Political patronage was a big problem in the late 19th century and led to corruption within the government. This made it difficult to reform the civil service. Tariffs were another big issue and affected economic groups in different...

Learn about the factors that helped the Populist Party gain followers and what caused it to lose them after the 1896 presidential election.

Contains the text of the "Cross of Gold" speech delivered by William Jennings Bryan at the 1896 Democratic National Convention. This brings up an important point of view in the free silver controversy in which America debated between the...

Read about the campaign of 1896 in which William McKinley represented the Republican Party and William Jennings Bryan the Democratic Party. One big issue was the contrast between the use of the gold standard as opppsed to free silver.

Discusses the classical gold standard of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Hear historic voice recordings of Supreme Court Justice and President William Howard Taft on such issues as the gold standard, the right of labor, and the rise and progress of the American Negro. A biography and downloadable images...

Read William Jennings Bryan's speech delivered at the Democratic National Convention in 1896; it is considered one of the greatest political speeches in American history.

Learn about the development of the farmers' protest movement in the 19th century, and how it evolved into a political movement.

Looks at the unrest of farmers in the 1890s that led to the development of a new populist party called the People's Party. Explains the debate that raged around whether to adopt a gold or a silver standard, examines the election of 1896,...

Ben Tillman, senator from South Carolina, gave a speech at the Democratic Convention in 1896, advocating for the free coinage of silver, the same issue addressed in a later speech by William Jennings Bryan. Read Tillman's speech here,...

Just getting candidates for president was a trial for both the Republicans and Democrats in the election of 1880. Read about the factions in each party, and the several hopefuls wishing for the nomination. Find out about the platforms of...

This section of the excellent site on American presidents discusses the various domestic policies of William McKinley. Read about his policies on the gold standard, tariffs, civil service reform, and his lack of addressing race relations...

Contains plans for six lessons that ask students to research the Gold Rush before teaching each other about it. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites used in the lessons as well as...

Students learn about the money supply and that it can affect the value of money. Students investigate this in the 1896 presidential election (Bryan vs. McKinley, Free Silver vs. Gold Standard) and examine a political cartoon that depicts...

This site provides information about the expansion of the United States Currency, with links to other related sources.

Use this site to learn about Marie Curie and her work with radioactivity which earned her worldwide recognition and two Nobel Prizes. This gallery is organized into a "timeline" of significant events, from 1913 to the present, in which...

Detailed description of the issues, politicians, and campaigns that were a part of the 1896 election in the United States. William McKinley defeated William Jennings Bryan and became President. Includes many primary sources.

Grover Cleveland's second term in office was problematic, which affected the election of 1896. Read about the economic depression of 1893, the labor unrest, Coxey's army, and controversial Supreme Court decisions that were handed down...

From the comprehensive Vassar College project about the politics of 1896, this article relates the state of the Republican Party in that year and its party platform for the election of 1896.

This article intends to determine which events of the U.S. Civil War were viewed as turning points by people at the time. (Published May 1994)

This program, part of The Making of a Nation from Voice of America gives a very good description of the issues in the presidential campaign of 1896. Learn about the differences between the gold bugs and silverites, a third party...

We are going for GOLD! Students will use different objects to measure the length achieved in different Olympic events.

The King of Syracuse reportedly requested Archimedes' advice for determining if a crown was made with the appropriate mixture of gold and silver. The problem asks students to find the amount of water displaced in Archimedes' experiment...

Here is a political cartoon showing showing the split between those who favored the gold standard and those favoring the silver standard, and how the Populist Party took advantage of that split. Learn what this means by taking a look at...