"We shall answer their demand for a gold standard by saying to them: You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold." — William Jennings Bryan, Democratic National Convention, 1896
Which piece of evidence most directly supports the Populist economic claim Bryan endorses?
- A
Immigration from Eastern and Southern Europe accelerated after 1880
- B
Federal land grants to railroads exceeded 175 million acres
- Ccheck_circle
Wholesale agricultural prices fell sharply between 1870 and 1896 while debts remained fixed in gold-valued dollars
- D
U.S. industrial output surpassed Britain's during the 1880s
Explanation
The Populist case rested on the squeeze of falling crop prices (wheat, cotton, corn) against debts payable in appreciating gold dollars. The other facts are true Gilded Age phenomena but do not specifically evidence currency-driven hardship.