William McKinley

(noun)

William McKinley (January 29, 1843 – September 14, 1901) was the 25th President of the United States, serving from March 4, 1897, until his death. McKinley led the nation to victory in the Spanish–American War, raised protective tariffs to promote American industry, and maintained the nation on the gold standard in a rejection of inflationary proposals.

Related Terms

Examples of William McKinley in the following topics:

  • The People's Party and the Election of 1896

    • When the Republicans nominated former Ohio Governor William McKinley for president in June 1896 and passed at his request a platform strongly supporting the gold standard, a number of "Silver Republicans" walked out of the convention.
    • In that year's presidential election, the Democrats nominated William Jennings Bryan, who focused (as Populists rarely did) on the free silver issue as a solution to the economic depression and the maldistribution of power.
    • He lost to Republican William McKinley by a margin of 600,000 votes, losing again in a 1900 rematch by a larger margin.
    • Assess the significance to the Populist Party William Jennings Bryan's 1896 presidential campaign

  • The Tariff and the Politics of Protection

    • The Tariff Act of 1890, commonly called the McKinley Tariff, was an act of the United States Congress framed by Representative William McKinley that became law on October 1, 1890.
    • McKinley, the act's framer and defender, was then assassinated.
    • After reversing the Harrison administration's silver policy, Cleveland sought next to reverse the effects of the McKinley tariff.
    • What would become the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act was introduced by West Virginian Representative William L.
    • Even so, he believed it was an improvement over the McKinley tariff and allowed it to become law without his signature.

  • War, Empire, and an Emerging American World Power

    • With the landslide election victory of William McKinley, who had risen to national prominence six years earlier with the passage of the McKinley Tariff of 1890, a high tariff was passed in 1897 and a decade of rapid economic growth and prosperity ensued, building national self-confidence.
    • Roosevelt continued the McKinley policies of removing the Catholic friars (with compensation to the Pope), upgrading the infrastructure, introducing public health programs, and launching a program of economic and social modernization.
    • The US demanded Spain stop its oppressive policies in Cuba; public opinion (overruling McKinley) led to the short, successful Spanish-American War in 1898.
    • " to the waiter, president William McKinley.

  • Silverties Versus Goldbugs

    • William Jennings Bryan, who took over leadership of the Democratic Party in 1896 as well as the Populist and Silver Republican Parties, demanded bimetallism and "Free Silver. " The Republican Party nominated William McKinley on a platform supporting the gold standard which was favored by financial interests on the east coast.
    • The McKinley campaign effectively persuaded voters that the Bryan platform would exacerbate poor economic progress and unemployment.
    • McKinley was elected in 1896.

  • From Roosevelt to Taft

    • In 1908, Theodore Roosevelt persuaded the Republican Party to nominate William Howard Taft to run against Democratic candidate William Bryan.
    • The United States presidential election of 1908 was between Republican party candidate William Howard Taft and Democratic nominee William Jennings Bryan.
    • On their side, the Democrats, after badly losing the 1904 election with a conservative candidate, turned to two-time nominee William Jennings Bryan, who had been defeated in 1896 and 1900 by Republican William McKinley.

  • The Debate over American Imperialism

    • Many of the League's leaders were classical liberals and "Bourbon Democrats" (Grover Cleveland Democrats) who believed in free trade, a gold standard, and limited government; they opposed William Jennings Bryan's candidacy in the 1896 presidential election.
    • Instead of voting for protectionist Republican William McKinley, however, many, including Edward Atkinson, Moorfield Storey, and Grover Cleveland, cast their ballots for the National Democratic Party presidential ticket of John M.
    • Particularly controversial was the League's endorsement of William Jennings Bryan, a renowned anti-imperialist but also the leading critic of the gold standard.
    • Caricature shows William Jennings Bryan dressed as a jester wearing a sign, "I AM AGAINST AMERICAN IMPERIALISM" and he is flanked by two sinister figures with hostile expressions wearing similar signs; the one on the left is labeled "Chinese Boxer" and holds a blood-dripping sword; the one on the right labeled "Filipino" in ragged clothes carrying a spear.
    • "President McKinley fires a cannon into the Imperialist Strawman," by W.A.

  • The Cuban War of Independence

    • During the administration of William McKinley, the USS Maine was sent to Havana on a "courtesy visit", designed to remind the Spanish of American concern over the rough-handling of the insurrection.
    • McKinley tried to preserve the peace but, within a few months, believing delay futile, he recommended armed intervention.
    • Calixto García, a general of Cuban rebel forces, (right) with American Brigadier General William Ludlow with Cuban rebels in the background, 1898.
    • Calixto García, a general of Cuban rebel forces, (right) with American Brigadier General William Ludlow and Cuban rebels in the background, 1898.

  • The Farm Problem and Agrarian Protest Movements

    • To make matters worse, the McKinley Tariff of 1890 was one of the highest the country had ever seen.
    • Pleading with the convention not to "crucify mankind on a cross of gold," William Jennings Bryan, the young Nebraskan champion of silver, won the Democrats' presidential nomination.
    • Despite carrying the South and all the West except California and Oregon, Bryan lost the more populated, industrial North and East—and the election—to the Republican William McKinley with his campaign slogan "A Full Dinner Pail".

  • The Election of 1904

    • Incumbent President and Republican candidate Theodore Roosevelt, having succeeded to the presidency upon the assassination of William McKinley in September 1901, was elected to a term in his own right during the Election of 1904.
    • Following the McKinley assassination, from 1902-1903, he had effectively maneuvered into control of the Republican party to ensure he would have enough supporters to seek reelection.

  • The Scurrilous Campaign

    • The Tariff Act of 1890, commonly called the "McKinley Tariff," was an act of the U.S.
    • Congress framed by Representative William McKinley that became law on October 1, 1890.
    • McKinley, the act's framer and defender, was then assassinated.
    • After reversing the Harrison administration's silver policy, Cleveland sought next to reverse the effects of the McKinley tariff.
    • Even so, he believed it was an improvement over the McKinley tariff and allowed it to become law without his signature.