Lauren's AP American Blog

Summarize: William Jennings Bryan advocated that the gold standard was not the only efficient money system. He claimed that silver was just as good at backing money. Bryan supported bimetalism, which he believed would bring America a prosperity they would not have under the gold standard. Bryan reflects on how the silver Democrats came to be on March 4, 1895: a group of Democrats sought to convince their party of the benefits of the silver standard. Bryan states that the silver Democrats reflect the wished of the comman American. To counter gold standard supporters' belief that a silver standard would hurt business Bryan argues that everyone who works for a wage is a businessman and, therefore, if the common people benefit so will the majority of America. Bryan claims that the biggest issue the Democrats face is the potential of McKinley becoming president. Bryan fears that he will become tyrannical and fully support the growth of big businessmen. This would be detrimental to the

Summarize: The Dawes Act states that Native American tribes will be granted areas of land known as reservations, these reservations will be split between individuals within the tribe according to their familial status. However, the government will continue to have a right to survey the land if it is believed to be good for agriculture or other natural resources. Each Native American is given four years to choose a plot of land and is entitled to have a provisional line drawn up to divide the reservation. However, if an individual fails to choose their allotment, it will be chosen for them to ensure that no future property arguments will be made. Additionally, if an individual does not reside on a reservation they can apply to the government for a plot of surveyed land. Once Native Americans recieve legal ownership of their land they will be subjected to the laws of America and any future Native born in these territories will have the same protections and requirements. However, the Da

Summarize: The three years of warfare in Cuba has threatened America's relationship with Spain. This is because by constantly engaging in battles with the Cuban revolutionaries Spain causes America to enforce their neutrality laws, suffer from loss of trade and commerce, and be offended by the barbaric battle practices both sides have used which go against human morality. McKinley laments the state of Cuba, a once prosperous nation diminished to destitution, and pleas for the chance to help the revolutionaries' gain the independence they desire. The president and his administration that preceded McKinley attempted to make peace between Spain and Cuba, but Soain refused to any agreements. With no end to the war in sight, McKinley realized he had to be the cause of the termination of the war, not just for the sake of America, but for Spainards and Cubans to. Additionally, McKinley states that the proclamation of neutrality is not a proclamation of peace, but rather a stament th

The Preamble: America is in moral, political, and economical depreciation. The nation is full of voter suppression and violence between opposing races. Public opinion is highly censored in the newspapers and other forms of expression. This led to a highly corrupt government that consisted of two dominating parties. Additionally, labor was highly demoralized. The formation of unions and other protests was prohibited by the government. This fostered a widening wage gap. Economically, America suffered immensely. Split between two different metals, silver and gold, hard money was not readily available, and inflation skyrocketed. This lack of funds is inadequate to bolster the surplus of agricultural goods being produced at the time and make up a large majority of the nation's profits. To counter these problems, the government should be returned to the common people who make up the majority of Americans. The Platform: First, America should embrace the newfound concept of unions, w

Summarize: Andrew Carnegie laid out his beliefs about the role of wealthy businessmen in his article, "The Gospel of Wealth". He recognizes the unequal distribution of wealth, and urges other businessmen to use their riches to annihilate the economic gap between the rich and the poor, rather than widen it. Carnegie believes that this divide between classes indicates which individuals are willing to do the hard work. However, since Captains of Industry owe some of their success to the public, so it is only right to give some of their wealth back to the community. Since Carnegie makes it clear that the poor are poor because they are lazy, it makes no sense to give money directly to them. Instead, Carnegie reveals, businessmen should use their wealth to fund institution that the public can use to improve themselves. Social Darwinism: The theory that humans are subject to the same laws of natural selection as plants and animals. It attributes success to the work ethic of th