William McKinley and His America | 
 enlarge | Author: H. Wayne Morgan
Publisher: Kent State University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $65.00
Buy New: $43.85
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Avg. Customer Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 686804
Media: Hardcover
Edition: Revised
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 672
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 5.9 x 1.5
ISBN: 0873387651
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.88092
EAN: 9780873387651
ASIN: 0873387651
Publication Date: January 2004
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| Customer Reviews:
 An Excellent Overview of a Long-Forgotten and Under-Appreciated American President May 17, 2008
In his "Preface to the Revised Edition," Professor Morgan asserts: "I should emphasize that this is a biography not a history of the period." However, the only disappointing facet of the treatment is that the author provides more background than biography. While he presents a man of character, little in-depth material is offered addressing the roots of that character development and its application in daily non-political affairs.
Perhaps the lacuna in the author's snapshot of the man is due to the paucity of revelatory material and McKinley's reticence to disclose his thoughts on a variety of issues. Perhaps it is a result of McKinley's focus.
Despite this failing, Professor Morgan has offered an insightful narrative, written in a very pleasing style, addressing the ride to eminence of a little-known American leader. Leaving aside the rather mundane discussion of McKinley's tariff and monetary principles, the book crests with the account of the President's foreign policy in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War.
On the whole, McKinley emerges as a great or near-great American figure, a man who consciously fulfilled what he considered his Providential destiny. That desitiny included the unification of American interests in the long-endured wake of the Civil War.
The book is spiced with sufficient anecdotal material (such as the President's resistence to tightened personal security measures in anticipation of his visit to the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, the road to assassination, with the words: "Who will attack me?" I haven't an enemy in the world.") to maintain the reader's anticipatory interest.
On the whole, "William McKinley and his America" is an excellent read. It fills a much-needed vacuum in the history of the American Presidency. And - with his last words, "It is God's way. His will, not ours, be done. Nearer My God to Thee," William McKinley revealed himself to posterity as the man of confidence and transcendental awareness that made his Presidential leadership right for the time.
 Outstanding Biography October 30, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I read this bio in my ongoing project of reading a biography on every President. This was an outstanding bio of what seems to be a very underrated man and President.
I didn't know anything about McKinley prior to reading Morgan's book. Other than he was assasinated in Buffalo and helped TR springboard to the Presidency.
I found his life to be very interesting and well detailed. The research was outstanding. The author spent enough time on some of the more laborious subjects such as the gold/silver debate. He also went into detail on the Spanish-American war and the issue in the Phillipines. These were subjects I was very interested in knowing more about and Morgan was sure to detail these which I appreciated.
I think he understood his reader pretty well in this bio. He did a nice job of detailing McKinley's early years and his relationship with friends and family.
As someone that has read a lot of Presidential bios this one was definitely worth reading.
Brilliant Writing by H. Wayne Morgan July 31, 2006
9 out of 13 found this review helpful
Dr. Morgan is the type historian everyone should have in school. If I had studied history under Dr. Morgan, I might have majored in history rather than engineering. Dr. Morgan makes reading history fun and enlightening. He makes events come to life and makes one feel as if he is witnessing history first-hand.
If not for this book, I might have missed the great contributions of this American President.
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