Night of Monday February 5th Homework

If you haven't already, take notes on Pageant 28. Appropriate terms and names defined.

William Jennings Bryan "Cross of Gold" speech

Homework Questions:

1. What principles did the Democratic Party support during the last decades of the 19th century? What principles did the Republican Party support? What policies did each party promote? What groups of people tended to vote Democratic? Republican?
2. What were the sources of agrarian discontent during the late 19th century? In what sense was their discontent based on economic factors? In what sense was their discontent as much the result of cultural changes in American society during the late 19th century as it was the result of economic concerns?
3. What were the initial purposes of the Grange and the farmersí alliances of the late 19th century? How did they evolve into a political movement?
4. What role did blacks play in farmer alliances and in the emerging Populist movement? How did whites in these organizations view blacks?
5. How did the Populists fair in the election of 1892? In what sense were election results disappointing to Populists? In what sense were the Populists successful?

The following questions relate to the speech linked above.

6. In his "Cross of Gold" speech, how does Bryan (a Populist-Democrat) depict the Democratic party? What critique of his political opponents is implicit in Bryanís speech?
7. In his "Cross of Gold" speech, how does Bryan characterize cities? How does he characterize farming? What does this indicate about the cultural concerns of the Populist movement?
8. In the "Cross of Gold," what does Bryan mean when he says that "It is the issue of 1776 all over again."?
9. In the "Cross of Gold," how does Bryan depict the gold and the gold standard? How does he depict silver?