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Table of Contents
William McKinley was the 25th President of the United States from 1897 – 1901. His administration was known for the US victory during the Spanish – American War, protective tariffs, and the Gold Revenue Act. See the fact file below for more information on William Mckinley or alternatively download our comprehensive worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Early Life
- William McKinley was born on January 29, 1843, in Niles, Ohio, the seventh child of William McKinley and Nancy Allison.
- In 1852, the McKinleys moved to Poland, Ohio.
- William enrolled at a local school run by Methodist Church. In 1860, he attended Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. A year later, he left school due to illness and financial strain.
- William joined Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War at the age of 23. In 1865, he left the army with a rank of brevet major.
- In 1866, William returned to Poland, Ohio and eventually attended Albany Law School. The following year, he was admitted to the bar. Subsequently, he opened his law practice in Canton, Ohio.
- In 1869, William was elected to the office of the prosecuting attorney. By 1871, he lost his bid for re-election.
- On January 25, 1871, William married Ida Saxton. The couple had two children, Katherine (1871 – 1875) and Ida (1873) who died the same year she was born. By 1875, Katherine died due to typhoid fever. The couple was greatly devastated and Ida descended into a deep depression. William never left his side and continued to be a devoted husband.
- In 1876, William was elected to the US House of Representatives and served from 1877 to 1883 and 1885 to 1891.
- In 1890, he authored the Mckinley Tariff in which rates on imported goods were raised to protect the local products.
- In 1891, William was elected as Governor of Ohio and served until 1896.
- McKinley nearly lost all his wealth during the Panic of 1893. He acted as the guarantor to his friend who lost all his money which prompted him to pay $100,000. He considered returning to law practice for financial recovery but his supporters helped him by putting up a trust fund for him.
- In 1896, William was nominated as the Presidential candidate by the Republican Party.
- During his campaign period, William never left Ohio. he delivered all his speeches in front of his porch to 750,000 delegates who visited. Representative part speakers delivered his speeches on his behalf all throughout the country.
- William was elected as President by a landslide of the popular vote as well as the majority of the electoral vote.
Presidency
- On March 4, 1897, William took his oath of office in front of the original Senate Wing, U.S. Capitol.
- In July 1897, William signed the Dingley Tariff law in which it further raised custom fees on imported goods.
- By 1898, the US – Spanish relationship further strained when US Battleship Maine exploded in February 1898 during its visit to Cuba, a Spanish colony. 266 American were on board at the time of its explosion. The US Government believed that the reason is external while Spain believed that the cause of the explosion is internal.
- William McKinley requested Congress to give him the authority to “use armed force in Cuba” for, at that time, tension escalated in Cuba between the revolutionaries and the Spanish Government. His request was successful in which McKinley was granted the authority to intervene in Cuba.
- Eventually, the Congress passed the Volunteer Army Act which created in which the First Volunteer Cavalry for Cuba. McKinley called for 125,000 volunteers to fight against Spain. Furthermore, he ordered all ports in Cuba to be blockaded.
- Spain declared war against the United States on April 23, 1898.
- In June 1898, William signed the War Revenue Act wherein taxes on tobacco, beer, amusements, and various business transactions were levied. The act raised $150 million dollars annually.
- The Spanish – American War was fought in Cuba and the Philippines which were colonies of Spain. The Spaniards were defeated hence, in return, Puerto Rico, and Guam, also Spanish colonies fell in the hand of the US Government.
- William signed the joint resolution regarding the annexation of Hawaii as US territory in July 1898. By April 1900, Congress passed an act which establishes the territory of Hawaii.
- In July 1898, Spanish troops in Santiago de Cuba surrendered to the US Forces and a month later they surrendered on the Philippines.
- In September 1898, William McKinley sent a peace commission to negotiate with Spain regarding its former colonies, Cuba, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.
- The Treaty of Paris was signed on December 10, 1898. By February 1899, the US acquired Guam and Puerto Rico and assumed control over Cuba. Moreover, the US paid Spain the amount of $20 million to purchase the Philippines.
- In March 1900, William signed the Gold Standard Act wherein the law established gold as the standard value for all money and stop silver from being exchanged.
- William ran for reelection in 1900 and won. Theodore Roosevelt was his Vice President.
- William McKinley became the first president to drive an automobile during the summer of 1899 in which he drove a Stanley Steamer in Canton, Ohio.
Death and Legacy
- On September 14, 1901, William McKinley was at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York shaking hands with other officials when anarchist Leon Czolgosz shot him twice in the stomach. Eight days later, William died due to complications from his injuries. It was believed that his last words were “God’s will be done, not ours.”
- Czolgosz was put on trial for murder nine days later after McKinley’s death. He was found guilty and was sentenced to death on September 26. He was executed by electric chair on October 29, 1901
- William’s casket was brought to the White House then to US Capitol rotunda in which it was viewed by about 100,000 people.
- On September 18, 1901, his casket was brought via train to his hometown in Canton, Ohio.
- William’s funeral service was held at a Methodist Church. A memorial to him was being planned hence, he was temporarily interred in a vault at West Lawn Cemetery
- The construction for the McKinley National Memorial in Canton began on June 6, 1905. The memorial was dedicated to William mcKinley by President Theodore Roosevelt on September 30, 1907.
- Months before the completion of the memorial, Ida Saxton McKinley died. She was entombed next to her husband in the memorial.
- Artifacts about William McKinley was housed in the William McKinley Presidential Library as well as in a museum in Canton, Ohio.
- President William Howard Taft dedicated the National McKinley Birthplace Memorial Library and Museum in Niles, Ohio on October 5, 1917.
William Mckinley Worksheets
This bundle contains 11 ready-to-use William Mckinley Worksheets that are perfect for students who want to learn more about America’s 25th President. His administration was known for the US victory during the Spanish – American War, protective tariffs, and the Gold Revenue Act.
Download includes the following worksheets
- William McKinley Facts
- William McKinley Word Search
- Did it Happen?
- Word Scramble
- Odd One Out
- William McKinley’s Timeline
- My Two Cents on the Matter
- Benevolent Assimilation
- Death of a President
- William McKinley’s Legacy
- William McKinley Acrostic
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Link will appear as William Mckinley Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, September 3, 2017
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.