Blog #26: William Jennings Bryan's "Cross of Gold" Speech

William Jennings Bryan made a very famous speech on July 9, 1896 at the Democratic Convention in Chicago. Bryan aspired to be the Democratic nominee for President, so he gave a speech that was so dramatic and passionate that it riled up the crowd quite a bit. In this speech, he addresses the issue of the rising value of gold and the decreasing value of silver. He even mentions that old leaders are being replaced if they show opposition to the coinage of silver. He argues that the gold standard is only destructive to the country, and that it is important to restore bimetallism in order to maintain a prosperous America. He says that the gold standard is worth fighting against, and that this must be done in order to protect the commercial and labor interests of the people. Bryan closes by saying, “you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold” (hence the name of this speech). In other words, he believes it is unjust to implement the gold standard because it only prevents Americans from opportunity that would help benefit the country.

William Jennings Bryan

Jackson implemented the Specie Circular in 1836, which only allowed gold and silver to be used to purchase land rather than paper money. This is similar to the gold standard that Bryan was opposed to, because that was also a change in the value of money.

Blog #25: The Dawes Act

The Dawes Act begins by stating that the President of the United States has the right to survey any Indian land if he sees potential agricultural opportunity in that land. It also states that he has the right to separate those lands into specific amounts for certain groups of Indians. For each head of the family, 1/4 of a section can be separated. For single people over 18 years old, 1/8 of a section can be separated. To each orphan child under 18 years old, 1/8 of a section will also be separated. Finally, to each single person under 18 or any people who will be born before the date that the President allots land, 1/16 of a section will be separated. If there is not enough land to divide into said proportions, the land will be divided equally. 

Section Two of the Dawes Act states that the allotments of land should be selected by the Indians. For example, parents are allowed to choose specific land for their children and agents are allowed to select for orphans. This ability to choose was much better for the Indians. However, if any Indian did not make a selection within four years after the President alloted land, the Secretary of the Interior might direct the agent of the tribe to make the selection for the Indian himself.

Section Three of the Dawes Act explains that when land is allotted, it must be recorded in the Indian Office, transmitted to the Secretary of the Interior, and deposited in the General Land Office.

Section Four of the Dawes Act says that if any Indian who does not belong to a reservation tries to settle on land not allotted to him or her, then they must apply to the local land-office to have land allotted to them. 

Section Five explains that the United States will hold the allotted land for 25 years, for the sole purpose of benefiting Indians. However, the President can at any time extend this period of time, and any contract going against the President's decision shall be null/void. This section also says that any agricultural land will be preserved by the government for actual settlers. It even says that Indians who obey the Dawes Act will be treated better than those who do not.

Section Six stresses that all people on the specified allotments are still required to obey the law of the state they are in, and no state can pass any law that denies Indians equal protection of the law. Any Indian born within the United States and who has adopted the habits of civilized life can be considered an American citizen and can have the rights of such. 

Section Seven says that where land is used for agricultural purposes, the Secretary of the Interior is allowed to give out rules and regulations to assure equal distribution among Indians. 

Section Eight states that this act does not apply to certain tribes (and it lists these tribes).

Section Nine says that $100,000 is set aside for the reservations, but is to be repaid by the sales of the land.

Section Ten says that nothing shall get in the way of the right of Congress to give Indians allotted land.

Finally, Section Eleven closes the Dawes Act by stating that the Southern Ute Indians will be moved to a new reservation (with the consent of the tribe).

The Land Grant College Act in 1862 set aside land for the construction of colleges. This is similar to how the Dawes Act set aside land for Indian reservations.

Blog #24: Populist (People's) Party Platform

The following made up the Populist Party Platform in 1892:

1. The Preamble

The Preamble starts with the People’s Party stating that they are happy to be meeting, as the country’s corruption must be addressed. They then argue that the United States has such a large focus on industrialization and money, that the rights of the people are being ignored. They say that working conditions are bad, opinions are silenced, hard-earned money is robbed from the people, and only the millionaires really have a chance at prosperity. The price of silver has decreased, adding to the value of gold and decreasing the value of property and human labor, and if this is not addressed, it can lead to the destruction of civilization or too much power in the hands of the wealthy. The Party goes on to explain that the wealthy are sacrificing others for their own corrupt profit. They then say that their goal is to restore power to the common man (“plain people”), and that those desires line up with the Constitution (“form a more perfect union and establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity”). The Populist Party closes their statements about the Preamble by stating that since the country is faced with new and difficult conditions, if given the power, they will correct these evils with fair legislation.

2. The Platform

The Populist Party’s Platform touches on several different points. First, the union of labor forces within the United States should always be allowed, and its purpose (to fight for rights) should be the spirit that is felt throughout America. Second, wealth belongs to the people who earn it, but money taken from an industry without payment in return is considered robbery. The party believes that “if any will not work, neither shall he eat.” They also believe that both rural and civil businesses should be treated equally. Concerning finance, the Populist Party demands national currency that is issued only by the general government. The party goes on to state more specific demands: that coinage of silver and gold is free and unlimited, that the amount of circling currency be increased to $50 or more per capita, that the income tax increases, and that the money be kept in the hands of the people (state and national expenses should be paid by gov’t and savings banks should be established). The Populist Platform also believes that the government should own and operate the railroads and telegraphs for the peoples’ benefit. Finally, concerning land, this party’s Platform believes that it should not be monopolized, and all lands held by railroads/corporations or owned by aliens should be taken back by the government and held for settlers only.

3. The Resolutions that made up the Expression of Sentiments

The Populist Party’s Expression of Sentiments is separate from its Platform, but is expressive of the previously stated issues that are now solved. The issues resolved include: the demand of a free ballot and fair count in elections, lowering income tax for industries, pledged support of fair pensions for ex-Union soldiers/sailors, restriction on undesirable emigration and protection for American workers, acceptance of labor unions and enforcement of the eight-hour law on government work, the idea that mercenaries (the Pinkerton system) should be abolished, agreement of the initiative and referendum, limits on the President and Vice-President’s office to one term and allowing a direct vote of the people to determine the election of Senators, the prevention of supplying national aid to any private corporation, and finally, the idea that this convention supports the Knights of Labor and their competition with Rochester clothing manufacturers, which they believe all who hate tyranny should not purchase the goods made by these manufacturers.

These are campaign buttons for the Populist Party (1892)

Donald Trump can be called a Populist because he appeals to the common man and not just the elite.

Blog #23: McKinley's War Message

Causes that led McKinley to ask Congress for the declaration of war:

1. The once prosperous America was now left with poor commerce, decreased productiveness, ruin, and perishing people.

2. Due to neutrality laws, America was under an obligation to watch its seaports to protect the Cubans from any unlawful actions by other countries.

3. Considering that both sides were quite stubborn, it did not look like a truce would happen any time soon.

4. The horrors within Cuba were right next door to America, so America had a responsibility to stop such violence, especially seeing that it could be a potential danger to its own people.

5. America owed its citizens in Cuba protection (since their government would not and could not provide it), and also set out to destroy the conditions which prevented those people from legal protection.

6. The conditions in Cuba posed as a threat to America's peace (trading issues, seized vessels, etc).

7. Destruction of the battleship Maine in the harbor of Havana (February 15th) filled America with horror, especially since 250 soldiers and marines and 2 Navy officers died.

8. If war was a success, it would make America look even better, and if it was a failure, it would only justify America's decision to try to fix the conflict.

William McKinley, 25th U.S. President

When WWI began, President Woodrow Wilson declared that the U.S. would stay neutral, but America's opinion began to change when the Lusitania was sunk by a German U-boat, killing 128 Americans in addition to many others. This is similar to America's attempts to stay neutral during the Spanish American War, because this plan also changed when the country began to feel threatened and the battleship Maine was destroyed.

Blog #22" Carnegie's Gospel of Wealth

In Carnegie’s Gospel of Wealth, he discusses that wealthy people have a responsibility to benefit society by spending their money responsibly and using it for the greater good. He starts his article by conveying the message that there is a price to be paid for the law of competition and free markets and the resulting stratification of a population. The benefits however, such as progress and greater material development as well as better living conditions are worth it. He believes the idea of capitalism or individualism and the right to private ownership is a far better system than socialism or communism, because although the wealth can become concentrated in the hands of the few, it is still where society has “produced the best fruit.” 

In a way, Carnegie is saying that the government should implement the policy of laissez-faire, which means that the government should keep their “hands off” of businesses. 

Social Darwinism ties into Carnegie’s beliefs because he believes that when the government leaves people alone, they have greatest opportunities to rise to the top, and that the best of these will go farther than the others and prosper. Social Darwinism connects to this because it is a theory by which social order is considered the product of natural selection and those best suited to existing living conditions will thrive when a position of laissez-faire is advocated.

Carnegie’s philanthropic beliefs were that the rich should distribute their wealth to causes they believe would benefit society. This is similar to people today such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffet who have given sizable donations to different organizations that were important to them.

Warren Buffet gave a large donation to charity, and is now the third richest man in the world.  This can be compared to Carnegie's beliefs because he also believed that giving money to causes he cared about was important.

Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft gave a large amount of money to  a foundation he cared about. This is similar to Carnegie's belief that giving money to causes that one is passionate about is important and can benefit society.