The Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt

Election of 1900• Imperialism central

issue

• McKinley selects TR as VP (gov of NY)

• Recent victory in Spanish-American War and TR help McKinley to re-election

Election of 1900• McKinley campaigned

on prosperity/War

• Democrats countered the war wasn’t over – Philippine resistance

• McKinley cruises to

comfortable re-election

McKinley’s Assassination• September 6, 1901

• McKinley attending Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, N.Y.

• U.S. Secret Service formed to combat counterfeiting was providing informal security

• McKinley shook hands in a line after speech

Leon Czolgosz (Cholgosh) • Unemployed factory work

• Anarchist

• Carried pistol wrapped in white handkerchief

• Shot McKinley twice as he reached to shake his hand

Assassination

• “Don’t let them hurt him!” – McKinley

• Doctors unable to locate bullet

• Dies from infection and gangrene on September 14

TR sworn in as 26th President

Teddy Roosevelt

• Assumed presidency at 42 (youngest ever)

• Icon of Progressive Era

• Promised to continue McKinley’s policies

• Asked Congress to curb powers of giant corporations

• “trust busting”

Progressivism

• Wanted “Square Deal” b/w business and labour

• Spokesman for Progressivism – broad social reform movement in response to changes brought on by industrialization

• TR hated corruption

• Brought moralistic tone to politics

Trust Busting

• Public feared trusts were cheating consumers and crushing small independent companies

• 1904 – 318 trusts controlled 40% of U.S. manufacturing

• Elkins Act (1903) – fined railroads/shippers who offered/accepted rebates

• Hepburn Act (1906) – regulated railroad rates and eliminated free passes to shippers

• Under TR orders AG brought 44 suits against trusts

Ida Tarbell

• Wrote The History of Standard Oil (1904)

• Father was bankrupted by Rockefeller

• Exposed Rockefeller’s ruthless tactics

• “muckraker” – investigative reporters who exposed societal issues conditions

Standard Oil

• U.S. Dep’t of Justice used Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890) to sue Standard Oil for sustaining a monopoly and restraining inter-state commerce

• Standard Oil controlled 91% of market in 1904

• Argued Standard Oil had engaged in price cutting, espionage, est. bogus companies, secret railroad rates

Standard Oil Co. of N.J. v. United States (1911)

• Supreme Court found Standard Oil conspired to restrict trade and monopolize commerce in oil industry

• Had violated Sherman Anti-Trust Act

• Ordered Standard to break up into 34 different companies w/different ownership

• Decision inadvertently made Rockefeller richest man in history

Coal Strike of 1902• Anthracite coal strike threatened winter heating

supplies

• TR forced end to strike when threatened to use U.S. Army to mine coal and seize mines

• Lasted 163 days • TR helps find compromise • First example of federal government intervening

as neutral arbitrator

Regulation

• The Jungle – Upton Sinclair (1906)

• TR pushes Congress to pass Meat Inspection Act (1906) – inspect livestock

• Food and Drug Act (1906) – labeling of food and drugs

Foreign Policy

• Believed U.S. would be eventually be drawn into war w/ Japan

• Dramatically increased size of Navy -- Great White Fleet - circumvented globe b/w 1907-09

• Demonstrate America’s growing military power

Roosevelt Corollary

• Addition to Monroe Doctrine

• U.S. would intervene in finances of unstable Caribbean/Central American countries if they defaulted on debts to European creditors

• By guaranteeing their debts, made it unnecessary for European powers to intervene to collect

Russo-Japanese War (1904-05)• Helped negotiate end

of War

• Helped mediate Treaty of Portsmouth at naval yards in N.H.

• Earned Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for efforts

The Panama Canal

Panama Canal

• 1901- U.S. and U.K. sign a treaty granting rights to create and control canal across Central America that linked Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

• All nations would be free to use canal

• Would shorten route for freighters from S.F to N.Y. by

8 000 miles

Panama Independence

• 1881 – attempted by French – 21 900 works die from yellow fever/malaria

• U.S. Paid $40 million to complete French work

• Panama - province of Columbia

• Columbian Senate demanded U.S. pay an additional $10 million

• TR says no

Panama Independence

• 1903 – TR supports Panamanian Independence

• Deploys troops and naval forces to keep Columbia from suppressing rebellion

• Republic of Panama created w/ constitution written by U.S.

• U.S. signs protection treaty w/ Panama

Panama Canal

• Chief Engineer John Frank Stevens rebuilt Panama’s infrastructure – rebuilt Panama Railway, proper housing, sanitation,

• Mosquitoes control programs to combat yellow fever and malaria

• Built b/w 1904-1914 – finished 2 years ahead of schedule

• 5609 workers died

The Panama Canal

Odd Facts

• First president to travel abroad – Panama

• First president to ride in car

• Teddy Bear – toy originated from drawing of TR refusing to shoot bear

Post-Presidency

• Sec of War. William Howard Taft wins 1908 election

• Swore on election night 1904 he would not seek third term

• African Safari 1909 for Smithsonian

• Killed/captured 12 000 animals

Republican Split

• Taft was TR’s protégé• Policies alienated

antitrust reformers progressives, big business, and TR

• Democrats sweep midterm elections in 1910 and gain control of Congress

• Taft’s re-election in doubt

The Election of 1912

• TR seeks Republican nomination

• Taft had worked hard to sign up most party leaders before TR announced

• TR fails to get nomination and creates own party – Progressive Party

The Progressive Party

• TR pulled his delegates from convention to create party

• “Bull Moose Party” • Platform – “To destroy this

invisible Government, to dissolve the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day.”

• Democrats countered w/ Woodrow Wilson

The Election of 1912

• Campaign stop Milwaukee, October 14, a saloon keeper named John Schrank shot TR

• Bullet lodged in chest after passing through speech and steel eye-glass case

• Delivered speech

Assassination Attempt

• “Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot; but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose.” - TR

The Election of 1912

• TR won 4.1 million votes to Taft's 3.7 million• Failed to generate support in Republican Party• Splitting Republican vote proved fatal to the GOP• Wilson wins w/ 42% of the vote and 488 electoral votes

The Election of 1912

Legacy of TR• Changed governments

relationship w/ big business

• Shifted emphasis from Congress and parties to Presidency

• One of greatest presidents

• Died in his sleep 1919• “Death had to take him

sleeping, for if he had been awake, there would have been a fight.”