Talk:William Jennings Bryan

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A fact from this article was featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the On this day section on June 9, 2004 and June 9, 2019.

This  level-5 vital article is rated B-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale. It is of interest to multiple WikiProjects.

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FA class???

I see that this article was rated as "FA-class" by some Wiki projects. An article is featured when it has been through the WP:FAC process, not otherwise. This article is nowhere near featured standard; the prose deserves no more than C or B. Here are some issues taken from the first section alone. The article needs a complete overhaul.

Background and early career

• Why a single-sentence paragraph to open the section?
• Confusions in the second paragraph:

• Non-sequitur: "Mary Bryan joined the Salem Baptists in 1872, so Bryan attended Methodist services on Sunday morning, and in the afternoon, Baptist services."
• Contradiction in next sentence; having said he attended Baptist services in the afternoons, we are told: "At this point, William began spending his Sunday afternoons at the Cumberland Presbyterian Church."

• The name Cumberland Presbyterian Church appears thrice in close succession which looks clumsy (together with Presbyterian Church in the United States of America in the same paragraph
• Surely the very short third and fourth paras can be merged?
• Despite the link I think "revivalist meeting" would be better than "revival"
• Can you clarify dates for Silas's elections to the state senate and as a judge?
• He found in the Bible and McGuffey support for his views on gambling and liquor. This indicates that he already had formed those views - where did he get them from?
• The following sentence seems to me to expressed the wrong way round (outcome before action): "To attend Whipple Academy, which was attached to Illinois College, Bryan was sent to Jacksonville, Illinois in 1874." Suggestion: "In 1874 Bryan was sent to Jacksonville, Illinois, to attend Whipple Academy which was attached to Illinois College"
• What is a "valedictorian"? Is this an honour? (the term is not familiar outside US)
• When did he study law at Union Law College?
• William Sherman Jennings should have a few words of introduction.
• "Prohibitionist movement" needs a link (it was a long time ago and the average Brit reader won't know what you're referring to)
• Pipe-link plurality. Also, some rephrasing advised for these sentences: "This was a plurality of the vote, although 8,000 votes short of a majority. Bryan was elected, only the second Democrat to be elected to Congress in the history of Nebraska.[9] In his re-election race in 1892, Bryan was re-elected by a 140-vote majority in a two-person race. He ran..." etc.
• I can't believe that the capitals police are now insisting on "congress" rather than "Congress". Also, "state Legislature"? Surely a case of both or preferably neither caps.

Brianboulton (talk) 13:26, 16 April 2012 (UTC)

Wrong photograph

Something is wrong about the photograph captured "Bryan campaigning for President, October 1896." I have no idea who this politician might be, but it's definitely not Bryan. This person must be a contemporary of JFK. 217.94.198.148 (talk) 22:34, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

Although the photo appears quite modern, it does seem to be authentic. The original can be viewed on the Library of Congress website at the following link: http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3f06259/ . It looks like someone did a good job of restoring it before they posted it. Patr2016 (talk) 19:03, 10 November 2020 (UTC)

Huh? Ratio of what? to what? for what? Why? WTF?

Bryan demanded Bimetallism and "Free Silver" at a ratio of 16:1.

Makes no sense at all. Article should either explain what it means or delete.66.25.171.16 (talk) 19:25, 25 May 2016 (UTC)

Thanks, an anon editor had vandalised the page so I've undone these changes, along with the unsourced addition of "The British Blockade of Germany was illegal under international law, as it contravened the Hague Convention of 1907." Without even considering whether or not this has any validity, we'd need a source relating the point to Bryan. . . dave souza, talk 20:35, 25 May 2016 (UTC)

Antisemitism and Anti-Catholicism

Per this article on the blog of the Oxford University Press, "William Jennings Bryan’s Bible-thumping fundamentalist presidential campaigns in 1896, 1900, and 1908 were tinged with loathing of Jews and Catholics". This should be explored with proper context. SecretName101 (talk) 21:06, 2 November 2022 (UTC)

Obviously we'd need to find other corroborating sources to levy these characterizations. SecretName101 (talk) 16:40, 3 November 2022 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion:

• William Jennings Bryan autographed drawings by Manuel Rosenberg, 1921.jpg

You can see the reason for deletion at the file description page linked above. —Community Tech bot (talk) 18:52, 12 November 2022 (UTC)