All presidents have power and have a position of importance, but some make more of their time in the White House than others. McKinley is one of the few presidents that is known for making progress a major priority. He became the president at a time in history when the country was in transition, but he was able to take reigns of the country at a difficult time and pull them through. He was known as someone who stood for protectionist legislation, but it is important to know what his real contributions were. Taking a closer look at his major accomplishments while in office will give you new insight to McKinley. Here are a few of the biggest accomplishments of William McKinley.
Dingley Tariff Act
When most presidents first get into office they take things slowly and do not look to make reform changes right away, but this is not how William approached his time as president. He was one of the few that was ready to make big changes right away and approving the Dingley Tariff Act was one of his biggest moves. This was an Act that was designed to raise tariffs to a new high. This did not make William the most popular president from the beginning, but it was seen to be a good move looking back at his presidency. McKinley was not afraid to make big changes, which is why so much progress occurred while he was president.
Major Player
One of the biggest advancements that took place while McKinley was president, was his ability to make the country a major player. US grew as a power under McKinley and this is something that has not been relinquished since, However, he is the president that was at the helm when the united States finally became known as the biggest power and a major player. The US was a world power at the end of his tenure as president and this is something that did not seem possible when he first took office and the country was in a state of transition, but William was able to make it happen with the reforms that he enacted.
Death
Even his death was something that changed the country. He was hit with a bullet shot by an assassin and ended up dying a week after first being shot. This was something that sent the entire country into mourning.