LAD 21- Dawes Act

Dawes act was a statement by congress to legally provide Indian lands and to provide reservation lands for all tribes. This divided up Indian land and strictly redistributed the land to the Indians. Indians viewed land as something to be shared and not to be owned by only one man. Several officers were assigned to legally document the division. Contracts were valid for 25 years and made it possible to sell land. Indians were protected by law of the United States if they were born when outside the reservation. Congress was granted the power to use land for public benefits.

LAD 20- Cross of Gold speech

Bryan delivered his most famous speech, the “Cross of Gold” at the 1896 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The currency of the United States was scattered therefore the Democratic Party wanted to standardize. They wanted to convert the value of money into silver and leave behind the value in gold. Silver was more abundant and due to inflation it would make it easier for debtors to pay off their debt. Republicans felt that protection against inflation was imperative, therefore they wanted to keep the gold value.

LAD 19- The Populist Party Platform

The purpose of the gathering of the Populist Party was to restore the Republic form of government. The common man was forgotten in government at this time of big business, but the Populist Party wanted to restore the grounds that the country’s independence was founded on. The distribution of wealth was in the hands of the few. Majority was not being represented therefore they demanded that permanent labor unions should be protected under the law. This would raise wages and distribute wealth more evenly. They wanted to complete railroad regulation and the gold to silver ratio to be determined. Government should regulate telegraph lines and furthermore demand fair elections.

LAD #18: McKinley’s War Message

On April 11, 1898, President William McKinley spoke to Congress about the war between Spain and Cuba. Previously he stated that the war in Cuba had to stop. McKinley continued to keep America neutral. There was no indication of a compromise and McKinley stated his belief that it was America’s rightful duty to enter warfare. American trade was suffering as a result of the war and a compromise fixed the problem with keeping in mind that sure victory was unlikely. McKinley wanted to keep peace and fix commerce by aiding Cuba in their fight against Spain. America’s best interest was to intervene with the war between Cuba and Spain, McKinley still helps Cuba regardless of his motives. He hoped to portray American in a positive light.