When you think of the presidents who actually "made" the United States a global superpower, your mind probably jumps straight to Teddy Roosevelt. The big stick, the Panama Canal, the Rough Rider energy—it’s a lot. But honestly? TR was essentially driving a car that William McKinley built.
If you ask a random person today, "Was William McKinley a good president?" you’ll likely get a blank stare or a vague memory of an assassination in Buffalo. He’s the guy on the $500 bill that nobody carries. Yet, historians have spent the last few decades drastically rewriting his legacy. He went from being seen as a "weak" puppet of big business to being hailed as the first modern president.
The "Puppet" Myth and the 1896 Realignment
For a long time, the narrative was that McKinley was just a "man of straw" for Mark Hanna, the wealthy industrialist who basically invented modern political fundraising. People saw McKinley as this passive, kindly old man who did whatever the "trusts" told him to do.
That’s basically wrong.
The 1896 election wasn't just a win; it was a total earthquake. McKinley ran against William Jennings Bryan, the "Cross of Gold" guy who wanted to inflate the currency with silver to help farmers. McKinley stuck to the Gold Standard and high tariffs. He promised a "full dinner pail," and he delivered.
When he took office, the U.S. was still reeling from the Panic of 1893. By the time he was in full swing, the economy was booming. He didn't just stumble into prosperity—he engineered a coalition of urban workers and industrial giants that kept the GOP in power for decades. You’ve gotta respect the hustle; he ran the first truly modern campaign without even leaving his front porch in Canton, Ohio.
The War That Changed Everything
Then there's the Spanish-American War. This is where the "good president" debate gets messy.
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Spain was being pretty brutal in Cuba. The "Yellow Press"—guys like Hearst and Pulitzer—were screaming for blood. Then the USS Maine blew up in Havana Harbor. Most people think McKinley was pushed into war by the newspapers. Actually, the dude tried everything to avoid it. He’d seen the Civil War firsthand (he was the last president to serve in it as an enlisted man) and he hated the idea of more killing.
But once it started, he was decisive. In 100 days, the U.S. crushed an old European empire.
- The Gains: The U.S. took Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
- The Annexation: He grabbed Hawaii too.
- The Status: Suddenly, the U.S. wasn't just a big country in North America; it was an empire with a seat at the table in Asia and the Caribbean.
Critics call this the birth of American Imperialism. They aren't wrong. The Philippine-American War that followed was a bloody, ugly guerrilla conflict that killed thousands of civilians. If your definition of a "good" president includes "doesn't start colonial wars," McKinley’s grade drops fast.
Why He’s the "First Modern President"
He basically invented the presidential press briefing. Before McKinley, the White House was a pretty informal place. He changed that. He expanded the staff, used the telephone to manage war rooms in real-time, and traveled the country to sell his policies directly to the voters.
He also moved the needle on civil rights—sorta. He was more progressive than the guys who came before him, appointing Black Americans to some federal posts. But he also didn't do much to stop the rise of Jim Crow in the South because he was obsessed with "national reconciliation." He wanted the North and South to be buddies again, and sadly, that often happened at the expense of Black citizens.
The Bottom Line: Success or Failure?
Most modern historians, like Robert Merry or Kevin Phillips, rank him in the "Near Great" or at least "Above Average" category.
He took a country that was depressed and inward-looking and turned it into an international powerhouse. He gave the presidency the tools it needed to lead in the 20th century. If he hadn't been shot by Leon Czolgosz in 1901, he probably would have spent his second term breaking up the very trusts people accused him of serving. He was already starting to talk about "reciprocity" in trade—basically moving away from high tariffs toward a more globalized economy.
Next Steps for History Buffs:
If you want to really get into the weeds of whether McKinley was a "good" president, you shouldn't just read a textbook.
- Compare him to TR: Read The Imperial Cruise by James Bradley. It shows how McKinley’s decisions in the Pacific set the stage for everything that went wrong (and right) in the 20th century.
- Look at the 1896 Election: Check out Karl Rove’s book The Triumph of William McKinley. Regardless of your politics, his breakdown of how McKinley built a "new majority" is a masterclass in political strategy.
- Visit the Memorial: If you’re ever in Canton, Ohio, the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum is actually incredible. You can see the transition from the Gilded Age to the Modern Age in real-time.
Basically, McKinley was the bridge. He ended the 19th century and kicked the door open for the 20th. Whether you like what was on the other side of that door is up to you.