Presidential Chronicles

William McKinley #9: Cuba, China, and Canal (1898-1901); Topics covered include: Presidency of William McKinley, postwar actions n Cuba, Teller Amendment, Platt Amendment, Cuban Constitution, Open Door Policy with China, Boxer Rebellion and international response, and the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty (I and II) for the building of a Central American canal Key people: John Brooke, Orville Platt, John Hay,...

William McKinley #8: Liberator or Imperialist? (1898-1901); Topics covered include: Presidency of William McKinley; armistce ends fighting in the Spanish-American War; peace negotiations in Paris; Spain relinquishes Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Phillipines; McKinley's decision to take all of the Phillipines; "benevolent assimilation"; ongoing insurrection in the Phillipines led b...

William McKinley #7: War (1898); Topics covered include: Presidency of William McKinley, Declaration of War with Spain, change in Cabinet, status of U.S. Navy and Army, victory over Spanish Fleet in Manila Bay (The Philipines), bloackade of Spanish Fleet at Santiago Harbor (Cuba), the Rough Riders, U.S. army lands on Cuba, Battle for San Juan Heights, complete annexation of Hawaii, victory in Cuba...

William McKinley #6: Path to War (1897-1898); Topics covered include: Presidency of William McKinley, Uprising in Cuba, U.S. perspectives, negotiations with Spain, the de Lome letter, sinking of the USS Maine, views of the conflict from Congress, pressure to eclare war, talks break down, and war is declared with Spain Key people: William Calhoun, Valeriano Weyler, Stewart Woodford, Queen Maria Chr...

William McKinley #5: A Quick Start to the Presidency (1896-1897); Topics covered include: Relationship with Mark Hanna, Cabinet selection, inauguration as President of the United States, life ni the White House, Special Session of Congress, Dingley Tariff, abandons bimetallism in favor of hard currency, and moves to annex Hawaii Key people: Mark Hanna, Homer Davenport, John Sherman, Asa Bushnell,...

William McKinley #4: Governor and Beyond (1891-1896); Topics covered include: Elected Governor of Ohio; rituals with wife Ida; reform agenda; 1892 Republica National Convention; wins reelection as Governor; celebrates 25th wedding anniversary; 1896 election including strategy, approach, front porch campaign, and his election to the presidency Key people: James Campbell, Mark Hanna, Joseph Foraker,...

William McKinley #3: The McKinley Tariff (1881-1889); Topics covered include: Congressman, joins Ways & Means Committee, loses seat and wins it right back, focus = protection/high tariff, ttends National Republican Conventions, aligns with Mark Hanna, election of Benjamin Harrison, serious illness for Ida McKinley, becomes Chair of Ways & Means, passes the McKinley Tariff, and loses congre...

William McKinley #2: Law, Politics, and Ida (1865-1880); Topics covered include: Discharge from Union Army, moves to Canton (OH), becomes lawyer, joins Republican Party, meets and marries Ida Sexton, birth of daughters Katie and Ada, the deaths of both daughters, Ida's health, wins seat in Congress, aligns to protection/high tariffs, and his likeability Key people: Charles Glidden, Anne McKinl...

William McKinley #1: Teenage Warrior (1843-1865); Topics covered include: Parents, education, volunteers for Civil War (Ohio 23rd), various battles, promotions (ultimately Major), and views on McKinley and his service Key people: David McKinley, William McKinley, Sr., Nancy (Allison) McKinley, Anne McKinley, Abraham Lincoln, William Osborne, William Rosecrans, Stanley Matthews, Rutherford Hayes, J...

Benjamin Harrison #10: Busy Lame Duck, and Retirement (1893-1901); Topics covered include: Last months of presidency, nominates Supreme Court justice, rebellion in Hawaii, annexation treaty with Hawaii, inauguration of Grover Cleveland, Cleveland discards the annexation treaty with Hawaii, returns home to Indianapolis, quiet transition, lectures at Stanford, re-enters political arena with speeches...

Benjamin Harrison #9: Foreign Affairs, and Losses (1890-1893); Topics covered include: Presidency, travel, reciprocity trade deals, civil war in Chile, modernization of the U.S. Navy, Caroline Harrison becomes ill, election of 1892, receives the Republican nomination, quiet campaign, Caroline Harrison dies, and loses the election Key people: James Blaine, William McKinley, Winfield Schley, Chester...

Benjamin Harrison #8: Anti-Trust, Protection, and Bimetallism (1889-1890); Topics covered include: Presidency, Sherman Anti-trust Act, McKinley Tariff, Sherman Silver Purchase Act, Lodge Bill, midterm elections, and the establishment of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Key people: John Sherman, William McKinley, James Blaine, William McKinley, Henry Cabot Lodge, Joe Cannon, and William Evarts For...

Benjamin Harrison #7: Settling into the White House (1889); Topics covered include: Inauguration as President of the United States, Inaugural Address, office seekers, conflict with party leaders, family in the White House, presidential travel, military pensions, modernization of the U.S. Navy, Pan-American Conference, and the establishment of six new states Key people: Levi Morton, Matthew Quay, G...

Benjamin Harrison #6: National Leader (1888-1889); Topics covered include: Election of 1888, positions on the currency and tariff/protection, nominated at Republican National Convention, front porch campaign, elected President of the United States, forms Cabinet, and leaves for Washington, D.C. Key people: Grover Cleveland, James Blaine, Stephen Elkins, Louis Michener, Wharton Barker, Walter Gresh...

Benjamin Harrison #5: Senator Harrison (1880-1887); Topics covered include: Election of 1880, campaign for James Garfield, elected U.S. Senator, assassination of James Garfield, strong advocate for veterans issues, marriage of both children, election of 1884, and gerrymander in Indiana leads to loss in reelection campaign Key people: James Garfield, Carrie Harrison, Russell Harrison, Mamie Harriso...

Benjamin Harrison #4: Postwar: Law & Politics (1865-1878); Topics covered include: Return from war, reunite with family, reopen law practice, attend veterans reunions, case of Ex parte Milligan, Panic of 1873, buys new home, runs for Governor of Indiana (1876), serves on the Mississippi River Commission, death of father John Scott Harrison, and the grave robbing of his father's body Key pe...

Benjamin Harrison #3: The War Years (1862-1865); Topics covered include: Off to war with the 70th Indiana, skirmish at Russellville, loses job as Reporter for State Supreme Court, Emancipation Proclamation, Atlanta Campaign, Battle of Resaca, Battle of New Hope Church, Battle of Golgotha Church, Battle of Peach Tree Creek, promotion to Brigadier General, end of Civil War, and the Grand Review at W...

Benjamin Harrison #2: Getting Noticed (1854-1862); Topics covered include: Law practice (slow start), birth of son, Russell, aligns with Republican Party, elected City Attorney (Cincinnati), Secretary State Central Committee of the Republican Party (Indiana), birth of daughter, Mary (Mamie), elected Reporter for the State Supreme Court, election of Abraham Lincoln, Civil War begins, focus on law p...

Benjamin Harrison #1: Born to be a Politician (1833-1854); Topics covered include: Family lineage in American political history, growing up, religious teaching, education, marriages to Caroline (Carrie) Scott, and passing the Bar Key people: Benjamin Harrison V, William Henry Harrison, John Scott Harrison, Robert Bishop, John Scott, Caroline (Carrie) Scott, and Bellamy Stover For more information...

Grover Cleveland #10: Peace at Princeton (1897-1908); Topics covered include: Post-presidency, buys home in Princeton (NJ), relationship with the university, authors two books, family life in retirement, birth of his fourth and fifth children, death of his first born (Ruth), election of 1900, election of 1904, thoughts on the presidency, trustee of The Equitable, and his death Key people: Andrew W...

Grover Cleveland #9: Fighting the Good Fight to the End (1894-1897); Topics covered include: 2nd term, Pullman Strike, land dispute with Great Britain and Venezuela, Monroe Doctrine, currency wars, gold standard, bond sales, Democrats turn on him, election of 1892, and the end of his presidency Key people: George Pullman, Eugene Debs, Richard Olney, John Altgeld, Walter Gresham, James Monroe, J.P....

Grover Cleveland #8: Back to the White House (1893); Topics covered include: 2nd term inauguration and priorities, 2nd term Cabinet, rebellion in Hawaii, economic panic, cancer (and secrecy), and Special Session of Congress on the economy Key people: Thomas Bayard, Charles Fairchild, Walter Gresham, John Carlisle, Richard Olney, Shan Bissell, Daniel Lamont, Melvin Fuller, John Stevens, Sanford Dol...

Grover Cleveland #7: An Extended Interregnum (1888-1893); Topics covered include: Election of 1888, loss to Benjamin Harrison, post-presidency; birth of daughter (Ruth), opposed to Harrison administration policies; Election of 1892, and re-elected President of the United States Key people: Allen Thurman, James Blaine, Benjamin Harrison, David Hill, Frances Cleveland, Ruth Cleveland, Adlai Stevenso...

Grover Cleveland #6: Marriage and Economics (1885-1888); Topics covered include: Relationship with - and marriage to - Frances Folsom, purchase of Oak View, military pensions, Seed Bill, vetoes, currency battles, and attempt to lower the tariff Key people: Oscar Folsom, Emma Folsom, Frances Folsom, Daniel Lamont, Shan Bissell, William Cleveland, Daniel Manning, Charles Fairchild, William Morrison,...

Grover Cleveland #5: Reform President (1885-1886); Topics covered include: President; inauguration; Reform efforts: civil service, navy, western land, Indian relations, civil rights, and labor relations Key people: Chester Arthur, Rose Cleveland, William Sinclair, Daniel Lamont, William Whitney, Lucius Lamar, Phil Sheridan, Henry Dawes, and Frederick Douglass For more information on the "Pres...