The clashes between William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan during the 1896 and 1900 presidential elections changed the course of American politics.
Prior to Bryan's candidacy, the Democratic Party was slightly more conservative than the Republican Party.
At the 1896 Democratic National Convention, Bryan's dramatic Cross of Gold speech stampeded the delegates left-of-center--a position the party has traditionally held since.
Most Americans, though, rejected this new wave, remained conserva.
Mcfarland & Company William mckinley versus william jennings bryan: the great political rivalry of the turn of the 20th century, paperback/john m. pafford
