FREE ESSAY ON WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN - WILLIAM MCKINLEY

WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN - WILLIAM MCKINLEY

Times Were A-Changin'
All elections have many issues surrounding them. But none have had as many as the
election of 1896. In my mind, the Depression was by far the largest issue in the
election, but there were many other smaller issues, such as the gold vs silver standard,
also played a major role in the candidates campaigns.
The prior president, Grover Cleveland, had only worsened the economic standing in the
United States by focusing all his efforts on the Silver Purchase Act. By doing this he
lost his democratic supporters. This gave republicans great hopes for the upcoming
election. The republicans nominee for president was a man name William McKinley, who was
a congressman and a two time governor of Ohio. The democrats surprisingly nominated a
congressman named William Jennings Bryan. Most people did not see Bryan as presidential
material. Although he surprised many people by giving one of the most famous speeches of
all time, supporting silver and attacking the "Goldbugs".
McKinley's campaign strategy was to reach voters through a sophisticated mass-media,
which was financed by huge corporations, such as Standard Oil and major rail roads.
McKinley was being advertised as the "advance agent of prosperity." McKinley also
supported not only the business classes, but also the unemployed workers, promising them
a "full lunch pail". Bryan's strategy was to support the silver, which supported the
lower classes, claiming free silver would lead to inflation and more disaster. Unlike
McKinley, instead of staying at his home, Bryan traveled to twenty-seven states and
speaking to three million people. 
With the election in the near future, many influential easterners thought Bryan's
platform would disrupt social harmony. Others labeled Bryan as a "madman" or "anarchist".
Because of the major interest in the election, record number of voters were expected.
When the voting was in McKinley had won by a landslide margin, 271 electoral votes to
Bryan's 176.
In McKinley's platform he had promised that the Republican rule meant prosperity, and he
kept his promise. As soon as McKinley stepped into office, the economic crisis recovered.
This was largely due to discoveries of huge amounts of gold, which increased the nations
money supply. The industrial production also shot up to full capacity.
With the industrial production at full capacity, America was soon overwhelmed with by
excess goods. Many businessmen wanted new markets, instead of cutting prices, which would
redistribute wealth by allowing lower classes to buy excess goods or laying off workers,
which in turn would only cause social unrest. With these reasons in mind, businessmen had
to expand their business to the international level.
After expanding business by exporting goods to China, Central America and many countries
in Europe, the United States went from fourth to first in the world in manufacturing. The
U.S also led in technological production, such as farm machinery. The total value of
exports tripled, from $434 million in 1866 to $1.5 billion in 1900 and kept increasing 67
percent over the next few years. The trade was mainly done with Asian countries and the
countries in Europe. This major exporting of goods was the first small step in helping
the United States to becoming a dominant power in the world.
More and more, Americans saw glory and greatness as legitimate motivation for
expansionism. In the late 1890's, a group led by the Assistant Secretary of the Navy,
Theodore Roosevelt, felt that the official policy not be "continentalism", but what they
called the "large policy". Along with Roosevelt, a man named Alfred Thayan Mahan, a naval
strategist, greatly influenced the foreign policy. Mahan advocated colonies in both the
Caribbeans and the Pacific. He thought that the strong nations had an obligation to
dominate the weaker ones.
Mahan's and Roosevelt's ideas were soon spreading. The United States in general began
believing their nation was the ideal country and should be the standard for other
countries. Missionaries were sent to China to change the Chinese's beliefs. The number of
Christian converts increased from 5,000 in 1870 to 100,000 in 1900. Economic relations
also grew with China, the number of American firms rose from 50 to 550 between the years
of 1870 and 1930, while trade increased more than 1500 percent.
In 1895 the Cubans began to revolt against the harsh rule of the Spaniards. The Madrid
government had once again failed to implement reforms, but instead sent General "Butcher"
Weyler with 50,000 soldiers to stop the disruption. The Americans soon received word on
how the Spainards were treating the Cubans in the concentration camps and were outraged.
The election of 1896 only diverted attention from the Cuban torture momentarily. McKinley
did not want to take action against Spain, but he could not control the Spanish misrule
or the Cubans' aspirations for freedom. The main causes of the war were the Americans
sugar interest in Cuba and sympathy for the weaker nation.
On April 11, 1898 after much pressure from Roosevelt, McKinley sent a message to
congress, that seemed to call for war. Two weeks later, troops were authorized to be used
against Spain and also a resolution was passed that recognized Cuba's independence, these
actions basically amounted to a declaration of war. The went well, few Americans lost
their lives, mostly due to tropical diseases. Theodore Roosevelt's part in the war, it
not only helped advanced his political carer, but also the cause of expansionism and
national glory.
Before the Spanish-American war, Roosevelt had sent a nacal fleet, headed by Commodore
George Dewey, from Hong Kong to the phillipenes to watch and make sure the Spanish
squadron did not leave the Asiatic coast. This decision initiated a chain of events that
began with the sinking of the battle ship Maine and ultimately led to the annexation of
the Philippines. On May 1, 1898 Dewey sank the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay and cabled
President McKinley for more troops. McKinley in turn sent twice as many troops than Dewey
had asked for. Soon after the troops were ordered, McKinley started to shape the American
public opinion to accept the annexation of the 7,000 small Philippine Islands. The Treaty
of Paris gave the U.S all of the islands in exchange for a $20 million payment to Spain.
After several months of arguing between senators, on one side were two very different
views of foreign policy and Americas vision of itself. After seeking much advice and
hearing public opinion, McKinley appoved the annexation of the Philippines.
Many of the democrats supported McKinley's decision of annexation. Republicans also did,
but not without insulting the Phillipinos. Many thought they were savages and could not
be capable of running their own country. The idea of annexation was strongly opposed by
many people and groups. Most felt it was not right based on the Declaration of
Independence, believing it unconstitutional to govern people without their consent.
Others thought we should get our nation under control, before taking on another country.
After the Filipino-American war was under way, the hypocrisy of America became more and
more evident. The U.S's treatment to Filipinos was not unlike that of the Spanish's
toward the Cuban's that the American's thought so wrong. The war was soon labeled, "The
White Man's Burden" because of the treatment toward black soldiers in the war. The blacks
sympathized with the Filipinos, who they saw tied to the land and pressed by poverty,
much like themselves.
By 1900, the U.S had acquired several island territories, thereby joining the other great
world powers. Different systems of government were worked out for each territory. The
natives were allowed to elect their legislature, but governors were elected by the
president.
Back to the election of 1896, McKinley being voted to President played a major role in
America becoming a world power. By America becoming richer from the newly founded gold
supplies in the Yukon territories and mass production expanding abroad, America got so
caught up in itself and its idea of an idea government and country, that we wanted every
to accept our ways and beliefs, no matter how or in what way, be it by suggestion or if
it came down to it, war. America is still to this day trying to expand our thought and
beliefs, that started over a 100 years ago when McKinley was elected president in the
election of 1896.