William Jennings Bryan
A Conservative Progressive
“People often ask me why I can be a progressive in
politics and a fundamentalist in religion.
The answer is easy. Government
is man made and therefore imperfect. It
can always be improved. But religion is
not a man made affair. If Christ is the
word, how can anyone be a progressive in religion? I am satisfied with the God we have, with the Bible and with
Christ.”
--William
Jennings Bryan
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William Jennings Bryan was the
leader of the Democratic party from 1896 until the election Woodrow Wilson in
1912. During this time, he made three
unsuccessful bids for the presidency.
During this epoch of his life, politics monopolized the majority of
his time, but his religious beliefs were always important to him and the
convictions dictated his opinions on policy.
Religious convictions formed his opinions on Progressivism and world
peace. However, when he resigned from
his last political post in 1915, Secretary of State under Wilson, he was able
to shift his emphasis from politics to religion. Bryan always maintained that the two spheres were of equal
importance to him, and Bryan knew he could still make contributions to
society without holding an office. It
is the period of life, from 1915-1925, which brought him the most fame, or
infamy, for his religious beliefs. In
this ten year span he was associated with the radically conservative
Fundamentalist movement, the Social Gospelers, and the anti-evolutionists due
to his role of prosecutor in the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925. However, the forces which shaped his
behavior during both periods of his life remained constant. Bryan did not change into a religious
radical. Society was the dynamic that
shifted. Dominance was taken away
from the moral types of small towns and frontiers and replaced by the
capitalism of big business and the immorality of the youth of the roaring
twenties. Bryan was consistently
dominated by desires for socially and religiously responsible government and
fundamental religion. William Jennings
Bryan: A Progressive Conservative World War I: The Destruction of Dream Church and State: Religion's Role in the Democratic System Bryan's Downfall: Evolution and the Scopes Monkey Trial This page was created by Kristy Owens Email any questions to: This page was last updated on March 30, 2001 |