(a) One factor that determined the outcome of the 1896 election was the fact Cleveland industrialist named Marcus Alonzo Hanna was determined to see McKinley, Republican Candidate, elected; “I love McKinley,” He once said. The Republican platform cleverly straddled the money question but leaned toward hard-money policies. He believed that the free coinage of silver would bring financial ruin to America, in which William J. Bryan’s, Democratic Candidate, “Cross of Gold” speech demanded inflation through the unlimited coinage of silver at the ratio of 16 ounces of silver to 1 of gold, through the market ratio was about 32 to 1. Free silver became almost as much a religious as a financial issue. Using his vast wealth and power, Hanna directed
In 1898, three political parties tried to win the election, the Republicans, the Populists, and the Democrats. Many of the Populists were poor black farmers and sided with Republicans. Though they had their electoral successes in 1894 and 1896, they were defeated by the Democrats in 1898. The Democrats won the 1898 election because they believed in anti-negro domination and attacking the Republicans.
Williams McKinley was mainly known for supporting the gold standard while Jennings Bryan supported more for the bimetallism. The two candidates both had two different visions for the country's economic future. The main reason these two candidates had a different vision was because they both had a different economic view on how to shape the elections for a long lasting effect. The 1896 election was very exciting for everyone.
Leon Czolgosz’s and many others believed that president McKinley was leading a corrupt government. Although correct, the government did have many wrongs and problems within it, William McKinley realized it and tried to fix the corruptions. Such as the protective tariffs during a depression to create jobs and generate
Many people of the upper-class and working-class felt as though his promises in office were in support of their needs, hence he won the second election. When I first analyzed this picture, I spent some time focused on the people below McKinley. It is important to take note that all of the individuals supporting (essentially holding up) McKinley in the image were at least modestly well-off white males. There are no women supporting him, let alone African Americans. I felt as though this aspect of the image alone gave a bit of insight on the social times of McKinley 's presidency.
Farmers of the late 19th century faced several struggles as they attempted to feed themselves and a growing nation. Though they were undeniably crucial to the country, the country often abandoned them to fend against their problems themselves. These desertments lead to the creation of several movements, such as The Grange, and of political parties such as the Populists. The challenges of American farmers were often intertwined and difficult to get to one cause of the problem. Increasing railroad use and inflated prices hurt the farmers tremendously, which then lead to widespread debt and the cry for silver to be used in the money standard, which then resulted in overproduction of goods to try to overcompensate for the burgeoning debt, but only made it worse.
American voters became more influential in presidential elections because of the events that took place during the Jacksonian and Progressive Eras. In the Jacksonian Era, some voting restrictions were removed, voting became more private, the public was more informed about politics, and voters were taken into greater consideration by presidential candidates. In the Progressive Era, better living conditions, the fight against corruption, and other political reforms made it easier for the working class to vote for candidates that they favored. These events gave voters a greater influence in politics and made elections more fair. During the Jacksonian Era, states began to give citizens a larger influence over presidential elections.
The turmoil, upheaval, and controversy of the 2016 Trump election is a significant current event of the modern world, but this landslide election is not the first in America’s history to raise such conflicting opinions. The Revolution of 1800 was another shift in political history that impacted not only the candidates, but majority of the public. The defeat of John Adams to Vice President Thomas Jefferson led to the rise of the Democratic-Republican Party rule and the eventual demise of the Federalist Party. Often in politics, opposing views, scandals, and negative publicity plays a role in the election process, due to this, in both the 2016 election and 1800 election negative criticism from both parties was evident. The 1800 and 2016 elections
Since focusing on politics would of torn the Whig party apart they instead focused on personal characteristics. In eighteen forty Henry Harrison lead the Whig party to their first presidential victory in a campaign which focused more on his heroic military experience then the issues. During the late eighteen forties and early eighteen fifties slavery had become the major political issue. The disagreements and unwillingness to compromise among the Whig party lead to groups down fall.
William Jennings Bryan was a prominent American politician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who made a significant impact on the Democratic Party. He was a tireless campaigner and ran for the presidency three times, gaining a reputation as "The Great Commoner" due to his unwavering support for popular democracy. He was an opponent of the gold standard, banks, and railroads, and a strong advocate for silver currency, peace, prohibition, and Christian values. Bryan's oratory skills and charismatic personality made him one of the best-known speakers of the era, and his intense campaigning helped shape modern political practices, including the national stumping tour.
A drought devastated the Midwest’s crops and without these crops they did not have the ability to pay debts accrued. The Southern farmers were also dealing with issues during this time from being crushed with the falling price of cotton who were also unable to pay their debts. With these occurring at the same time along with some technical advances this led these farmers to come together and organize their efforts in order to interject much needed change within the financial institutions. As a result of their combined efforts two organizations were formed; The Farmers Alliance and the Colored Farmers Alliance were
While the great depression and the Dust Bowl contributes to the downfall of the “Okies” the problems for the farmers started many years before that. During World War I food supplies were in demand due to the closed European markets, farmers were compelled to invest heavily to invest in land and machinery to meet the demand of the market. Once the war was done the prices of their crops dropped significantly which left the farmers unable to repay the hefty loans they took out from the banks. Therefore while the economy was booming before the great depression at the end of the 1920’s, farmers were experiencing very harsh times and had their assets and land seized by banks and private sectors. Like the Joads, they were evicted from their land and
Historian R. Hal Williams argues this by mentioning that the prospect of Bryan becoming president scared Wall Street, and Hanna played on this fear by travelling “between Chicago and New York, warning financiers, bankers, manufacturers […] of the dangers of a Bryan victory” . Many prominent bankers and manufacturers, ranging from J.P. Morgan to John D. Rockefeller, supported McKinley and by the end of the election the McKinley campaign’s expenditures totaled to over $3.5 million, substantially less than Bryan’s $300,000 . The significant money advantage McKinley’s campaign had allowed them to effectively canvass, and Bryan’s campaign was completely unable to keep up with McKinley’s campaign, which was extremely effective at mobilizing traditional Republican voters and attracting new voters to the party. Hanna was undeniably important to the McKinley campaign, but the traditional view does not note that his success was only possible because of Wall Street’s strong disapproval of Bryan and the policies he would enact if elected. One revisionist viewpoint that diminishes Hanna’s role points out that some of the people who donated to McKinley’s campaign were not traditional Republican donors and only donated to stop the Free Silver movement.
The 1988 United States election showcased American politics as two leading candidates fought for the presidential office. George H. W. Bush, the Republican nominee, and Michael Dukakis, the Democratic nominee, engaged in a highly contested battle to win the hearts and votes of the American people. The campaign was marked by intense debates, contrasting policy positions, and vigorous campaigning across the nation. George H. W. Bush, a seasoned politician and the incumbent Vice President, emphasized his experience and ability to navigate international affairs. On the other hand, Michael Dukakis, the Governor of Massachusetts, positioned himself as a champion of progressive domestic policies, advocating for economic revitalization, social justice,
This event would cause a direct impact on public opinion due to the contradictory views presented. President Johnson was aware of this rising support for the antiwar movement and in an attempt to prevent his supporters from joining the bandwagon, he launched this campaign which assured that U.S. victory was in arm’s reach. Johnson’s desperate attempts to keep supporters on the bandwagon prove that he knew that support for the war was coming close to an end. The campaign did, however, successfully increase the morale of American people, consequently causing increased support for the
