All times in UTC ·
Dashed edge = started before, or continues beyond, this day
Events on Thursday 9 July 1896 1
1896Bryan delivers the Cross of Gold speechFree-silver oration wins Bryan the Democratic nominationOn 9 July 1896 William Jennings Bryan addressed the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, arguing for the free coinage of silver to ease farmers' debts. The speech, closing with the line "you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold," won him the presidential nomination at age 36. It remains one of the most famous speeches in American political history.