Question

question 2 of 10

william jennings bryan gained the support of both the democratic party and peoples party in the 1896 election by supporting:

a. business owners and the wealthy.
b. small farmers and struggling citizens.
c. large farmers and the middle class.
d. bankers and large farmers.

Explanation:

Analyze the candidate and political parties

William Jennings Bryan was the joint nominee of both the Democratic Party and the Populist Party (People's Party) in the presidential election of 1896.

Identify the core platform and constituency

Bryan's platform, famous for the "Cross of Gold" speech, advocated for bimetallism (free silver), which aimed to inflate the currency to help debtors. This platform directly appealed to small farmers, laborers, and struggling citizens who were heavily in debt, rather than wealthy business owners, bankers, or large-scale agricultural industrialists.

Evaluate the given options

• Option A (business owners and the wealthy) and Option D (bankers and large farmers) represent the conservative gold-standard coalition that supported William McKinley.
• Option C (large farmers and the middle class) does not capture the core populist base of struggling debtors.
• Option B (small farmers and struggling citizens) accurately identifies the primary demographic that united under Bryan's bimetallist campaign.

Answer:

• (A) business owners and the wealthy.
• (B) small farmers and struggling citizens. (Correct answer)
• (C) large farmers and the middle class.
• (D) bankers and large farmers.