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