Homework Help: Social Studies: U.S. History: William McKinley: The Imperial President

William Thomas McKinley, the twenty-fifth president of the United States, was born on January 29, 1843 in Niles, Ohio. He spent the early part of his life in the town of his birth, moving to nearby Poland, Ohio when he was ten years old. His father, William, Sr., worked as an iron foundry worker while his mother, Nancy, a devoutly religious woman, worked as a nurse. As a result of this upbringing, McKinley grew up with a strong sense of a work ethic as well as a knowledge of the importance of prayer, courtesy, and honesty in all dealings. This upbringing would serve him well throughout his political career.

McKinley’s formal education began in the public school system, but as a result of his family moving to Poland, McKinley attended private school, Poland Academy. McKinley excelled at reading, debating, and public speaking, and was elected president of his school’s first ever debating club. At the age of 16, William attended Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, but was forced to leave due to illness. After getting well, he chose not to go back to school because of the strain it would put on his family’s finances. Therefore, he went to work, first as a postal clerk, and then as a teacher. McKinley was working as a teacher near Poland when the Civil War broke out in 1861.

McKinley enjoyed an impressive military career. Along with his cousin, he enlisted in the 23rd regiment of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry, serving under the command of future president, Rutherford B. Hayes. This relationship would turn into a lifelong friendship, as Hayes would serve as a mentor to McKinley during his political career. McKinley’s first battle was at Carnifax Ferry, West Virginia. He was later promoted to the rank of commissary sergeant. At the Battle of Antietam, against the advice of his superiors and under heavy enemy fire, he was promoted to second lieutenant after delivering food to his troops. By the time the war had concluded, McKinley had attained the rank of brevet major. With the conclusion of the Civil War came the conclusion of McKinley’s military career, and he returned home to study law.

McKinley entered law school in Albany, New York in 1866, but did not graduate. He trained with Judge Charles Glidden and passed the bar in 1867. From there, he moved to Canton, Ohio, where his sisters were working as schoolteachers, and got a job working for a judge, Charles Belden. Belden was so overwhelmed with cases that he gave McKinley his first assignment. McKinley won the case, and in doing so, impressed the judge so much that the judge offered McKinley a job. McKinley opened his own law practice and became involved with the politics of the Republican Party, and eventually was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Stark County, Ohio in 1869.

McKinley’s personal life was not as successful. He met his wife, Ida Saxton, the daughter of a local banker, while doing business at a bank. The two were married in 1871, and Ida gave birth to their first daughter, Katherine, on Christmas of that year. Two years later, the McKinleys were greeted with the arrival of their second daughter, Ida. Four months later, Ida died. Also, in the same year, Mrs. McKinley’s mother died. Two years later, Katherine died of typhoid fever. This string of deaths left Mrs. McKinley ill with depression. She also developed phlebitis and epilepsy. These illnesses left her in such a state that she needed constant care. McKinley was most known for his concern and devotion to his wife.

McKinley was elected to the House of Representatives in 1876, and would go on to serve seven terms in Congress from 1877 to 1891, except for a nine-month period on 1884-1885. McKinley’s popularity was such that he regularly won reelection in his districts despite his districts being most Democratic and the boundaries of those districts were constantly changing so as to ensure Democratic victories. His focus was on the tariff problem and he became known as a persuasive speaker, being known for being on the side of big business. However, he also worked for labor and later, as governor of Ohio, he encouraged workers to join labor unions and criticized those who refused workers the right to unionize. He also, as congressman, supported the gold standard over silver as the backbone of the United States money system. McKinley lost his bid for Congress in 1891 due to unpopularity brought about as a result of the McKinley Tariff, which greatly increased consumer prices.

McKinley would go on to serve as governor of Ohio from 1891-1895. In this role, he proposed laws to protect railroad workers and address the issue of child labor. A state board of negotiation was set up to deal with labor and business problems. During his time as governor, McKinley chaired the Republican National Convention and was almost nominated for the presidency in the 1892 election.

McKinley’s popularity with his party would pay off four years later. In 1896, the Republicans nominated him as the Republican party candidate, with Garrett Hobart, a New Jersey senator, as his running mate. McKinley’s platform was on the protective tariff and the gold standard, which became the main focus of the campaign. While his opponent traveled across the country giving speeches to support his position, McKinley, because he did not want to leave his ailing wife, conducted a "front-porch campaign" in Canton. More than 750,000 people came to hear him speak and newspapers nationwide reprinted his speeches. Of particular note from this campaign is the fact that this is the first campaign in history to hand out campaign buttons and collectors’ items such as walking sticks, umbrellas, ribbons, and soap babies. McKinley won the election with more than seven million of the 14 million votes cast. As president, his priorities were to increase the protective tariff and make gold the standard of our money system. In 1897, the Dingley Tariff increased the tariff, and in 1900 Congress passed the Gold Standard Act.

Foreign policy was also a focus on McKinley’s presidency. Due to growing interest in Cuba, which was fighting for its independence from Spain, the president sent the battleship USS Maine to Havana to protect American interests. He had tried earlier to persuade Spain to negotiate with the rebels. On February 15, 1898, the USS Maine exploded, killing a good portion of its crew. Due to this tragedy, as well as the anti-Spain feelings throughout the United States (intensified by the journalism of Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst), public opinion weighed heavily in McKinley’s decision to declare war on Spain. Congress granted the permission to take action, and the United Stated blocked the Spanish ships in Santiago Harbor. The Rough Riders, led by Teddy Roosevelt (who would go on to succeed McKinley as president) charged up San Juan Hill and took possession of the area. In the Phillippines, Commodore George Dewey sailed into Manila Bay and sunk the Spanish ships there. The war lasted for 110 days and was settled by the Treaty of Paris. The terms of this treaty gave the United States the lands of Puerto Rico and Guam. Also, for $20 million, the United States acquired the Phillippines as a territory. With the addition of these new lands, the United States became a world power under President McKinley. Further, the acquisition of these new lands allowed the United States to become more involved in Asian politics. This involvement led to McKinley sending 5,000 troops to Germany, Japan, and Russia to help put down the Boxer Rebellion in 1900.

McKinley would go on to run for reelection to the office of president. He won the election, once again facing William Jennings Bryan, who attacked him for the recent acquisitions of overseas land as well as McKinley’s position on the growth of big business and monopolies. The main issue of the election became prosperity. McKinley’s point was that we have prosperity at home as well as abroad. He won the election of 1900 relatively easily. In the same year, the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty gave the Unites States the right to build the Panama Canal in Central America. This canal would greatly decrease the time required to trade by ship from the east to the west, as ships would no longer have to go around South America to do business.

McKinley’s second presidential term would come to a tragic end. On September 6, 1901, while attending the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, he was shot by Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist. The president was operated on but the doctors could not find the bullet. He was sent home and started to improve but took a turn for the worst and died on September 14 from an infection. Theodore Roosevelt, who replaced Hobart as McKinley’s vice president upon the death of Vice President Hobart in 1899, succeeded McKinley was President of the United States.

William McKinley’s presidency has not been viewed as an exciting one by history. Even Theodore Roosevelt once said that McKinley had no more backbone than a chocolate eclair. But McKinley’s presidency helped to strengthen the office of the commander-in-chief by decisively going to war with Spain. Also, McKinley understood the link between foreign markets and national prosperity. During his administration, the United States acquired the necessary lands and passed the necessary laws to make it a major world power while promoting democracy.

Homework Help: Social Studies: U.S. History

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