Question

president william mckinley gave this speech on april 23, 1898.
the president is authorized, in order to raise a volunteer army, to issue his proclamation calling for volunteers to serve in the army of the united states: now, therefore, i, william mckinley, president of the united states, by virtue of the power vested in me by the constitution and the laws, and deeming sufficient occasion to exist, have thought fit to call forth, and hereby do call forth, volunteers to the aggregate number of 125,000 in order to carry into effect the purpose of the said resolution, the same. to be apportioned, as far as practicable, among the several states and territories and the district of columbia according to population and to serve for two years unless sooner discharged. the details for this object will be immediately communicated to the proper authorities through the war department.
—proclamation calling for military volunteers,
what was president mckinley’s primary purpose in giving this speech?
○ to explain funding for the military
○ to excite the troops currently serving
○ to convince congress to end the war
○ to persuade young men to join the army

Explanation:

The speech excerpt shows President McKinley authorizing the call for volunteers to serve in the US Army, with details about the number and service terms. Let's analyze each option:

• "to explain funding for the military": The text doesn't mention funding, so this is incorrect.
• "to excite the troops currently serving": The speech is about calling for new volunteers, not addressing current troops, so this is wrong.
• "to convince Congress to end the war": There's no mention of ending the war or addressing Congress for that purpose, so this is incorrect.
• "to persuade young men to join the army": The proclamation is calling forth volunteers (implying persuading people, likely young men, to join the army) to meet the required number, which matches this option.

Answer:

D. to persuade young men to join the army