
The President and the Assassin
McKinley, Terror, and Empire at the Dawn of the American Century
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Narrated by:
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Arthur Morey
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By:
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Scott Miller
About this listen
In 1901, as America tallied its gains from a period of unprecedented imperial expansion, an assassin's bullet shattered the nation's confidence. The shocking murder of President William McKinley threw into stark relief the emerging new world order of what would come to be known as the American Century. The President and the Assassin is the story of the momentous years leading up to that event, and of the very different paths that brought together two of the most compelling figures of the era: President William McKinley and Leon Czolgosz, the anarchist who murdered him. The two men seemed to live in eerily parallel Americas. McKinley was to his contemporaries an enigma, a president whose conflicted feelings about imperialism reflected the country's own. Under its popular Republican commander-in-chief, the United States was undergoing an uneasy transition from a simple agrarian society to an industrial powerhouse spreading its influence overseas by force of arms. Czolgosz was on the losing end of the economic changes taking place---a first-generation Polish immigrant and factory worker sickened by a government that seemed focused solely on making the rich richer. With a deft narrative hand, journalist Scott Miller chronicles how these two men, each pursuing what he considered the right and honorable path, collided in violence at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. Along the way, listeners meet a veritable who's who of turn-of-the-century America: John Hay, McKinley's visionary secretary of state, whose diplomatic efforts paved the way for a half century of Western exploitation of China; Emma Goldman, the radical anarchist whose incendiary rhetoric inspired Czolgosz to dare the unthinkable; and Theodore Roosevelt, the vainglorious vice president whose 1898 charge up San Juan Hill in Cuba is but one of many thrilling military adventures recounted here.
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Story
The First Congress was the most important in US history, says prizewinning author and historian Fergus Bordewich, because it established how our government would actually function. Had it failed - as many at the time feared it would - it's possible that the United States as we know it would not exist today.
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Compelling
- By Jean on 03-05-18
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Lions of the West
- Heroes and Villains of the Westward Expansion
- By: Robert Morgan
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 18 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Thomas Jefferson, a naturalist and visionary, dreamed that the United States would stretch across the continent from ocean to ocean. The account of how that dream became reality unfolds in the stories of Jefferson and nine other Americans whose adventurous spirits and lust for land pushed the westward boundaries: Andrew Jackson, John “Johnny Appleseed” Chapman, David Crockett, Sam Houston, James K. Polk, Winfield Scott, Kit Carson, Nicholas Trist, and John Quincy Adams.
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Pretty good
- By Chelsey on 05-11-16
By: Robert Morgan
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John Hancock
- Merchant King and American Patriot
- By: Harlow Giles Unger
- Narrated by: David Stifel
- Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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John Hancock's overnight transformation from British loyalist to fiery rebel and first governor of the independent state of Massachusetts is one of the least known stories of the American Revolution. Acclaimed author Harlow Giles Unger introduces us to the Founding Father whose name is as recognizable as George Washington's, but whose thrilling life story is all but untold. Applying his historical expertise and storytelling gift, Unger details the fascinating life of one of our most extraordinary business and political leaders—the first signer of the Declaration of Independence.
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An easy read
- By Jean on 05-31-23
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Theodore Roosevelt
- A Strenuous Life
- By: Kathleen Dalton
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 27 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Esteemed Harvard University historian and Associate Fellow Kathleen Dalton has been studying Theodore Roosevelt since 1975. This authoritative work, incorporating the latest scholarship, paints a compelling portrait of the president in all his robust glory.
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Excellent Biography
- By viennacoup on 10-18-05
By: Kathleen Dalton
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Supreme Power
- Franklin Roosevelt vs. the Supreme Court
- By: Jeff Shesol
- Narrated by: Mel Foster
- Length: 23 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Beginning in 1935, in a series of devastating decisions, the Supreme Court's conservative majority left much of Franklin Roosevelt's agenda in ruins. The pillars of the New Deal fell in short succession. It was not just the New Deal but democracy itself that stood on trial. In February 1937, Roosevelt struck back with an audacious plan to expand the Court to fifteen justices - and to "pack" the new seats with liberals who shared his belief in a "living" Constitution.
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Excellent Book and Naration
- By Nostromo on 07-04-10
By: Jeff Shesol
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A Wicked War
- Polk, Clay, Lincoln and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico
- By: Amy S. Greenberg
- Narrated by: Caroline Shaffer
- Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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A Wicked War presents the definitive history of the 1846 war between the United States and Mexico - a conflict that turned America into a continental power. Amy Greenberg describes the battles between American and Mexican armies, but also delineates the political battles between Democrats and Whigs - the former led by the ruthless Polk, the latter by the charismatic Henry Clay and a young representative from Illinois named Abraham Lincoln. Greenberg brilliantly recounts this key chapter in the creation of the United States authority and narrative flair.
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Rubbish Historical Work, Lots of Fake Stuff
- By Jose on 04-28-17
By: Amy S. Greenberg
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Boys Enter the House
- The Victims of John Wayne Gacy and the Lives They Left Behind
- By: David Nelson
- Narrated by: T. Ryder Smith
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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As investigators brought out the bagged remains of several dozen young men from a small Chicago ranch home and paraded them in front of a crowd of TV reporters and spectators, attention quickly turned to the owner of the house. John Gacy was an upstanding citizen, active in local politics and charities, famous for his themed parties and appearances as Pogo the Clown. But in the winter of 1978-79, he became known as one of many so-called “sex murderers” who had begun gaining notoriety in the random brutality of the 1970s.
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What we really needed to know about the Gacy murders.
- By Aaron on 03-02-24
By: David Nelson
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Destiny of the Republic
- A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President
- By: Candice Millard
- Narrated by: Paul Michael
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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James A. Garfield may have been the most extraordinary man ever elected president. Born into abject poverty, he rose to become a wunderkind scholar, a Civil War hero, and a renowned and admired reformist congressman. Nominated for president against his will, he engaged in a fierce battle with the corrupt political establishment. But four months after his inauguration, a deranged office seeker tracked Garfield down and shot him in the back. But the shot didn’t kill Garfield. The drama of what happened subsequently is a powerful story of a nation in turmoil.
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Marvelous, Magnificent, Millard
- By Mel on 02-08-12
By: Candice Millard
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The Whiskey Rebellion
- By: William Hogeland
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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A gripping and provocative tale of violence, alcohol, and taxes, The Whiskey Rebellion pits President George Washington and Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton against angry, armed settlers across the Appalachians. Unearthing a pungent segment of early American history long ignored by historians, William Hogeland brings to startling life the rebellion that decisively contributed to the establishment of federal authority.
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Great story and narration
- By Kismet on 08-12-06
By: William Hogeland
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To Hell on a Fast Horse
- The Untold Story of Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett
- By: Mark Lee Gardner
- Narrated by: Graham Rowat, Alan Sklar
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Billy the Kid - a.k.a. Henry McCarty, Henry Antrim, and William Bonney - was a horse thief, cattle rustler, charismatic rogue, and cold-blooded killer. A superb shot, the Kid gunned down four men single-handedly and five others with the help of cronies. Two of his victims were Lincoln County, New Mexico, deputies, killed during the Kid's brazen daylight escape from the courthouse jail on April 28, 1881.
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Great Listen
- By Susan Stilley on 10-06-21
By: Mark Lee Gardner
What made the experience of listening to The President and the Assassin the most enjoyable?
Learning about a period in history I was not as familiar with.What was one of the most memorable moments of The President and the Assassin?
The cause and consequence of the Spanish American War on the shaping of the United States as a world power as the 20th century began. Also the role that the anarchists played in society at the time and their influence on the labor unions that would become more prevalent in the 1920's and 1930's.Which scene was your favorite?
How William McKinley did not overact the sinking of the USS Main and his more global view of America's involvement not only in the battle in Cuba but our military involvement in the Pacific.Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It was sad to read about how the assassin who in so many ways was delusional and insignificant played such a vital role in shaping the history of the United States for the rest of the 20th century.Any additional comments?
This was a very enjoyable listen.Great look back into 19th Century America.
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Plus I finally learned how to pronounce “Czolgosz”
Very Enlightening
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Much bigger (and better) than the title
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I really have enjoyed the book, so I don't want to discourage anyone from reading it, but listening to the Audible edition, I've found the author's organization of the book jarring at times, moving from the 1870s to the 1890s and back again. That might just be a quibble if you're reading the print version. It isn't too jarring to continue, and I'm not sure how he would've avoided it, but fair warning if you'd like a linear storyline.
I might've preferred the print version, too, just to see footnotes, but I love footnotes, and not everyone is like me (hey, the print version may not even have footnotes, for all I know).
They're all great stories, and if you don't know much about this period of our history, or even if you do, you'll enjoy Miller's take on it. It gave me a much better understanding of Teddy Roosevelt, too, and of why the 20th century proceeded as it did.
But beware if you're not crazy for small, interesting nuggets of history. I love 'em, and I do like this book.
Fascinating, complex history
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Is there anything you would change about this book?
I found myself drifting a bit when listening. I think it was an alright book but didn't "capture" me like others. I actually had to replay the first hour because I had missed too many details.How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
I can't quite pin-point it. I loved the book about James A. Garfield - "Destiny of a Republic" - seemed to weave the facts into such a great story. I felt like this book could have been the same way with just a little different way of writing.What three words best describe Arthur Morey’s performance?
Alright, neither loved nor hated the narration.Did The President and the Assassin inspire you to do anything?
Since I live in Cleveland, Oh is was interesting to hear about the references to Cleveland and of course, Canton where McKinley lived (wife was from). I guess I was a little inspired to go back to the McKinley sites in Canton to visit again...Interesting, but not my favorite
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Solid, jumpy, but solid.
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An Ideal History Book for the Audio Format
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Let Me Down
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Then and now
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Highly recommend!
One of my favorites yet!!
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