times were a changin

A detailed Summary of 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

After the Filipino-American war was under way,

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Approximate Word count = 1506
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History