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William Jennings Bryan Facts & Worksheets

William Jennings Bryan was a well-known American statesman and progressive politician in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

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William Jennings Bryan was a well-known American statesman and progressive politician in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was the Nebraska congressman, three-time presidential nominee, and secretary of state who rose to prominence in the Democratic Party and throughout the country. Being a devoted Protestant, he gained the moniker “the Great Commoner” for his populist speech and actions. In his later years, his support of Christian fundamentalism in the infamous Scopes monkey trial of 1925 ran afoul of the First Amendment’s ban on state sponsorship of religion.

For more information on William Jennings Bryan read the fact file below or download our comprehensive worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Facts & Information

Early Life & Political Career

  • On March 19, 1860, Bryan was born in the Illinois town of Salem. His father, Silas, was an accomplished attorney and devoted Jacksonian Democrat who held several local elected offices and instilled his politics in his son.
  • Bryan graduated from Illinois College in 1883 and attended the Union College of Law in Chicago. He began practicing law in Jacksonville after being admitted to the Illinois bar. He married Mary Elizabeth Baird in 1884, and they had three children.
  • Bryan moved to Nebraska in 1887 and developed a successful legal practice in Lincoln. At the start of the 1890s, when drought devastated the lives of many American farmers, the People’s Party, often known as the Populist Party, was gaining popularity in American politics. It appealed to small farmers, business owners, and other lower-income voters.
  • Bryan, who was elected to the House of Representatives in 1890 at the age of 30, supported populist causes like the direct election of senators, a graduated federal income tax, and the “free silver” movement, which aimed to increase the federal government’s money supply by establishing silver as a legal tender alongside gold.

“Cross of Gold” Speech and Election of 1896

  • The collapse of the mighty Philadelphia & Reading Railroad triggered the 1893 Panic, which drove the country into a catastrophic economic downturn. 
  • Deflation especially affected farmers in the western Midwest and the South. They had significantly boosted their grain, wheat, and cotton yields, but as output soared, prices dropped. Farmers had financed a large portion of their growth by borrowing, and declining crop prices increased their indebtedness.
  • Bryan won the adoration of free silverites in August 1893 when he delivered a three-hour speech in Congress against President Grover Cleveland’s effort to repeal the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890 and re-link US money to the gold standard.
  • Bryan returned to Nebraska and became the Omaha World-Herald editor after unsuccessfully campaigning for the Senate in 1894.
  • Bryan enthralled the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1896 with a passionate address in which he appealed to his fellow citizens to protect the common person’s interests against big corporate interests and to push for free silver. To those who follow the gold standard, he stated,  “You must not set this crown of thorns on the forehead of work, you shall not crucify people upon a gold cross.”
  • Bryan earned the Democratic presidential nomination the day after delivering his “Cross of Gold” address. He also received backing from the Populist and National Silver parties. 
  • While Ohio Governor William McKinley, a Republican opponent, sat at home and delivered speeches on his porch, Bryan vigorously campaigned, traversing the nation and making hundreds of addresses to millions of people. But Wall Street bankers and other affluent business groups who wanted to smash Bryan’s extreme brand of populism contributed significantly to McKinley’s triumph.

Progressivism and Pacifism

  • Bryan would run for president a second time in 1900 and a third time in 1908, losing both times to William Howard Taft. By this point, Bryan was one of the most well-known politicians in the nation. 
  • He devoted himself to resisting American imperialism, which he viewed as unethical and anti-democratic, rather than pursuing the struggle for free silver. Additionally, he advocated for the right of women to vote, the outlawing of alcohol, antitrust regulations, and other forms of government economic control. 
  • After his election defeats, Bryan’s deeply religious speeches and the Commoner, a monthly magazine, had a significant impact.
  • Bryan served as a key motivator for Woodrow Wilson’s campaign for president in 1912, and Wilson ultimately appointed the now-elderly Democratic statesman as his secretary of state. Wilson had written a second message to Germany following the Lusitania’s sinking, requesting a halt to submarine warfare, and Bryan believed this move went too far in breaking American neutrality.

Influence on American Diplomacy

  • Bryan’s negotiation of peace treaties, which guaranteed the 30 signatories would refrain from hostilities during the adjudication of disputes, was his greatest success as secretary. Additionally, he negotiated the Bryan-Chamorro Treaty in 1914, which was approved by the Senate in 1916 and gave the US permission to build an isthmian canal through Nicaragua as well as the rights to establish naval stations in the Gulf of Fonseca and in the Corn Islands.
  • Bryan and President Wilson disagreed about the rights of neutrals during the war. Wilson upheld conventional ideas controlling the recognition of blockades, the neutral transfer of illicit products, and the travel of citizens to belligerent states aboard armed ships when the United States declared its neutrality following the commencement of World War I in August 1914. 
  • To convince Wilson to forbid such travel, Bryan said that technical advancements like submarines had changed the essence of international law and rendered it impossible to safeguard Americans entering a conflict zone.
  • Wilson believed that the German tactic of unrestricted submarine warfare violated the neutrals’ rights, which led to the sinking of the British passenger liner Lusitania in May 1915 and the deaths of 128 Americans. 
  • Wilson’s response was to write a vehemently worded protest note to the German government, supporting the neutrals’ right to transit on the high seas. 
  • Wilson refused Bryan’s request to submit a similar complaint to Britain over its alleged infringement of neutrality rights. Bryan resigned on June 9, 1915, in response to Wilson’s delivery of a second message demanding a stop to German submarine warfare.

Anti-Evolution Crusade, Scopes Trial, and Death

  • Bryan altered his position once the United States entered the war in 1917 as a result of strong public support for the war effort, even though he openly opposed American engagement in combat following his departure.
  •  He devoted most of the last ten years of his life to improving the moral and religious makeup of the country. These initiatives were focused on ending evolution education in public schools. He had a big impact on the passage of reforms, including the income tax, the establishment of the Department of Labor, the repeal of Prohibition, and women’s suffrage.
  • William Jennings Bryan helped farmers by introducing the use of silver to back the dollar at a value that would increase the price farmers received for their crops, thereby easing their debt burden. They called the Free Silver Movement.
  • Bryan, an evangelical Christian who takes the Bible literally, saw the application of Charles Darwin’s theories to human civilization as a serious threat. He said that if children were taught the “survival of the fittest,” they would eventually stop caring for the less fortunate and those population members in need. 
  • Bryan’s failure to distinguish between social Darwinism and the scientific idea of evolution energized his more ardently religious and fundamentalist fans, but it also earned him the scorn of those who supported his liberal views.
  • The first state statute prohibiting the teaching of evolution was put to the test in Tennessee in 1925 when high school biology teacher John Scopes went on trial. Bryan accepted the position of the chief prosecutor, competing against Clarence Darrow, a criminal defense lawyer. 
  • In Dayton, Tennessee, the Scopes “monkey trial” took place in front of a large audience that included journalists, religious leaders, and passersby. After the defense brought Bryan himself as a Bible expert, Darrow brutally cross-examined him in the hot courtroom, exposing both his lack of theological and scientific expertise.
  • The jury’s verdict in Scopes’ favor was expected, but Bryan’s behavior in the trial and his public humiliation put an unfavorable cap on his lengthy career as a public figure. 
  • Bryan passed away in his sleep on July 26, 1925, five days after the judgment was announced. He had experienced a stroke. His widow traveled with his remains in a designated train car to Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, where he was laid to rest.

William Jennings Bryan Worksheets

This bundle contains 11 ready-to-use William Jennings Bryan Worksheets that are perfect for students who want to learn more about William Jennings Bryan who was a known debater and Nebraska Congressman in 1890. He was a liberal leader who was unsuccessful in running for presidency three times. The Cross of Gold speech at the Democratic National Convention made him famous.

Download includes the following worksheets:

  • William Jennings Bryan Facts
  • The Boy Orator of the Platte
  • Presidential Rivals
  • Democrats v Republicans
  • The Philippine Policy
  • Quotable Quotes
  • Statesman Acrostics
  • Trial of Scopes
  • Cross of Gold Speech
  • Campaign for Bryan
  • My Speech

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was William Jennings Bryan so famous?

Bryan’s negotiation of peace treaties, which guaranteed the 30 signatories would refrain from hostilities during the adjudication of disputes, was his greatest success as secretary. He had a big impact on the passage of reforms, including the income tax, the establishment of the Department of Labor, the repeal of Prohibition, and women’s suffrage.

What did William Jennings Bryan do in WWI?

Bryan altered his position once the United States entered the war in 1917 as a result of strong public support for the war effort, even though he openly opposed American engagement in combat following his departure. To convince Wilson to forbid such travel, Bryan said that technical advancements like submarines had changed the essence of international law and rendered it impossible to safeguard Americans entering a conflict zone. Bryan resigned on June 9, 1915, in response to Wilson’s delivery of a second message demanding a stop to German submarine warfare.

Why did William Jennings Bryan lose the Presidency?

Bryan would run for president a second time in 1900 and a third time in 1908, losing both times to William Howard Taft. His campaign was centered on silver, a topic that did not resonate with urban voters, and he lost in what was largely seen as a realigning election. Bryan was beaten by a combination of rich, middle-class, and urban voters, which mostly held the Republicans in power until 1932.

What was the main point of William Jennings Bryan’s Cross of Gold speech?

Bryan won the adoration of free silverites in August 1893 when he delivered a three-hour speech in Congress against President Grover Cleveland’s effort to repeal the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890 and re-link US money to the gold standard. Bryan enthralled the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1896 with a passionate address in which he appealed to his fellow citizens to protect the common person’s interests against big corporate interests and to push for free silver.

How did William Jennings Bryan help the farmers?

William Jennings Bryan helped farmers by introducing the use of silver to back the dollar at a value that would increase the price farmers received for their crops, thereby easing their debt burden. They called the Free Silver Movement.

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