"Having behind us the producing masses of this nation and the world, supported by the commercial interests, the laboring interests, and the toilers everywhere, we will 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, 1896
The economic context for Bryan's appeal included all of the following EXCEPT:
- Acheck_circle
Rapid wage growth among urban industrial workers
- B
Persistent deflation that increased the real burden of farm debt
- C
The Depression of 1893 and bank failures
- D
Falling agricultural commodity prices
Explanation
Wage stagnation and deflation, not rapid wage gains, defined the 1890s context that made silver inflation politically attractive.