- William McKinley was the 25th President of the United States from 1897 until his death in 1901. He led the nation to victory in the Spanish-American War and previously served in the Civil War. - McKinley promoted protective tariffs and the gold standard as president. He hoped to gain Cuba's independence from Spain peacefully but ultimately led the US into the Spanish-American War in 1898 after negotiations failed. - In 1899, McKinley issued the Benevolent Assimilation Proclamation to announce the US's intentions in the Philippines as coming "not as invaders or conquerors, but as friends."

3. -25th President of the United States, serving from March
4, 1897, until his death.
-McKinley led the nation to victory in the Spanish–
American War.
-McKinley served in the Civil War and rose from private
to brevet major.
In 1876, he was elected to Congress, where he became
the Republican Party's expert on the protective tariff,
which he promised would bring prosperity.

4. -1891 and 1893, He was elected Ohio's governor
-Rapid economic growth marked McKinley's presidency.
He promoted the 1897 Dingley Tariff to protect
manufacturers and factory workers from foreign
competition, and in 1900, he secured the passage of
the Gold Standard Act.
-McKinley hoped to persuade Spain to grant
independence to rebellious Cuba without conflict, but
when negotiation failed, he led the nation in the Spanish–
American War of 1898

6. Benevolent assimilation
Dec. 21, 1898, President McKinley issued the BENEVOLENT
ASSIMILATION PROCLAMATION, announced in the Philippines on
Jan. 4, 1899
The U.S. have "come, not as invaders or conquerors, but as
friends, to protect the natives in their homes, in their
employment, and in their personal and religious rights."
U.S. wanted to "win the confidence, respect, and affection of the
inhabitants of the Philippines by assuring them in every possible
way that full measure of individual rights and liberties which is
the heritage of free peoples, and by proving to them that the
mission of the United States is one of benevolent assimilation
substituting the mild sway of justice and right for arbitrary rule."

7. Benevolent assimilation
The proclamation reads in part:
Finally, it should be the earnest wish and paramount aim
of the military administration to win the confidence,
respect, and affection of the inhabitants of the
Philippines by assuring them in every possible way that
full measure of individual rights and liberties which is the
heritage of free peoples, and by proving to them that the
mission of the United States is one of benevolent
assimilation substituting the mild sway of justice and
right for arbitrary rule.

8. -The proclamation was sent to General Elwell Otis (U.S.
military commander in the Philippines)
-Otis sent Emilio Aguinaldo a version of the proclamation
which he bowdlerized by removing the mention of
U.S. sovereignty "to stress our benevolent purpose" and
not "offend Filipino sensibilities" by substituting "free
people" for "supremacy of the United States," and
deleting "to exercise future domination".
May 24, 1898- Aguinaldo had proclaimed an insurgent
dictatorial government in the Philippines

9. June 12, 1898- proclaimed Philippine Independence
June 23, 1898- changed the dictatorial government to a
revolutionary one
-General Otis had also sent an unaltered copy of the
proclamation to General Marcus Miller in Iloilo City who,
unaware that an altered version had been sent to
Aguinaldo, passed a copy to a Filipino official there.