Chapter 19

Question 1

“The bloody shirt”

Answer 1

Andrew Johnson’s speeches appealed to the racial prejudices of whites by arguing that equal rights for blacks would result in an “Africanized” society. Republicans counterattacked by accusing Johnson of being a drunkard and a traitor. They appealed to anti-Southern prejudices by employing a campaign tactic known as “waving “-inflaming the anger of Northern voters by reminding them of the hardships of war.

Question 2

Dingley Tariff

Answer 2

The Republicans honored their platform by enacting the of 1897 that increased the tariff to more than 46 percent, and, in 1900, making gold the official standard of the U.S. currency.

Question 3

Omaha Platform

Answer 3

The Alliance movement provided the foundation of a new political party-the People’s, or Populist, party. Delegates from different states met in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1892 to draft a political platform and nominate candidates for president and vice president for the new party. Populists were determined to do something about the concentration of economic power in the hands of trusts and bankers. Their called for both political and economic reforms. Politically, it demanded an increase in the power of com­ mon voters through (1) direct popular election of U.S. senators (instead of indirect election by state legislatures) and (2) the use of initiatives and referendums, pro­ cedures that allowed citizens to vote directly on proposed laws.

Question 4

“Cross of Gold” speech

Answer 4

Democrats were divided in 1896 be­ tween “gold” Democrats loyal to Cleveland and prosilver Democrats looking for a leader. Their national convention in Chicago in the summer of 1896 was dominated by the prosilver forces. Addressing the convention, William Jen­ nings Bryan of Nebraska captured the hearts of the delegates with a speech that ended with these words: “We will answer their demands for a gold standard by saying to them: ‘You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.’ “ So powerful was Bryan’s “Cross of Gold” speech that it made him instantly the Democratic nominee for president.

Question 5

“Gold Bug” Democrats

Answer 5

he defection of “” Democrats over the silver issue gave the Republicans an early advantage. Bryan countered by turning the Democratic-Populist campaign into a nationwide crusade. Traveling by train from one end of the country to the other, the young candidate covered 18,000 miles and gave more than 600 speeches.