From the Front Porch to the Front Page: McKinley and Bryan in the 1896 Presidential CampaignTexas A&M University Press, 2005 - 230 pages The last presidential campaign of the nineteenth century was remarkable in a number of ways. -It marked the beginning of the use of the news media in a modern manner. -It saw the Democratic Party shift toward the more liberal position it occupies today. -It established much of what we now consider the Republican coalition: Northeastern, conservative, pro-business. It was also notable for the rhetorical differences of its two candidates. In what is often thought of as a single-issue campaign, William Jennings Bryan delivered his famous "Cross of Gold" speech but lost the election. Meanwhile, William McKinley addressed a range of topics in more than three hundred speeches--without ever leaving his front porch. The campaign of 1896 gave the public one of the most dramatic and interesting battles of political oratory in American history, even though, ironically, its issues faded quickly into insignificance after the election. In From the Front Porch to the Front Page, author William D. Harpine traces the campaign month-by-month to show the development of Bryan's rhetoric and the stability of McKinley's. He contrasts the divisive oratory Bryan employed to whip up fervor (perhaps explaining the 80 percent turnout in the election) with the lower-keyed unifying strategy McKinley adopted and with McKinley's astute privileging of rhetorical siting over actual rhetoric. Beyond adding depth and detail to the scholarly understanding of the 1896 presidential campaign itself (and especially the "Cross of Gold" speech), this book casts light on the importance of historical perspective in understanding rhetorical efforts in politics. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 90
... candidates , and often the public , characterized the election as a pivotal point in American history . Both candidates employed dramatic , impres- sively creative campaign devices . Both candidates proved to be capable and energetic ...
... candidates campaigned in striking but contrasting fashion . Both candidates in this election have been the victims of wide- spread misunderstanding . During the campaign , the candidates ' various public opponents threw out unjustified ...
... candidates in the dramatic campaign of 1896 as much as one might have expected , but it is ironic that the loser in this campaign has become more renowned as an orator than the win- ner . 7 Nonetheless , although Bryan is greatly ...
... candidates of a hundred years later . This is , however , not merely a study of politics but of political rhetoric . What does that mean ? The root of the word rhetoric is the Greek rhe , which signifies speech . 9 Rhetoric , in its ...
... candidate before him . Voter turnout reached about 80 percent.13 People cared about this election with a deep , almost unfathomable passion . 3. Both candidates were outstanding public speakers , but they employed contrasting approaches ...
Contents
13 | |
26 | |
37 | |
56 | |
Unmade by One Speech? Bryans Trip to Madison Square Garden | 69 |
McKinleys Front Porch Oratory in September 1896 | 90 |
McKinleys Speech to the Homestead Workers | 111 |
Bryans Railroad Campaign in September 1896 | 128 |
The Closing Weeks of the Front Porch Campaign | 146 |
The End of Bryans First Battle | 160 |
Identification and Timeliness Revisited | 176 |
Notes | 187 |
Index | 221 |