The Second Coming of the KKK: The Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s and the American Political Tradition by Linda Gordon (review)

Saxton, a Canton banker’s daughter who had epilepsy, but who was well cared for by her husband. Having served in Congress between 1879 and 1891, he was known for the 1890 McKinley Tariff, which helped American industries and their workers. As Ohio governor between 1892 and 1896, McKinley significantly helped Ohio during the 1893 Panic. Chapters 11 through 23 reveal his role during his first presidential term and his leadership during the “splendid little war” with Spain. With financial help from Marcus Hannah, he became known for his “front-porch” campaign and defeated William Jennings Bryan in 1896.Two years later, he led America in its war against Spain: McKinley succeeded in suppressing Spain in Cuba and sent Commodore George Dewey to capture Manila Bay. By the terms of the 1898 Paris Treaty, America developed a presence in Cuba and annexed the Philippines and Guam. The final chapters focus on McKinley’s second presidential term. During this term, McKinley, who had again defeated the Populist Bryan, was assassinated during Buffalo’s Pan American Exposition by the anarchist Leon Czolgosz and died on September 14, 1901. This biography, which is well documented, is splendid. This lucidly written work, which is superior to the studies of Margaret Leech and H. Wayne Morgan, superbly demonstrates that this Buckeye president succeeded as a Gilded Age leader and more importantly as an American empire builder. R . Wil l iam Weisberger Butler County Community College