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
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... in the 1896 Presidential Campaign William D. Harpine. To Elaine , who has not only shared her life with me , but who has supported and encouraged me throughout this project . Oratory sometimes has been laughed at , but , my.
McKinley and Bryan in the 1896 Presidential Campaign William D. Harpine. Oratory sometimes has been laughed at , but , my friends , oratory will be with us as long as the human race endures . Whenever there is a cause that stirs men's ...
... Oratory Made a Difference in the 1896 Campaign 13 2. Free Silver or Free Trade ? The Campaign's Issues 26 3. The Early Weeks of McKinley's Front Porch Campaign 37 4. Bryan's " A Cross of Gold " 56 5. " Unmade by One Speech ? " : Bryan's ...
... oratory , founded on his own issues , in his own way , on his own ground . The year 1896 witnessed one of the hardest - fought , most dra- matic presidential campaigns in the history of the United States . Soon after the election ...
... oratory in the nation's history . From the folksy speeches that McKinley gave from his front porch , the campaign ... orator who won only because Marcus Hanna , who chaired the Republican Party National Committee , bought the election ...
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 |