The Cross of Gold refers to one of the most influential speeches in American politics. At the 1896 democratic convention, William Jennings Bryan riled up the crowd as he advocated for bimetallism, which would allow for silver to be legally tendered at the same rate as gold, and would help cash-poor farmers. “You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns,” he declared. “You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.” This speech addressed growing income inequality following the Civil War.