Populist Party

William Jennings Bryan's Cross of Gold Speech - Populist Challenge to Corporate Power

1896-07-09 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 7/10

At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, 36-year-old former Nebraska Representative William Jennings Bryan delivers the electrifying “Cross of Gold” speech supporting “free silver” (bimetallism) against the gold standard, concluding with the famous peroration: …

William Jennings Bryan Democratic National Convention Populist Party Eastern banking interests Western farmers and miners gilded-age campaign-finance populism economic-policy bimetallism

Colorado Voters Approve Women's Suffrage Through Referendum in Historic First

1893-11-07 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | Importance: 7/10

On November 7, 1893, Colorado held a referendum on women’s suffrage that resulted in voter approval, making it the first time in U.S. history that voters—as opposed to legislators—approved women’s voting rights. The referendum passed with support from the short-lived Populist Party, …

Colorado Voters Populist Party Carrie Chapman Catt Ellis Meredith womens-suffrage western-suffrage referendum-victory populist-movement democratic-expansion