Address to the Democratic Convention (1896)
William Jennings Bryan
There are two ideas of government. There are those that believe if you just legislate to make the well-to-do prosperous, that their prosperity will leak through on those below. The Democratic idea has been that if you legislate to make the masses prosperous, their prosperity will find its way up and through every class that rests upon it. . . .
You come to us and tell us that the great cities are in favor of the gold standard. I tell you that the great cities rest upon these broad and fertile prairies. Burn down your cities, leave our farms, and your cities will spring up against as if by magic. But destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country.
-Which of the following groups would have given the strongest support to the ideas expressed in the excerpt?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Bryan's speech reflects the agrarian-centric view that prosperity originates from the success of the common people, particularly farmers, which aligns with the Jeffersonian Democratic-Republican emphasis on the agrarian economy and the importance of the yeoman farmer in American society.