Theodore Roosevelt
William Howard Taft
Woodrow Wilson
Goals For Today• Understand how Teddy Roosevelt used his
power as president to support progressive movement goals.
• improvement of conditions for workers and consumers (social welfare)
• providing a more responsive and responsible government (economic/political reform)
• women gaining the right to vote and the outlawing of alcohol in the United States (moral welfare)
• Fostering efficiency
Teddy Roosevelt’s Square Deal
• 1902 Coal Strike:– Miners in PA
• 20% pay raise
• 9 hr. day
• union
– T.R. called both sides to White House to negotiate
– Threatened to take over mines– Legislation: none
Teddy Roosevelt’s Square Deal
• Trusts:– “Good” v. “Bad” trusts– Filed suits under Sherman Antitrust Act
• Railroad, beef, oil, tobacco and others
– Ordered Justice Dept. to sue Northern Securities Company
• NSC est. monopoly over Northwestern Railroads
– Legislation: Sherman Antitrust Act– Trustbuster
Teddy Roosevelt’s Square Deal
• Unregulated Big Business:– Strengthened the Interstate Commerce Act– Fought for passage of :
• Elkins Act• Hepburn Act
– Legislation: Interstate Commerce Act, Elkins Act, and Hepburn Act
Teddy Roosevelt’s Square Deal
• Dangerous Foods and Medicine:– Appointed a commission to study the
meatpacking industry.
– Legislation: • Meat Inspection Act
• Pure Food and Drug Act
Teddy Roosevelt’s Square Deal
• Shrinking Wilderness and Natural Resources:– Promoted conservation of natural resources
– Set aside thousands of acres of forest reserves
– Water-power sites
– Wilderness sanctuaries
– National parks
– Pinchot to head U.S. Forest Services
– Irrigation projects
– Legislation: National Reclamation Act (Newlands Act)
Teddy Roosevelt’s Square Deal
• Racial Discrimination:– Appointed an African American as head of
Charleston, SC– Customhouse– Refused to dismiss an African American
postmistress in Miss.– Invited Booker T. Washington to dinner– Legislation: None
William Howard Taft
Progressivism Under Taft
• Support:– Conservatives
• Opposed progressivism
• Opposed Roosevelt
• Opposed low tariffs
• Favored business
Progressivism Under Taft
• Opposed:– Progressives opposed Taft b/c he:
• Signed and defended Payne-Aldrich Tariff
• Seemed to oppose conservation
• Supported conservative boss Joseph Cannon
Progressivism Under Taft
• Progressives:– Progressive or Bull Moose Party
• Conservatives:– Republican Party
Progressivism Under Taft
• Progressive- Theodore Roosevelt
• Republican- William Howard Taft
• Democratic- Woodrow Wilson
• Socialist- Eugene Debs
Progressivism Under Taft
• Progressive: Supported govt. action to supervise big business, but did not oppose all big business monopolies.
• Republican: Favored business, but fought to break up trusts.
• Democratic: Supported small business and free market competition; thought that all big business monopolies were evil.
• Socialist: Felt that big business was evil and that the solution involved doing away with capitalism and distributing wealth more equally among the people.
Progressivism Under Taft
• Payne-Aldrich Tariff:–Set of tax regulations (1909)
–Goal: Lower tariffs
–Failed to significantly reduce tariffs on manufactured goods
Wilson’s New Freedom
Wilson’s New Freedom
• Federal Trade Act:– Set up Federal Trade Commission w/
power to investigate both possible legal violations by corporations & unfair business practices
– Had power to issue orders to “cease and desist” unfair practices
Wilson’s New Freedom
• Clayton Antitrust Act:– Strengthened the Sherman Antitrust Act by
declaring certain business practices illegal
– Freed labor unions and farm organizations from antitrust laws
– Prohibited most injunctions against strikers
Wilson’s New Freedom
• Underwood Tariff:– Substantially reduced tariff rates for
the first time since the Civil War
• Sixteenth Amendment:– Legalized a federal income tax
Wilson’s New Freedom
• Federal Reserve Act:– Established the Federal Reserve
System • A decentralized private banking
system under federal control
Wilson’s New Freedom
• Wilson Retreats on Civil Rights:– Opposed federal anti-lynching
legislation
– Appointed segregationists to his cabinet
– Failed to oppose the resegregation of federal offices
Wilson’s New Freedom
• New developments that brought success of female suffrage movement:– Increased activism of local and grass roots
groups– Use of bold new strategies to build enthusiasm
for the movement– Regeneration of the national movement under
Carrie Chapman Catt