How did the major political parties deal with the silver question?
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Abstract In the 1890s, questions about whether to base the American currency upon gold or silver dominated public discourse and eventually forced a realignment of the political parties. The matter often confuses modern observers, who have trouble understanding how such a technically complex—even arcane—issue could arouse such passions. The fact that no major nation currently backs its currency with precious metal creates the suspicion that the issue was a "red herring" that distracted from matters of far greater importance. Yet the rhetoric surrounding the "Battle of the Standards" indicates that the more sophisticated advocates of both sides understood that, in the financial context of the 1890s, the contest between gold and silver not only had important economic implications but would substantially affect the future development of the United States. Show Journal Information The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era is a peer-reviewed journal published quarterly by the Society for Historians of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era (SHGAPE) with support from the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center. The Journal publishes original essays and reviews scholarly books on all aspects of U.S. history for the time period of 1865 through the 1920s. The Journal encourages submissions in every field of inquiry, including politics and government, social and cultural history, business, economic, and labor history, international relations, comparative and transnational history, issues of race, ethnicity, class, and gender, legal, intellectual, and religious history, science and medicine, technology, the arts, and material culture, rural and urban history, and regional history. Public historians and independent scholars as well as academic historians are invited to submit, as are social scientists working on historical issues and scholars in American Studies. Publisher Information Founded in 1987, the Society for Historians of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era exists to foster and advance the study and understanding of the history of the United States during the period 1865 to 1917. Membership is open to anyone interested in this topic, with reduced rates for student members. In addition to publishing the Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, the Society sponsors scholarly sessions and events at annual meetings of the Organization of American Historians and the American Historical Association, provides conference travel support, hosts a website that includes original field-related content, co-sponsors the listserv H-SHGAPE, and awards prizes for books, articles, and unpublished graduate student research in the field. Its luncheon during the Organization of American Historians meeting features a distinguished historian address and a presidential address in alternating years. A 501(c)(3) corporation, the Society may be reached through contacting the President or Executive Secretary as listed on the SHGAPE website. Monthly Plan
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journal article California and the Silver Question in 1895Pacific Historical Review Vol. 6, No. 3 (Sep., 1937) , pp. 249-269 (21 pages) Published By: University of California Press https://doi.org/10.2307/3633297 https://www.jstor.org/stable/3633297 Read and download Log in through your school or library Alternate access options For independent researchers Subscribe to JPASS Unlimited reading + 10 downloads Purchase article $22.00 - Download now and later Journal Information For over 70 years, the Pacific Historical Review has accurately and adeptly covered the history of American expansion to the Pacific and beyond, as well as the post-frontier developments of the 20th-century American West. Every 170-page issue of the Pacific Historical Review features an extensive section devoted to book reviews--"roughly thirty in each issue--"plus frequent review essays. The "Historical News" section provides you with information about key figures in the PCB-AHA, as well as announcements for fellowships and awards. The Pacific Historical Review also includes notes and documents, historiographies, and forums on a broad range of topics. Publisher Information Founded in 1893, University of California Press, Journals and Digital Publishing Division, disseminates scholarship of enduring value. One of the largest, most distinguished, and innovative of the university presses today, its collection of print and online journals spans topics in the humanities and social sciences, with concentrations in sociology, musicology, history, religion, cultural and area studies, ornithology, law, and literature. In addition to publishing its own journals, the division also provides traditional and digital publishing services to many client scholarly societies and associations. Rights & Usage This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. What political party supported the silver standard?The Silver Republican Party, later known as the Lincoln Republican Party, was a United States political party from 1896 to 1901. It was so named because it split from the Republican Party by supporting free silver (effectively, expansionary monetary policy) and bimetallism.
Why did the Populist party want silver?Bryan wanted the United States to use silver to back the dollar at a value that would inflate the prices farmers received for their crops, easing their debt burden. This position was known as the Free Silver Movement.
Who supported the silver standard?Free silver was the central issue for Democrats in the presidential elections of 1896 and 1900, under the leadership of William Jennings Bryan, famed for his Cross of Gold speech in favor of free silver. The Populists also endorsed Bryan and free silver in 1896, which marked the effective end of their independence.
What was the silver question in 1890?This measure obligated the government to purchase the mines' nearly entire output each month, but these purchases were to be at market rates, not at the predetermined ratio favored by the farmers and miners.
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