Comparing and Contrasting the Careers, Views and...

Comparing and Contrasting the Careers, Views and Accomplishments of William Jennings Bryan and Woodrow Wilson Two very influential men, Thomas Woodrow Wilson, born 1856, and William Jennings Bryan, born 1860 came onto the scene at one of the most critical points in American history. Thomas Woodrow Wilson was what you would call a late bloomer, yet in his later years that late bloom turned out to be a remarkable blossom. In other words, the impact he had on human society was colossal. William Jennings Bryan was a brilliant orator. His amazing speeches won him widespread recognition. While these two men worked along side each other in the realm of politics, sometimes in harmony and sometimes not, their lives would forever transform†¦show more content†¦After these two terms in Congress, Bryan became editor of the Omaha World-Herald and traveled the Chautauqua lecture circuit promoting populist ideas. In 1896, he gave a brilliant speech on behalf of the ‘free silver men at the National Convention in Chicago. He championed the idea that the dollar should be backed by more plentiful silver rather than gold, as was the present U. S. policyÂ… Tumultuous applause erupted on the convention floor and continued for thirty minutes! (Linder). This astounding speech won him the democratic nomination, the first of three failed attempts. The second and third tries were spent at campaigning progressive issues such as anti-imperialism, consumer protection, regulation of trusts, and finance reform. Although his dream of the presidency was never realized, Bryan succeeded in transforming the Democratic Party from a conservative party of Civil War losers to a coalition more focused on the interests of blue-collar workers, farmers, and religious and ethnic minorities (Linder). When Wilson ran for president in 1912, Bryan preformed his last great service to the Democratic Party by helping secure Wilsons nomination (Johnson, p. 635. Even though Wilson had been in politics only three years, and had never sat in Congress, his lecture room skills served him well for platform oratoryÂ…his fine voice and admirable, often spontaneous, choice of words could hold audiences of up