Gavin's AP American Blog

In his famous "Cross of Gold" speech, William Jennings Bryan attacked the gold standard and discussed his support for bimetallism. He believed that it was important for all American people to be represented, especially those who lived in the Western parts of the country. Bryan stated that the country needed someone like Andrew Jackson who would take a similar stance on economics. Bryan also claimed that the income tax was a just law. Lastly, Bryan denounced the gold standard and called for international agreement over bimetallism. He believed that the gold standard was only helping richer people who lived on the Eastern coast, and thought that a system that included gold and silver would help bring prosperity to Americans who were living outside of this area. Bryan finished his speech by comparing the gold standard to the crucifixion of Jesus, saying "You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold." Bryan after delivering his speech Synthesis: FDR's

The Dawes Act allowed the federal government to divide Indian land. This would help assimilate Indians into American by ending a policy of tribal land ownership and allowing for individual property rights. Some important parts of the act were: 1) Most Indians would receive a grant of 160 acres 2) Land allotments would be controlled by the government for 25 years 3) Indians only had four years to select their land or the government would choose it for them By allowing for assimilation the act would benefit Indians and help lift them out of poverty. Advertisement as a result of the Dawes Act Synthesis: Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862

The populists believed that corruption had led the country close to moral and political ruin. They believed most of this was because there had only been two political parties for a long time. The Populist Party intended to return the power of the government back to the common people, where it had initially formed. The platform included: 1) All unions should be legal 2) Wealth belongs to the person that created it 3) People should have some power over the railroads 4) A safe and stable national currency should be created 5) Land should not be monopolized for speculative purposes There were several other sentiments that did not make it into the platform, including pensions for all ex-Union soldiers, a limit of one term for the President, and a stricter law on working hours. Omaha Platform Synthesis: Donald Trump ran his 2016 campaign with a populist message

Over the past century, Cuban uprisings against Spain had caused America headaches due to a disturbance of trade and the difficulty of maintaining neutrality. Despite American efforts to create peace in the area, Spain refused to allow Cuba any form of a self government and continued a bloody war. Because of the nature of the war, it is unlikely that one side could win a final military victory, and it was more likely that the war would continue until one side was simply too exhausted to continue. Because of this, McKinley sent a letter to Spain requesting that they immediately suspend hostilities and form an armistice. Because of the violence of past wars that America had been involved in, McKinley was reluctant to declare war on a country. However, he believed that it was the best course of action based on what was occurring in Cuba. McKinley's War Message Synthesis: Declaration of war of Great Britain that led to the War of 1812

Carnegie believed that the upper class should be giving with their wealth and improve society overall. Carnegie believed that the wealthy had a responsibility that came along with having lots of money, and that money should not be used wastefully. Instead, surplus money should be donated or used in a manner that has a positive impact on a large group of people. One point that Carnegie makes is that a person's personal wealth should be redistributed into society after their death. These ideas mostly conflict with the ideas of Social Darwinism, as that theory disagrees with philanthropy and the sharing of wealth. Social Darwinism: The idea that humans are subject to the laws of natural selection that Charles Darwin had discovered in plants and animals. Andrew Carnegie Synthesis: Bill Gates