Cross of Gold speech facts for kids
William Jennings Bryan carried on the shoulders of delegates after giving the speech.
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| Date | July 9, 1896 |
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| Time | 2:00 pm |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
| Outcome | Bryan nominated for president by the Democrats |
The "Cross of Gold speech" was delivered by William Jennings Bryan, a former congressman from Nebraska, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on July 9, 1896. In his speech, Bryan supported the gold standard. Bryan's address, which helped catapult him to the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, is considered one of the great political addresses in American history.
For twenty years, Americans had been bitterly divided over the nation's monetary standard. The gold standard, which the United States had effectively been on since 1873, limited the money supply, but eased international trade with other nations, such as the United Kingdom, whose currency was also based on gold. However, many Americans believed making both gold and silver legal tender would bring prosperity to the country.
His speech, delivered at the close of the debate on the party platform electrified the convention and is generally credited with getting him the nomination for president. However, he lost the general election to William McKinley and the United States formally adopted the gold standard in 1900.
It was his goal to create inflation to help those in debt. The end of the speech gives it its name when he says;
- Having behind us the producing masses of this nation and the world, supported by the commercial interests, the laboring interests and the toilers everywhere, we will answer their demand for a gold standard by saying to them: You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.
Images for kids
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Congressman Richard P. Bland
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The Chicago Coliseum
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Former Iowa Governor Horace Boies was a major contender for the Democratic nomination for president in 1896.
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In a 1900 engraving, former Massachusetts Governor William E. Russell is shown preceding Bryan in addressing the convention.
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The 1896 Democratic National Convention
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Bryan campaigning on stage a few months after the speech
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A "Bryan dollar" issued by his opponents to illustrate the difference between the size of a silver dollar and the amount of bullion that could be purchased with a dollar.
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