Chapter 6: Prophet on the Road

Summary
Starting in 1905, William Jennings Bryan took his family travelling around both the country and the world. He spoke in many different settings, preaching Social Gospel and Applied Christianity, the application of Jesus's teachings to society and economy. Bryan associated privilege, corruption, and big money with the Antichrist and criticized those who were faithful Christians yet still participated in exploitation and corruption. Bryan particularly found respect for a Russian novelist-sage named Leo Tolstoy who emphasized the practice of the Golden Rule--devoting oneself to treat and help others as one would want to be treated. Bryan wrote about his tour in Europe during which he observed the foreign politics. Bryan greatly admired Japan and their drive for improvement as well; he even allowed a Japanese boy Yamashita Yasichiro study by his side so that he could later apply what he learned back in Japan. Bryan also visited colonies of Western powers which fueled his arguments against imperialism. Furthermore, Bryan spoke at Chautauqua assemblies, which provided sermons about piety, adult education, as well as entertainment. He mainly delivered two speeches: "The Value of an Ideal" and "The Prince of Peace." "The Value of an Ideal" was a call to public service that connected the teachings of Jesus and Jefferson. "The Prince of Peace" speech expressed the religious foundation of morality--that good behavior was a "personal responsibility to God."

Key Terms
Social Gospel
Applied Christianity
Leo Tolstoy
Yamashita Yasichiro
Jane Addams
Chautauqua movement
Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle

Questions
How did Bryan's traveling bestow statesmanlike status?
How did Bryan differ from other progressives?
What impact did the Chautauqua circuit play on Bryan's reputation and career?
How did Bryan's speeches portray his underlying beliefs?


Whiting View Company, Hon. W.J. Bryan Addressing the Thousands Assembled at Madison, Indiana Chautauqua, July 6th, 1901, Photograph, from Library of Congress, accessed March 10, 2015, http://cdn.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3a10000/3a12000/3a12400/3a12452r.jpg


Kazin, Michael. "Prophet on the Road." In A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan, 121-142, New York, NY: Anchor Books, 2006.

Chapter 5: I Have Kept the Faith, 1901-1904

Summary
After Bryan's second loss, Bryan continued to speak as a freelance political celebrity and started his weekly newspaper The Commoner. President William McKinley was assassinated by an anarchist in September 1901, making Theodore Roosevelt the new president. Roosevelt's anti-trust and environmental conservation reforms made him hard competition for the Democrats. Meanwhile, the there was a split in the Democratic Party, so Bryan spoke up for a series of reform focusing on money, monopoly, and empire in order to help his faction of Democrats against the anti-Bryanite "reorganizers" of the party. At the St. Louis convention, Bryan delivered a speech that allowed him to regain respect from his party. Alton Parker, a conservative Democrat, won the nomination against Hearst and Cockrell, but in the election of 1904, he lost to Roosevelt by a landslide. Although the election was a tragic loss for the Democrats, Bryan achieved in "keeping the faith" as well as rising up in his party as a leader again.

Key Terms
Frances Willard
Bellamy's Looking Backward
The Commoner
"reorganizers"
Bureau of Corporations
Alton Parker
William Randolph Hearst
Francis Cockrell

Questions
What was the significance of Bryan's The Commoner in rebuilding Bryan's reputation?
How did Bryan's proposed reforms compare to those of Roosevelt's?
Even though he did not run, how did the election of 1904 impact Bryan's political life?



Hindmarsh, R.B. Mr. Bryan in front of the office of the Commoner, Photograph, from the Clarence Darrow Digital Collection, accessed March 10, 2015, http://darrow.law.umn.edu/photos/Bryan_Commoner_newspaper.jpg


American presidential election, 1904, Map, from Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, accessed March 10, 2015, http://britannica.com/EBchecked/media/67677/Results-of-the-American-presidential-election-1904-Presidential-Candidate-Political


Kazin, Michael. "I Have Kept the Faith." In A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan, 109-120. New York, NY: Anchor Books, 2006.

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.

Chapter 3: In the Armor of a Righteous Cause, 1895-1896

Summary
In order to win the nomination, Bryan spoke for free silver and a graduated income tax in a wider range of settings, aiming to build support for his nomination. At the Democratic Party nominating convention in Chicago, a debate was held between silver supporters and gold standard supporters. Bryan's speech captured the insurgents' belief that the silver cause was a holy cause of humanity  which defended the common man and called for moral equity. Bryan's Cross of Gold speech stunned the audience and resulted in Bryan's nomination. Although Bryan's nomination created opposition from urban press and supporters of elite rule, Bryan managed to earn Populist support and create a Democratic-Populist fusion ticket. While McKinley campaigned from his front-porch with the help of Marcus Hanna, Bryan went on a railroad speaking tour in attempt to appeal to urban workers and labor organizations. His campaign created a popular culture of Bryanism which praised Bryan's Christian principles, labeling him as a godly hero. Bryan lost the election partly due to the lack of appeal to urban areas. McKinley's victory marked the end of the hope for a producer's republic, but the Democratic Party's views were altered by Bryan's campaign nonetheless.

Key Terms 
Ben Tillman
Wilson-Gorman Bill
William McKinley
Chicago Coliseum
Marcus Hanna
American Federation of Labor

Questions
What did Bryan plan to do after he lost the election?
Why did Bryan not appeal to urban areas?
How could urban areas benefit from Bryan being in office?
How did Bryan's speech at the convention compare to Ben Tillman's?
What were the strengths and weaknesses of Bryan's campaign? Of McKinley's?



Bryan, William Jennings, Photograph, from Britannica Online for Kids, Accessed March 8, 2015, http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/art-52109.


American presidential election, 1896, Map, from Encyclopedia Britannica Online, accessed March 08, 2015, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/67675/Results-of-the-American-presidential-election-1896-Presidential-Candidate-Political


Kazin, Michael. "In the Armor of a Righteous Cause." In A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan, 45-79. New York, NY: Anchor Books, 2006.

Chapter 2: Speaker in the House, 1891-1894

Summary
As a Democratic congressman in the House of Representatives, William Jennings Bryan delivered a speech against tariffs, urging reform and the removal of those on wool and twine. His eloquence and his class-conscious view on tariffs attracted the attention of many, and Bryan became one of  the Democratic Party's most popular orators. Furthermore, Bryan spoke in support of the free coinage of silver, which was a significant political issue of the time and caused Bryan to become closer to the Populists. After Grover Cleveland won the election of 1892 against Ben Harrison and James Weaver, the Panic of 1893 struck the United States, causing Cleveland to call for the repeal of the Sherman Act. As a result, Bryan spoke in opposition to Cleveland, delivering another stirring speech in the House against the repeal. Though Bryan's speech was exalted by pro-silver papers, Bryan's remarkable rhetoric caused his opponents to claim that a good performer was all that he was. Bryan later became editor of the Omaha World-Herald and decided to run for the higher position of senator, fighting for a graduated income tax, federal insurance, and right to join unions and strike. Although the Bryan-influenced alliance between Democrats and Populists succeeded in electing a governor in Nebraska, Bryan was not elected in the election of 1894 and Republicans regained the majority. Despite his loss, Bryan's supporters suggested the idea of running Bryan for president.

Key Terms
"Reed rules"
Crime of '73
Sherman Silver Purchase Act
Grover Cleveland
James Weaver
Hazen Pingree
Jacob Coxey
American Protective Association
stalwarts

Questions
How did the "Reed rules" in the house boost "the value of an individual congressman such as Bryan"?
How did Bryan's reputation made out by his opponents affect his later political and religious campaigns?
What does Bryan's response to his wife's concerns reveal about Bryan's character and ambition?
Who mainly makes up Bryan's supporters?
What is the extent of the connection and relationship between the Populists and Bryan's insurgent Democrats?



Purdy, J.E. William Jennings Bryan. Digital Image. from Wikimedia Commons. c.1902. Accessed March 7, 2015. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WilliamJBryan1902.png


Kazin, Michael. "Speaker in the House." In A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan, 29-44. New York, NY: Anchor Books, 2006.

Chapter 1: Education of a Hero, 1860-1890

Summary
Will Bryan was raised in Salem, Illinois, where he was not vastly exposed to other races or religious groups. He was raised by his parents Mariah Bryan, a member of temperance groups, and Silas Bryan, a pious Democratic judge. Will Bryan went to private school in Jacksonville and attended Illinois College, an environment that contrasted greatly with his hometown. Bryan had a passion for oratory and entered speaking contests. He married Mary Baird, who became a helpful partner in his career. He attended Union Law College in Chicago and worked for a former attorney, Lyman Trumbull. After, Bryan moved to Lincoln, Nebraska where he created a law partnership with Adolphus Talbot. At the end of the 1880s, the Democratic Party split into the conservative "Bourbons" and the group of insurgents who sympathized with the victims of corporate manipulation. After a series of calamities in Nebraska, Bryan ran in the 1890 election in support of the agrarian revolution and angry farmers. Due to his "rhetorical mastery," Bryan became the 2nd Democratic congressman in Nebraska.

Key Terms
Cumberland Presbyterians
President Grover Cleveland
"Bourbons"
Knights of Labor
Farmers' Alliance
J. Sterling Morton
Agrarian rebellion
William Connell
The Independent Party
Populists
Tammany Hall

Questions
How did Bryan's early life and education impact his political career?
Did the split of the Democratic Party correspond with regional areas? If so, which regions primarily made up each group?
How did Bryan incorporate his religious beliefs with his political career?
In what ways did the Bryan's parents affect the development of Bryan's political views?
What were Bryan's strengths and weaknesses in his campaign?



Nytett. William Jennings Bryan Boyhood Home. Digital image. from Wikimedia Commons. 2012. accessed March 1, 2015. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Jennings_Bryan_Boyhood_Home.jpg


Kazin, Michael. "Education of a Hero." In A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan, 3-28. New York, NY: Anchor Books, 2006.