united states lawyer and politician who advocated free silver

by Brad Gaylord V Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago 4 min read

They then nominated , the most effective champion of free silver (see Cross of Gold speech), as their candidate for president. The Republicans won the election, and in 1900 a Republican majority in Congress enacted the Gold Standard Act, which made gold the sole standard for all currency.

Where did the issue of free silver have little support?

William Jennings Bryan and the Free Silver Movement. What exactly did he mean that money did not need to be "backed" by gold? Bryan did not think it was necessary for the United States to hold in reserve an amount of gold equal in value to all the paper money in circulation. Bryan wanted the United States to use silver to back the dollar at a value that would inflate the prices farmers …

What was the free silver debate?

Free silver was the central issue for Democrats in the presidential election of 1896 and that of 1900, under the leadership of William Jennings Bryan. The Populists also endorsed Bryan and free silver in 1896, which marked the effective end of their independence. In major elections free silver was consistently defeated, and after 1896 the nation moved to the gold standard.

How did the Free Silver movement gain political strength?

William Jennings Bryan United States lawyer and politician who advocated free silver and prosecuted John Scopes (1925) for teaching evolution in a Tennessee high school (1860-1925) Theodore Roosevelt increased size of Navy, "Great White Fleet". Added Corollary to Monroe Doctrine. "Big Stick" policy.

What did William Jennings Bryan do for free silver?

William Jennings Bryan United States lawyer and politician who advocated free silver and prosecuted John Scopes (1925) for teaching evolution in a Tennessee high school (1860-1925). Political Machine A party organization that recruits voter loyalty with tangible incentives and is characterized by a high degree of control over member activity.

Who supported free silver?

William Jennings Bryan

Free silver was the central issue for Democrats in the presidential elections of 1896 and 1900, under the leadership of William Jennings Bryan, famed for his Cross of Gold speech in favor of free silver.

Who started free silver?

William Jennings Bryan and the Free Silver Movement. Sheet music for a song from Bryan's 1896 campaign. William Jennings Bryan was a determined man. He ran for the presidency three times as the Democratic Party candidate -- in 1896, 1900 and 1908 -- and lost all three times.

What political party favored free and unlimited use of silver?

Free coinage of silver was another rallying cry of the populist party. The point of this policy was to give people a more accessible and stable currency. As it stood, gold was rare and expensive, making the debts of people like farmers (the main base of the populist party) hard to pay back.

Who demanded free and unlimited coinage of silver a graduated income tax and government ownership of transportation and communication networks?

Populists advocated: (1) unlimited coinage of silver to increase the money supply, (2) a graduated income tax (the greater a person's income, the greater the tax), (3) public ownership of railroads by the US government, (4) telegraph and telephone systems owned and operated by the government, (5) loans and federal ...

Why did Western farmers want free silver?

Supporters of free silver included owners of silver mines in the West, farmers who believed that an expanded currency would increase the price of their crops, and debtors who hoped it would enable them to pay their debts more easily.

Did William Jennings Bryan support the gold standard?

In the address, Bryan supported bimetallism or "free silver", which he believed would bring the nation prosperity. He decried the gold standard, concluding the speech, "you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold".

Why was the silver question so important?

Why was it so important to so many Americans? How did the major political parties deal with the question? The silver question was what would form the basis of the dollar. By cutting off the coinage of silver, Congress had eliminated one method to expand the money supply.

Which groups supported the gold standard and which favored free silver?

Which groups supported the gold standard, and which favored free silver? The Gold Bugs were pleased when Congress put the nation on the gold standard. The Silverites favored free silver because the unlimited coining of silver would increase money supply.

What is the best explanation of free silver?

What is the best explanation of "free silver?" The U. S. government would promote prosperity by inflating the money supply, through minting all of the silver offered to it.

What is unlimited coinage of silver?

One of its key demands was the unlimited coinage of silver at a ratio of 16 to 1 (that is to say, 16 ounces of silver would have the same value as 1 ounce of gold). Most supporters of Free Silver also called for regulation of railroad rates, breaking up of monopolies, and other reforms to benefit farmers and workers.

What does unlimited coinage of silver mean?

FREE SILVER, the unlimited coinage of silver by the U.S. government for anyone bringing the metal into the U.S. Mint, functioned as an important political slogan in the latter half of the nineteenth century.May 9, 2018

Why did the Populist Party want free coinage of silver quizlet?

Populists campaigned for silver-backed money rather than gold-backed, believed to be able to relieve working conditions and exploitation of labor. Populist and Democrats supported this. Democratic candidate for president in 1896 under the banner of "free silver coinage" which won him support of the Populist Party.

What was the free silver movement?

Free Silver Movement, in late 19th-century American history, advocacy of unlimited coinage of silver. The movement was precipitated by an act of Congress in 1873 that omitted the silver dollar from the list of authorized coins (the “Crime of ’73”).

When did the silver dollar become legal tender?

Its first significant success was the enactment of the Bland-Allison Act in 1878, which restored the silver dollar as legal tender and required the U.S. Treasury to purchase each month between $2,000,000 and $4,000,000 worth of silver and coin it into dollars.

What is an encyclopedia editor?

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. ...

What was the Sherman Silver Purchase Act?

Sherman Silver Purchase Act. Required the government to purchase an additional 4.5 million ounces of silver bullion each month for use as currency. McKinley Tariff. 1890 tariff that raised protective tariff levels by nearly 50%, making them the highest tariffs on imports in the United States history.

What is the goal of the Farmer's Alliance?

organization that united farmers at the statewide and regional level; policy goals of this organization included more readily available farm credits and federal regulation of the railroads. tight money. policy that took paper money used during the Civil War out of circulation .

What was the role of large farms in the West?

large farms that came to dominate agricultural life in much of the West in the late 1800s; instead of plots farmed by yeoman farmers, large amounts of machinery were used, and workers were hired laborers, often performing only specific tasks (similar to work in a factory).

Why is Oklahoma called the Sooner State?

Sooner State. Oklahoma's nickname because about 500.000 people illegal entered that state before it became an offical state in 1907.

What were the laws of the 1800s?

Granger laws. During the late 1800's an organization of farmers, called the Grange, strove to regulate railway rates and storage fees charged by railroads, warehouses, and grain elevators through state legislation. These laws that were passed, but eventually reversed, are referred to as the Granger Laws .

When did the reservation system begin?

reservation system. The system that allotted land with designated boundaries to Native American tribes in the west, beginning in the 1850s and ending with the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887. Within these reservations, most land was used communally, rather than owned individually.

What was the name of the state that gave the people the right to choose to be a free or slave state?

1854 - Created Nebraska and Kansas as states and gave the people in those territories the right to chose to be a free or slave state through popular sovereignty. Popular sovereignty. The concept that political power rests with the people who can create, alter, and abolish government.

What Supreme Court decision stated that slaves were not citizens?

Dred Scott v. Sandford. 1857 Supreme Court decision that stated that slaves were not citizens; that livig in a free state or territory, even for many years, did not free slaves; and declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitional. Harper's Ferry Raid.

What were the Intolerable Acts?

In response to Boston Tea Party, 4 acts passed in 1774, Port of Boston closed, reduced power of assemblies in colonies, permitted royal officers to be tried elsewhere, provided for quartering of troop's in barns and empty houses. Townshend Acts.

What is the difference between enumerated powers and implied powers?

implied powers. Enumerated powers are powers specifically mentioned in the constitution, Implied powers are powers that are not specifically mentioned in the constitution, but are necessary for a successful government, such as the national bank. Necessary & Proper clause.

What was the Kansas-Nebraska Act?

1854 - Created Nebraska and Kansas as states and gave the people in those territories the right to chose to be a free or slave state through popular sovereignty. Popular sovereignty. The concept that political power rests with the people who can create, alter, and abolish government.

What was the first major battle in the American Civil War?

Antietam. The first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000 casualties. Battle of Vicksburg.

What party was Grover Cleveland in?

Statue of Grover Cleveland outside City Hall in Buffalo, New York. From his earliest involvement in politics, Cleveland aligned with the Democratic Party. He had a decided aversion to Republicans John Fremont and Abraham Lincoln, and the heads of the Rogers law firm were solid Democrats.

Was Cleveland a non-interventionist?

Cleveland was a committed non-interventionist who had campaigned in opposition to expansion and imperialism. He refused to promote the previous administration's Nicaragua canal treaty, and generally was less of an expansionist in foreign relations. Cleveland's Secretary of State, Thomas F. Bayard, negotiated with Joseph Chamberlain of the United Kingdom over fishing rights in the waters off Canada, and struck a conciliatory note, despite the opposition of New England 's Republican Senators. Cleveland also withdrew from Senate consideration the Berlin Conference treaty which guaranteed an open door for U.S. interests in the Congo.

Who was Rose Cleveland?

Rose Cleveland (sister) Philippa Foot (granddaughter) Occupation. Politician. lawyer. Signature. Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837 – June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American history ...

Where was Grover Cleveland born?

Caldwell Presbyterian parsonage, birthplace of Grover Cleveland in Caldwell, New Jersey. Stephen Grover Cleveland was born on March 18, 1837, in Caldwell, New Jersey, to Ann (née Neal) and Richard Falley Cleveland. Cleveland's father was a Congregational and Presbyterian minister who was originally from Connecticut.

What did Cleveland do in 1863?

In January 1863, he was appointed assistant district attorney of Erie County. With the American Civil War raging, Congress passed the Conscription Act of 1863, requiring able-bodied men to serve in the army if called upon, or else to hire a substitute. Cleveland chose the latter course, paying $150 (equivalent to $3,153 in 2020) to George Benninsky, a thirty-two-year-old Polish immigrant, to serve in his place. Benninsky survived the war.

What did Cleveland do after he took office?

Soon after taking office, Cleveland was faced with the task of filling all the government jobs for which the president had the power of appointment. These jobs were typically filled under the spoils system, but Cleveland announced that he would not fire any Republican who was doing his job well, and would not appoint anyone solely on the basis of party service. He also used his appointment powers to reduce the number of federal employees, as many departments had become bloated with political time-servers. Later in his term, as his fellow Democrats chafed at being excluded from the spoils, Cleveland began to replace more of the partisan Republican officeholders with Democrats; this was especially the case with policymaking positions. While some of his decisions were influenced by party concerns, more of Cleveland's appointments were decided by merit alone than was the case in his predecessors' administrations.

What was Cleveland's military policy?

Cleveland's military policy emphasized self-defense and modernization. In 1885 Cleveland appointed the Board of Fortifications under Secretary of War William C. Endicott to recommend a new coastal fortification system for the United States. No improvements to US coastal defenses had been made since the late 1870s. The Board's 1886 report recommended a massive $127 million construction program (equivalent to $3.7 billion in 2020) at 29 harbors and river estuaries, to include new breech-loading rifled guns, mortars, and naval minefields. The Board and the program are usually called the Endicott Board and the Endicott Program. Most of the Board's recommendations were implemented, and by 1910, 27 locations were defended by over 70 forts. Many of the weapons remained in place until scrapped in World War II as they were replaced with new defenses. Endicott also proposed to Congress a system of examinations for Army officer promotions. For the Navy, the Cleveland administration spearheaded by Secretary of the Navy William Collins Whitney moved towards modernization, although no ships were constructed that could match the best European warships. Although completion of the four steel-hulled warships begun under the previous administration was delayed due to a corruption investigation and subsequent bankruptcy of their building yard, these ships were completed in a timely manner in naval shipyards once the investigation was over. Sixteen additional steel-hulled warships were ordered by the end of 1888; these ships later proved vital in the Spanish–American War of 1898, and many served in World War I. These ships included the "second-class battleships " Maine and Texas, designed to match modern armored ships recently acquired by South American countries from Europe, such as the Brazilian battleship Riachuelo. Eleven protected cruisers (including the famous Olympia ), one armored cruiser, and one monitor were also ordered, along with the experimental cruiser Vesuvius.