William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinleywas the 25th President of the United States, serving from March 4, 1897, until his assassination in September 1901, six months into his second term. 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...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionUS President
Date of Birth29 January 1843
CityNiles, OH
CountryUnited States of America
Half-heartedness never won a battle.
The free man cannot be long an ignorant man.
Illiteracy must be banished from the land if we shall attain that high destiny as the foremost of the enlightened nations of the world which, under Providence, we ought to achieve.
Strong hearts and helpful hands are needed, and, fortunately, we have them in every part of our beloved country.
The American people, intrenched in freedom at home, take their love for it with them wherever they go...
We go to war only to make peace. We never went to war with any other design. We carry the national conscience wherever we go.
What in the world had Grover Cleveland done? Will you tell me? You give it up? I have been looking for six weeks for a Democrat who could tell me what Cleveland has done for the good of his country and for the benefit of the people, but I have not found him.... He says himself...that two-thirds of his time has been uselessly spent with Democrats who want office.... Now he has been so occupied in that way that he has not done anything else.
I went down on my knees and prayed to Almighty God for light and guidance and one night late it came to me this way. We could not leave (the Philippines) to themselves-they were unfit for self-government-and they would soon have anarchy and misrule over there worse than Spain's was. There was nothing left for us to do but take them all and educate the Filipinos, and uplift and Christianize them.
The people of this country want an industrial policy that is for America and Americans.
I do not prize the word cheap. It is not a word of inspiration. It is the badge of poverty, the signal of distress. Cheap merchandise means cheap men and cheap men mean a cheap country.
The path of progress is seldom smooth. New things are often found hard to do. Our fathers found them so. We find them so. But are we not made better for the effort and scarifice?
I have never been in doubt since I was old enough to think intelligently that I would someday be made President.
I am for America because America is for the common people.
The liberty to make our laws does not give us the freedom nor the license to break our laws!