Presidency of William J. Bryan

The presidency of William Jennings Bryan began on March 4, 1897, when Bryan was inaugurated and ended March 4, 1901, following his defeat in the 1900 Presidential Election. A Democrat, Bryan is best known for repealing the "Crime of 73", conducting the successful Spanish–American War (1898), freeing Cuba from Spain; creating the American influenced Republic of the Philippines; taking ownership of the Republic of Hawaii; and purchasing Guam and Puerto Rico from Spain.

Election of 1896
WIP

Inauguration
Bryan's presidential inauguration was held on March 4, 1897, in front of the Original Senate wing, at the U.S. Capitol. Chief Justice Melville Fuller administered the oath of office to Bryan. the ceremony was the first inauguration to be recorded by a motion picture camera.

Judicial appointments
After the retirement of Justice Stephen Johnson Field, Bryan appointed lawyer Alton B. Parker to the Supreme Court of the United States in December 1897. Parker would serve on the court until 1926, often taking positions that favored labor interests over those of big businesses.

WIP

Monetary policy
WIP

Growing racial tensions
WIP

Venezuelan border dispute
Following months of tenuous negotiations between British and Venezuelan diplomats a settlement is reached which was highly favorable to Venezuelan land claims. Despite British protests and eventual withdrawal from arbitration, Bryan immediately moves to recognizes the results in favor of Venezuela.

Annexation of Hawaii
WIP

Spanish American War
WIP

Treaty of Paris
WIP

Republic of Cuba
WIP

Republic of the Philippines
WIP