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A monument to a great speaker, the Williams Jennings Bryan Statue
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William Jennings Bryan Was Born
March 19, 1860
At 36, Bryan ran for president. He delivered a speech accusing the wealthy of supporting the gold standard (the worth of paper money determined by the value of gold) at the expense of the average worker. "You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold," he said. This moving speech gained him support, but not enough to win the presidency. After three unsuccessful presidential races, Bryan served as secretary of state under Woodrow Wilson. However, he resigned in 1915 as World War I approached because he opposed Wilson's foreign policies, which he believed would draw America into a war against Germany.
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