Megan's AP American Blog

  LAD/Blog #26: William Jennings Bryan’s “Cross of Gold” Speech This speech took place on July 9 th , 1896. It references the question of whether the free coinage of silver should be endorsed at a ratio of silver to gold of 16:1. He begins by saying he is defending a cause “as holy as the cause of liberty,” and that being part of an election should be about humanitarian principles. He says that the Democrats have brought up the money question, and responds by asking people to consider the whole nation when contemplating this idea- policies must be adjusted based on the times. He says that he wants to represent everyone collectively, not as individuals. He says that they are standing for businessmen/laborers, and are trying to do what is right. He is aware the federal government controls money, but believes a gold standard concentrates power in the hands of the wealthy. Overall, he supports bimetallism, which he believed would help the nation grow. William Jennings Bryan ...

LAD/Blog #25: The Dawes Act The Dawes Act (General Allotment Act) of 1877 allowed the president to break up Native American reservation lands and give certain amounts to individuals based on gender, age, and status (head of family given ¼, any over 18 or an orphan under 18 were given 1/8, and any single person under 18 was given 1/16). This occurred whenever the land was seen as useful for agriculture. The Dawes Act permitted the government to buy any Native American land that was left over, which was then sold to settlers. However, even if a Native American didn’t reside on a reservation, they still received their land, represented by a patent from the government, Also, this legislation assimilated the Native Americans, although it excluded the “5 civilized tribes” and some others. The act also have the government permission to build infrastructure through Native American lands, saying “that nothing in this act contained shall be so construed to affect the right and power of Congr...

LAD/Blog #24: Populist (People’s) Party Platform The Preamble states that the people of the US have become demoralized, with corruption taking place in voting, newspapers silencing opinions, land being concentrated in capitalist hands, urban workmen denied unions, and more. It touches on silver, saying that it has been demonetized, and that currency is “abridged to fatten usurers, bankrupt enterprise, and enslave industry.” It says that the two political parties have been struggling against each other for a while, but have agreed to ignore all concerns but tariffs. Finally, it says that two issues will be fixed: industries only supporting the wealthy, and problematic currency. The Platform states that the union of labor will be permanent, wealth will not be taken away from its owner, and railroads will be put under stricter regulations. They demand a national currency- one that is dependable, equal, and without too much tax. They push for unlimited coinage, more “circulatin...

LAD/Blog #23: McKinley’s War Message McKinley begins his message by saying it is his right to address the issue of the Cuban Revolution, which had been going on for three years. He says that because America is connected with Cuba, they need to take action. He says that previous neutrality regarding Cuban insurrections has only led to losses in trade, annoyance of citizens, and “offended the humane sympathies of our people.” He says that currently because of this predicament, America’s trade was suffering, capital invested in Cuba was lost, and unrest among citizens was high; because of these things someone needed to take action. He says he tried for negotiations with Spain, but they still had too much power. Spain did not want to grant Cuba independence, so McKinley believed the US getting involved was justifiable. Some more reasons for this were that the unjust and inhumanity needed to end, America owed protection to Cuba against oppression, American commerce was hurt, and Ameri...

LAD/Blog #22: Carnegie’s Gospel of Wealth The “Gospel of Wealth,” by Andrew Carnegie, emphasizes how the separation between the rich and poor has been beneficial. He references Social Darwinism (survival of the fittest), saying “while the law may be sometimes hard for the individual, it is best for the race, because it insures the survival of the fittest in every department.”   He says this is good, as it allows the best citizens to continue on. He also says people benefit greatly from the mass production of goods at lower prices, and the change leading to the gap between the rich and poor allows for this system. He points out that this leads to Castes, which, in his mind, aren’t necessarily bad. He later says that there are three ways of distributing wealth: left to the families of descendants (injudicious), bequeathed to the public (only a means to dispose of wealth), or administered during the lives of its owners (ideal). He also believes that it is smart to tax wealthy ow...