The Election of 1896

But the election of 1896 represented more than just a choice between two men or two political parties. It involved two competing visions for America's future, rival sections of the country; and different interests. Bryan equated silver with the common people, and charged that the gold standard represented the privileged interests of the Northeast, home of America's elite, whose interests were inimical to those of the average American. He stood as the defender of the farmer and of Americans wracked by debt and economic hardship; he was the voice of the West and the South. Most important, Bryan looked to America's past as a blueprint for its future. Holding the interests of the farmer paramount, he extolled the ideals of rural America, representing an alternative to the crushing onslaught of industrialization and urbanization. McKinley and the Republicans, by contrast, stood for an American future that was oriented toward business, manufacturing, and commerce, and favored the Northeast over other sections of the country

With 51 percent of the popular vote, McKinley won the first majority since Ulysses S. Grant in 1872. In addition to gaining the White House, Republicans retained control of both houses of Congress. The results showed that Bryan's vision for America's future failed to ignite support in America's most populous areas. McKinley had won only one more state than Bryan, 23 to 22, but he had won the large states with the bulk of the electoral votes. The election signaled the end of the American farmer as a dominant political force. By 1896, only one-third of the nation's workforce was still engaged in agriculture, and their support was not enough to win a national election.