Chapter 4: A Republic, Not an Empire, 1897-1900

Summary
Despite his loss in the election of 1896, William Jennings Bryan maintained large support from his fans and began his campaign for the next election in 1900. The Spanish-American War broke out in 1898 as President McKinley demanded that Spain grant independence to Cuba. Bryan enlisted in the Nebraska National Guard, but his volunteer regiment remained at Camp Cuba Libre in Florida "away from combat, with all its potential glory" (Kazin 2006, 88). After he resigned from his commission, Bryan argued against colonization and imperialism, but approved of the treaty to annex the Philippines to officially end the war intending to later vote for Filipino independence. The ratification of this treaty led to an imperial war with the the Filipino Army of Liberation which linked to the Anti-Imperialist League. Talk of Anglo-Saxon supremacy revealed Bryan's tendency to ignore the race problem and disenfranchisement. Due to weaker demand for free silver, Bryan struggled in finding a message that appealed to all the factions, but he eventually decided to focus on anti-imperialism. Theodore Roosevelt, who was running for vice president in the Republican Party, became Bryan's oratorical rival during the presidential campaigns with Roosevelt advocating "a new, yet essentially conservative social order" (Kazin 2006, 105). In spite of all his efforts to gain more support, Bryan again lost the election to McKinley and Roosevelt.

Key Terms
Nebraska National Guard
Cuba libre
Filipino Army of Liberation
Emilio Aguinaldo
insurrectos
Anti-Imperialist League
Theodore Roosevelt

Questions
How does Bryan's campaign in 1900 compare to that of 1896?
How did disenfranchisement in the South affect the election of 1900?
What caused the disappearance of the Populist Party?
Why did Nebraska, Bryan's home state, turn to the Republicans?
Will Bryan attempt to run again, or will he turn to something else?


American presidential election, 1900, Map, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online, accessed March 09, 2015, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/67676/Results-of-the-American-presidential-election-1900-Presidential-Candidate-Political


Kazin, Michael. "A Republic, Not an Empire." In A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan, 80-108. New York, NY: Anchor Books, 2006.