William McKinley and the Rhetorical Presidency

Abstract

William McKinley's important role in the development of the rhetorical presidency has been underappreciated. Based on his speeches during a fall 1898 tour and contemporaneous newspaper reports, this article argues that McKinley discussed controversial policy issues, attempted to sway public opinion, and engaged in partisan campaigning. These findings offer new evidence that contradicts Jeffrey K. Tulis's claim that chief executives avoided such activity until Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson—embracing Progressive ideology—transformed the presidency into a more visible and popular institution rooted in public speaking. McKinley's rhetorical behavior is not fatal to Tulis's thesis, but it does suggest that McKinley belongs in the “middle way” category.

Reassessing the Assumptions behind the Evolution of Popular Presidential Communication

“…While many authors have challenged Tulis, the debate continues, in part because of the lack of systematic analysis over time (but see Bimes ). Many challenges have focused on individual presidents and their rhetorical behavior (Arnold ; Ellis ; Ellis and Walker ; Medhurst ; Saldin ). Elvin T. Lim's The Anti‐Intellectual Presidency () stands out for providing systematic, quantitative support for Tulis' conclusion that Wilson was an inflection point in the development of SPPC.…”