Term paper on Assassination of President McKinley

Assassination of President McKinley

Less than six months into his second administration President William McKinley traveled to Buffalo to attend the Pan-American Exposition. On September 6, 1901, after delivering a speech to a crowd estimated at 50,000, he hosted a public reception, where he was shot by Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist. Despite his serious wound, the president asked that his assailant not be harmed. Physicians never found the bullet that lodged in McKinley’s stomach, but his condition seemed improved. Nonetheless, he died on September 14 as a result of infection that stemmed from questionable medical treatment. Czolgosz was tried, convicted, and executed for the assassination.
Suggestions for Term Papers

1. Discuss why President McKinley attended the exposition.

2. Discuss why anarchists like Leon Czolgosz believed it was necessary to assassinate leaders like McKinley.

3. Did poor medical treatment lead to McKinley’s death?

4. Did Czolgosz receive a fair trial, and was his execution justifiable?

5. What effect did McKinley’s assassination have on American history?

REFERENCE SOURCES

William McKinley: A Bibliography . Lewis L. Gould. Westport, CT: Meckler, 1988. Serviceable guide to McKinley literature.

William McKinley, 1843–1901: Chronology, Documents, Bibliographical Aids. Harry J. Sievers, ed. Dobbs Ferry , NY : Oceana, 1970. Small collection of documents and source material; contains a chronology and bibliographical references.

William Thomas McKinley: A Bio-bibliography . Jeffrey S. Sposato. Westport, CT : Greenwood, 1995. Detailed bibliography providing references to McKinley’s life and career.

GENERAL SOURCES

Dobson, John M. Reticent Expansionism: The Foreign Policy of William McKinley. Pittsburgh: Duquesne University Press, 1988. Brief overview of foreign relations and territorial expansion during the McKinley period up to the time of the President’s assassination.

Ford, Franklin L. Political Murder: From Tyrannicide to Terrorism. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1985. Evolution of assassination as a political tool.

McElroy, Richard L. William McKinley and Our America : A Pictorial History. Canton, OH : Stark County Historical Society, 1996. Fine illustrated history of the McKinley years.

McKinley, James. Assassination in America. New York : Harper&Row, 1977. General account of assassination on politics and the American conscience.

BIOGRAPHICAL SOURCES

Collins, David R. William McKinley, 25th President of the United States. Ada, OK: Garret Educational, 1990. Brief and easy-to-read narrative describing McKinley’s life beginning with his childhood.

Gould, Lewis L. The Presidency of William McKinley. Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 1980. Good study of McKinley’s life and political career. Part of the publisher’s American Presidency Series.

Higgins, Eva. William McKinley: An Inspiring Biography. Canton, OH: Daring, 1989. Brief biography including McKinley’s politics, philosophy, and events of his term.

Johns, A. Wesley. The Man Who Shot McKinley . South Brunswick , NJ : A. S. Barnes, 1970. The only book-length study of McKinley’s assassin.

Morgan, H. Wayne. William McKinley and His America . Syracuse , NY : Syracuse University Press, 1963. Still the best book-length biography of McKinley.

Olcott, Charles S. William McKinley . (1916). Reprint. New York : AMS, 1972. 2 vols. Extensive and detailed biography of McKinley’s life and presidency. First published under the title The Life of William McKinley.

PERIODICAL ARTICLES

Smith, T. Burton. ‘‘Assassination Medicine.” American Heritage 43:116–119 (September 1992). Speculation on ways that modern medicine might have helped save McKinley and other nineteenth-century assassination victims.

Sneed, Don. ‘‘Newspapers Call for Swift Justice: A Study of the McKinley Assassination.” Journalism Quarterly 65:360–375 (Summer 1988). How a biased press may have denied Czolgosz a fair trial.

AUDIOVISUAL SOURCES

From the Courthouse to the White House: The Life and Times of William McKinley. Canton, OH : Canton Preservation Society, 1990. Videocassette. 35-minute program prepared by the historical society of McKinley’s home town.

William McKinley, 1843–1901, 25th President of the United States of America. Chatsworth, CA: Timeless Video, 1992. Videocassette. 18-minute video of footage from the Library of Congress showing

McKinley in office, at the Buffalo Exposition; shots of the McKinley funeral procession and Czolgosz’s execution. Also available through the Library of Congress American Memory web site.

WORLD WIDE WEB

‘‘Speech That Prompted Murderous Assault on the President.” The Goldman Papers—Emma Goldman Online Exhibition. August 1996. http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/Goldman/Exhibition/assassination.html Reprint of article from Chicago Daily Tribune, September 8, 1901, attributing responsibility for the assassination to Goldman’s speech delivered in Cleveland on May 6.