Presidential Election of 1900: A Resource Guide

For President Wm. McKinley, for Vice President Theo. Roosevelt. 1 print. 1900. Prints & Photographs Division. Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-pga-02408

The digital collections of the Library of Congress contain a wide variety of material associated with the presidential election of 1900, including photographs, political cartoons, broadsides, newspaper articles, and sheet music. This guide compiles links to digital materials related to the presidential election of 1900 that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on the 1900 election and a selected bibliography.

1900 Presidential Election Results [1]

Library of Congress Web Site | External Web Sites | Selected Bibliography

Digital Collections

The Library of Congress Celebrates the Songs of America

The Songs of America presentation allows you to explore American history as documented in the work of some of our country's greatest composers, poets, scholars, and performers. The collection includes the following sheet music from the 1900 presidential election

• For Right and Dear "Old Glory"
• The Jeffersonian Banner

Printed Ephemera: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera

The Printed Ephemera collection comprises 28,000 primary-source items dating from the seventeenth century to the present and encompasses key events and eras in American history. While the broadside format represents the bulk of the collection, there are a significant number of leaflets and some pamphlets.

• The "German Vote" in Chicago. [Chicago, 1900]
• When Bryan takes the chair. [n. p., 1900]

Theodore Roosevelt Papers

The papers of Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), public official, author, decorated veteran of the Spanish-American War, governor of New York, and president of the United States (1901-1909), consist of approximately 276,000 documents (roughly 461,000 images), most of which were digitized from 485 reels of previously reproduced microfilm.

• Republican Campaign Posters, 1900

Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers

Chronicling America

This site allows you to search and view millions of historic American newspaper pages from 1789-1924. Search this collection to find newspaper articles about the presidential election of 1900.

A selection of articles on the 1900 presidential election includes:

• "McKinley and Roosevelt Will Lead the Grand Republican Party on to Glorious Victory," El Paso Daily Herald. (El Paso, Tex.), June 21, 1900.
• "Bryan is Named by Acclamation," The Stark County Democrat. (Canton, Ohio), July 6, 1900.
• "Theodore Roosevelt a Many Sided Man," The Bee. (Earlington, Ky.), October 11, 1900.
• "Bryan Invades M'Kinley's Home," Virginian-Pilot. (Norfolk, Va.), October 16, 1900.
• "McKinley Elected," Willmar Tribune. (Willmar, Minn.), November 7, 1900.
• "William M'Kinley is Again Elected President," Omaha Daily Bee. (Omaha, Neb.), November 7, 1900.

In addition, the Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room has created a series of topics guides to the newspapers included in Chronicling America, including the presidential election of 1900.

Prints & Photographs Division

Pictorial Americana: Selected Images from the Collections of the Library of Congress

Pictorial Americana, a Library of Congress publication, contains a chapter listing selected images related to the 1900 presidential election.

Prints & Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC)

Search PPOC to find additional prints, political cartoons, and other digital images related to the presidential election of 1900.

A selection of images from the 1900 presidential election includes:

• Head-and-shoulders portraits of William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt and eagle with two U.S. flags
• LOST!
• McKinley & Roosevelt
• McKinley Was Right
• The nominees of the National Republican Convention of 1900
• Sweet dreams / Keppler
• Take your choice of the two bills!
• William McKinley, medallion portrait of Pres. McKinley & Gov. Roosevelt, busts, facing left
• William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt standing on step of porch

In addition, search on the subject heading Presidential elections--United States--1900.

Today in History

March 19

William Jennings Bryan, gifted orator and three-time presidential candidate was born on March 19, 1860, in Salem, Illinois. In 1896, he defeated incumbent President Grover Cleveland to win the Democratic Party nomination for president. Just thirty-six, Bryan managed to attract the support of mainstream Democrats as well as third party Populists. The unpopularity of the incumbent Democratic Party combined with the well-filled war chest of Republican candidate William McKinley, catapulted McKinley into the White House. Still, Bryan's following was large enough to result in two additional runs for president. Bryan lost again to McKinley in 1900 and to William Howard Taft in 1908.

External Web Sites

The American Presidency Project: Election of 1900

The American Presidency Project Web site presents election results from the 1900 presidential election. This site also contains the Democratic Party Platform and the Republican Party Platform of 1900.

HarpWeek: The Presidential Elections 1860-1912

This HarpWeek Web site features political cartoons from Harper's Weekly, Leslie's Illustrated Weekly, Vanity Fair, Puck, Judge, and American Political Prints, 1766-1876: A Catalog of the Collections in the Library of Congress. It provides explanations of the historical context and images of each cartoon, campaign overviews, biographical sketches, a review of the era's major issues, and other valuable information related to the 1900 presidential election.

Selected Bibliography

Primary Sources

The Battle of 1900: An Official Hand-Book for Every American Citizen. Republican Issues by L. White Busbey, Prohibition Issues by Oliver W. Stewart, Democratic Issues by Willis J. Abbot, Populist Issues by Dr. Howard S. Taylor. Endorsed by the Parties. Chicago: Monarch Book Company 1900. [Catalog Record] [Full Text]

Democratic Campaign Book, 1900. Washington, D.C.: Globe Printing Company, 1900. [Catalog Record] [Full Text]

National Platforms of the Republican, Democratic, Fusion Populist or Peoples, Mid-Road Populist or Peoples, and Prohibition Parties, and Other Valuable and Statistical Information, Compiled from Official Publications. Omaha, Neb.: Union Pacific railroad, 1900. [Catalog Record] [Full Text]

Official Proceedings of the Democratic National Convention held in Kansas City, Mo., July 4th, 5th and 6th, 1900. Chicago: McLellan Printing Company, 1900. [Catalog Record] [Full Text]

Official Proceedings of the Twelfth Republican National Convention, held in ... Philadelphia, June, 19, 20 and 21, 1900 ... Reported by M.W. Blumenberg ...Philadelphia: Dunlap Printing Company, 1900. [Catalog Record] [Full Text]

Republican Campaign Text-Book 1900; Issued by the Republican National Committee. Philadelphia: Dunlap Printing Company, 1900. [Catalog Record] [Full Text]

Republican National Committee, 1900. New York: Republican National Committee, 1900. [Catalog Record] [Full Text]

Notes

1. Presidential Elections, 1789-2008. (Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2010), 144, 234.