Who was the main target of William Jennings Bryan's campaign?

• A. Small business owners
• B. The working class
• C. Country's elite, including Carnegie and Rockefeller
• D. Farmers and labor unions

Answer: (C)

William Jennings Bryan targeted the country's elite, including influential industrialists like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller, during his campaign. Bryan was a strong advocate for the common man, and he sought to challenge the power and influence that these wealthy figures had over American politics and economics. He believed that the interests of these elites often overshadowed the needs of ordinary citizens, particularly farmers and laborers who were struggling in an economy that disproportionately benefited the wealthy.

Bryan's campaign emphasized issues such as bimetallism, which aimed to increase the money supply to help alleviate debt burdens on farmers, and he criticized the monopolistic practices of big business leaders. His messages resonated with a wide swath of the population, but his primary focus remained on dismantling the power of the elite and redistributing power and resources to the lower and middle classes. This ideological battle against the established economic class defined much of his political rhetoric and campaign strategy.