| An Overview of McKinley's Administration William
McKinley guided the United States onto the path toward
world leadership. During his term, American business
flourished at home and abroad, and American soldiers and
sailors won the Spanish-American
War. Guam,
Hawaii,
the Philippines,
Puerto
Rico, and American
Samoa all came under the Stars and Stripes.
The number of business trusts reached a new high under
McKinley, and his administration did little to enforce
the antitrust laws. Electric lights and telephones added
to the excitement of McKinley's day, as did the
newfangled "horseless carriages."
official White House portrait by William D. Murphy
| Election
of 1896 |
| Place of Nominating
Convention |
St. Louis |
| Ballot on Which
Nominated |
1st |
| Democratic Opponent |
William
Jennings Bryan |
| Electoral Vote |
271 to 176 |
| Popular Vote |
7,102,246 to 6,492,559 |
| |
|
| Vice-President and
Cabinet |
| Vice-President |
Garret A. Hobart |
| Secretary
of State |
John Sherman
William R. Day (1898) |
| Secretary
of the Treasury |
Lyman J. Gage |
| Secretary
of War |
Russell A. Alger
Elihu Root (1899) |
| Attorney
General |
Joseph McKenna
John W. Griggs (1898) |
| Postmaster
General |
James A. Gary
Charles E. Smith (1898) |
| Secretary
of the Navy |
John D. Long |
| Secretary
of the Interior |
Cornelius N. Bliss
Ethan A. Hitchcock (1898) |
| Secretary
of Agriculture |
James Wilson |
| |
|
Major
Domestic Events of His Administration
Population in 1901: 77,600,000 |
| 1897 |
Congress passed the Dingley
Tariff Act. |
| 1898, February 15 |
The battleship Maine
exploded in the harbor of Havana, Cuba. |
| 1898, April 25 |
Congress declared war on Spain. |
| 1898 |
The United States annexed
Hawaii. |
| 1899 |
As a result of the treaty ending
the Spanish-American War, the U.S. takes
possession of Puerto Rico and Guam, and purchases
the Philippines. It also takes military control
of Cuba. |
| 1899 |
The United States issued the
"Open-Door" notes asking for equality
of trade in China. |
| 1900 |
Two islands in the Samoan
Islands came under U.S. control. |
| 1900 |
The Gold Standard Act was
passed. |
| 1900 |
The American Baseball League was
organized. |
| |
|
| Major
World Events of His Administration |
| 1898 |
The Spanish-American War was
fought. |
| 1898 |
Pierre and Marie
Curie isolated the element radium. |
| 1899-1901 |
The British and Dutch fought the
Boer War. |
| 1899-1901 |
The Filipinos revolted against
American rule. |
| 1900-1901 |
The Boxer
Rebellion flared in North China. |
Print Source
World Book Encyclopedia Chicago: World
Book-Childcraft International, Inc., 1979
Internet Sources
American President millercenter.org
Presidents of the United States www.ipl.org
See Also
Spanish-American War
Guam
Hawaii
Philippines
Puerto
Rico
American
Samoa
William Jennings Bryan
Cuba
Samoan
Islands
Marie
Curie
Boxer
Rebellion
Questions
or comments about this page?
|
