William Jennings Bryan delivers a campaign speech, circa 1910. Bryan put himself on the map as one of America's best orators with his "Cross of Gold" speech in 1896.

Wayne Hester talks about William Jennings Bryan, his Cross of Gold speech, and his contributions to politics. ** This clip is part of C-SPAN Classroom's FREE resources for teachers and students.

William Jennings Bryan recorded his ‘Cross of Gold’ speech at Richmond’s Gennett studio on July 3, 1923. He’d given the speech at the Democratic national convention in Chicago in 1896.

“You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold!” Bryan played third-party politics to his advantage. He won the nomination but lost to William McKinley.

April 2, 2009 ‘Cross of Gold’ At the 1896 Democratic convention, William Jennings Bryan delivers a speech for the ages.

September 23, 2011 | Clip Of William Jennings Bryan, Presidential Contender This clip, title, and description were not created by C-SPAN. User Clip: Cross of Gold Speech User-Created Clip ...

Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune Tue, July 8, 2025 at 9:00 AM UTC 1 min read ...

Democrat William Jennings Bryan championed the interest of debtors over creditors in his famous “Cross of Gold” speech where he talked about burning down cities. This sounds a lot like the ...

William Jennings Bryan, in a speech to the 1896 Democratic convention, declaimed "You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold." ...

At 36, Bryan became — and remains — the youngest presidential nominee of a major party in U.S. history. Bryan electrified the delegates with his Cross of Gold speech.

"If it was simply style, William Jennings Bryan would have been president." (Bryan, a noted orator, lost three presidential elections as the Democratic nominee in 1896, 1900 and 1908.)" ...