William Jennings Bryan changed the course of American history because he was one of the first men to acknowledge the economic difficulties farmers faced after America had expanded into an industrial society. The farmers were facing poverty and when Bryan ran for the presidency he faced the population and said “Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again as if by magic; but destroy our farms and grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country.” Bryan won the Democratic nomination and even though he lost the presidential election to Republican, McKinley, he raised the problems of the lower classes publicly which were previously being ignored. He suggested that by increasing the amount of currency in circulation, farmers would receive a greater amount of money for their crops and they would be able to pay off their debts. Not only did he raise issues that pertained to farmers and labor workers but he also managed to gain the support of the Populist and Democratic parties, an accomplishment in itself.

Bryan fought for these changes in American society because he saw that businessmen and industrial companies were profiting from this new industrialization but failing to realize the necessity of the farmer.  Bryan’s fight for “free coinage” is a perfect example. His inspiration was to create a balance of the classes as industrial profiteering started to blur the lines of the middle and working class.

If I could ask him two questions today they would be:

1) Are there any parralels to the industrialization to the advancement of technology in America now?

2) What do you think the negative reprecussions were of the failure of free coinage?