President McKinley: Architect of the American Century

By Robert W. Merry

Book Overview

"A deft character study of a president."-- The New York Times Book Review "A valuable education on where America has been and, possibly, where it is going."-- National Review "Magisterial."-- The Christian Science Monitor In this great American story, acclaimed historian Robert Merry resurrects the presidential reputation of William McKinley, which loses out to the brilliant and flamboyant Theodore Roosevelt who succeeded him after his assassination. He portrays McKinley as a chief executive of consequence whose low place in the presidential rankings does not reflect his enduring accomplishments and the stamp he put on the country's future role in the world. Republican President William McKinley in his two terms as president (1897 - 1901) transformed America. He established the US as an imperial power. Although he does not register large in either public memory or in historians' rankings, in this revealing account, Robert W. Merry unfolds the mystery of how this bland man managed so much powerful change. McKinley settled decades of monetary controversy by taking the country to a strict gold standard; in the Spanish-American war he kicked Spain out of the Caribbean and liberated Cuba from Spain; in the Pacific he acquired Hawaii and the Philippines through war and diplomacy; he developed the doctrine of "fair trade"; forced the "Open Door" to China; forged our "special relationship" with Great Britain. In short, he established the non-colonial imperialism that took America into global preeminence. He expanded executive power and managed public opinion through his quiet manipulation of the press. McKinley paved the way for the bold and flamboyant leadership of his famous successor, Teddy Roosevelt, who built on his accomplishments (and got credit for them). Merry writes movingly about McKinley's admirable personal life, from his simple Midwestern upbringing to his Civil War heroism to his brave comportment just moments before his death by assassination (it was only six months into his second term when he was shot). Lively, definitive, and eye-opening, President McKinley resurrects this overlooked president and places him squarely on the list of one of the most important.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1451625448
• ISBN13: 9781451625448
• Release Date: November 2017
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 624 Pages
• Weight: 2.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.8" x 6.1" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Excellent book on the 25th US president...

This is an excellent book on the 25th President of the US as well as of the last decade of the 19th century. If you are interested in US history, this explains both the man (McKinley, from how he rose to become a popular leader, and then president) and the issues of the times (tariffs, gold and silver as standards for the currency, Hawaii, the Spanish-American War, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines). It also provides a portrait of First Lady Ida and the rise of Theodore Roosevelt. My only criticism is that at a few points, it gets deep in the weeds of the politics and politicians from the time. This will give you a solid understanding of how President McKinley's administration was a major step towards the US becoming the global superpower it became. My advice is to first read "A Man of Iron" (by Troy Senik) first, then this. - Gregory Bullock, author of "HISTORY IN FEWER WORDS, Vol. 1: THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD