Which politician delivered the Cross of Gold speech advocating for bimetallism?

• A. Inflation
• B. William Jennings Bryan
• C. Populists
• D. Deflation

Answer: (B)

The idea behind the Cross of Gold speech is a question about monetary policy in the 1890s and who made a bold case for changing the money system. The speaker was William Jennings Bryan, a prominent Democratic politician from Nebraska. In his speech at the 1896 Democratic National Convention, he argued for bimetallism—the use of both gold and silver to back the currency—to expand the money supply and ease the burdens on farmers and debtors who were suffering under deflation. He framed the issue with powerful imagery, famously warning against crucifying humanity on a “cross of gold.” The other options don’t refer to a person who delivered this speech—inflation is an economic condition, “Populists” describes a movement rather than an individual speaker, and deflation is another economic condition. So the speaker who delivered the Cross of Gold speech advocating for bimetallism is William Jennings Bryan.