman from
Nebraska, who gained his party's presidential nomination in July of that year after electrifying the
Democratic National Convention with his
Cross of Gold speech, was defeated in
the general election by the
Republican candidate, former Ohio governor
William McKinley. Born in 1860, Bryan grew up in rural
Illinois and in 1887 moved to Nebraska, where he practiced law and entered politics. He won election to the
House of Representatives in 1890, and was re-elected in 1892, before mounting an unsuccessful
Senate campaign. Despite the loss, he set his sights on higher office, believing he could be elected president in 1896 even though he remained a relatively minor figure in the Democratic Party. In anticipation of a presidential run, he spent much of 1895 and early 1896 making speeches across the United States; his compelling oratory increased his popularity in his party. After gaining the nomination, he undertook an extensive tour by rail to bring his campaign to the people, speaking some 600 times, to an estimated 5,000,000 listeners. His campaign focused on prosperity through
bimetallism (or
free silver), an issue which failed to appeal to the urban voter. (
Full article...)
This Wikipedia is written in
English. Started in 2001 (2001), it currently contains
4,094,999 articles. Many other Wikipedias are available; some of the largest are listed below.