Chapter  11  

Progressive  Presidents    Below  is  a  list  of  three  notable  presidents  from  the  Progressive  Era  along  with  Progressive  actions  they  took  to  reform  American  society  in  the  early  1900s.    

Theodore  “Teddy”  Roosevelt  

 

  Presidency:  1901-­‐1909  Personality:    Fiery  personality,  active,  combative,  hands  on    Progressive  Legislative  Achievements:  

1. National  Reclamation  Act,  1902  –  Created  to  plan  and  develop  irrigation  projects.  

2. United  States  Forest  Service,  1905  –  Created  to  manage  the  nation’s  water  and  timber  resources.  

3. Hepburn  Act,  1906  –  Authorized  Interstate  Commerce  Commission  to  regulate  railroad  rates.  

4. Pure  Food  and  Drug  Act,  1906  –  Banned  interstate  shipping  of  impure  food  and  deliberate  mislabeling  of  food  and  drugs.  

5. Meat  Inspection  Act,  1906  –  Required  federal  inspection  of  meat  processing  to  ensure  sanitary  conditions    

Became  the  first  president  to  use  the  Sherman  Anti  Trust  Act  (1890)  to  start  breaking  up  giant  monopolies.    

 

William  Howard  Taft  

 

  Presidency:  1909-­‐1913  Personality:  Reserved  &    legal  minded    Progressive  Legislative  Achievements:  

1. Department  of  Labor,  1913  –  Cabinet  department  created  to  promote  the  welfare  and  employment  of  working  people.  

2. 16th  Amendment,  1913  –  Gave  Congress  the  power  to  levy  (collect)  an  income  tax.  

 Continued  Roosevelt’s  efforts  break  up  giant  monopolies.    Embarrassing  Fact:    Is  the  only  president  to  get  stuck  in  a  bathtub.  

 

 

Woodrow  Wilson  

 

  Presidency:  1913-­‐1920  Personality:  Academic    Progressive  Achievements:  

1. 17th  Amendment,  1913  –  Provided  for  the  direct  election  of  senators.  

2. Federal  Reserve  Act,  1913  –  Created  the  Federal  Reserve  System  of  government  banks  to  supervise  private  banks  and  provide  a  flexible  money  supply.  

3. Clayton  Antitrust  Act,  1914  –  Prohibited  companies  from  engaging  in  certain  specific  activities,  such  as  offering  some  types  of  rebates.  

4. National  Park  Service,  1916  –  Created  to  administer  the  nation’s  parks.  

5. 18th  Amendment,  1919  –  Prohibited  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  liquor.  (Repealed  in  1933)  

6. 19th  Amendment,  1920  –  Granted  women  the  Right  to  vote.  7. Women’s  Bureau,  1920  –  Created  within  the  Department  of  Labor  

to  improve  the  status  of  working  women.    

*Information  taken  from  page  394  of  textbook.