Three Progressive Presidents

Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson

The Progressives

Believed that an efficient government could protect public interest & restore order to society

Middle class reformers addressed many social problems, including

• Working conditions • Rights for women & children • Economic reforms • Environmental issues • Social welfare

Theodore Roosevelt 1st president to use the

government to directly help the public interest

Saw the presidency as a "bully pulpit" to preach his ideas

Often bypassed congressional opposition (like Jackson)

Offered Americans a Square Deal

Was enormously popular with many Americans

Regulation of Corporations

Anthracite Coal Strike (1902) o United Mine Workers union in Pennsylvania went

on strikeo The president of the company demanded that

Roosevelt prosecute the union leader for violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act

o Roosevelt threatened to seize the mines & operate them with federal troops if the owners refused compromise

o The owners consented to arbitration

Regulation of Corporations

Elkins Act (1903) o Allowed heavy fines for

railroads & shippers that abused rebates

Hepburn Act (1906) o Restricted the railroad’s

use of free passes o Allowed the government

to stipulate maximum rates

o Concluded that there were “good trusts” & “bad trusts”

Consumer Protection European markets threatened to ban American

meat since some was found to be tainted

The public was sickened by Upton Sinclair’s description of unsanitary food products o He had detailed accounts of filth, disease, &

putrefaction in Chicago’s damp and ill-ventilated slaughterhouses

Roosevelt appointed a special investigating commission whose report almost out-did Sinclair’s novel

Consumer Protection Meat Inspection

Act (1906)o Made meat shipped

across state lines subject to federal inspection throughout the meat-making process

Pure Food & Drug Act (1906)o Prevented the

mislabeling of food & drugs

Conservation Newlands Reclamation Act (1902)

o Authorized the government to collect money from the sale of public lands in western states & use the funds for the development of irrigation projects

o Settlers repaid the cost of reclamation by building successful farms

o Money was put into a revolving account in order to finance additional projects

o Allowed for the construction of dams on virtually every major western river

William Howard Taft

Won the election of 1908

Lacked Roosevelt’s fire & gutso Content to keep the

status quo rather than rock the boat

o Adopted a passive attitude towards Congress

Trustbusting Brought 90 suits against trusts during his 4

years in office – twice as many as Roosevelto United States v. American Tobacco Company

(1911)• The Supreme Court ordered the company to

reorganize based on the “rule of reason” which allowed only “reasonable” restraints on trade

• Worked to impair the government’s anti-trust activities

o Also in 1911, the Court ordered the dissolution of the Standard Oil Company• Determined that it violated the Sherman Anti-Trust

Act of 1890

Progressive Legislation Taft’s contributions to conservation rivaled

those of Roosevelto Established the Bureau of Mines to control mineral

resourceso Protected water-power sites from private development

Postal Savings Bank System (1910)o Authorized the Post Office Department to receive savings

deposits from individuals & pay interest of 2% per year

Mann Elkins Act (1911)o Put telegraph, telephone, & cable corporations under

federal jurisdiction

Split in the Republican Party

Payne-Aldrich Tariff (1909)o Taft had made a campaign

promise to address the tariff

o The House passed a moderately reductive bill, but the Senate made revisions that raised the tariff to 37%

o Taft signed the Payne-Aldrich Tariff, thus betraying his campaign promises

o The Progressive wing of the party was outraged

Taft-Roosevelt Split National Progressive Republican League

(1911)o Robert La Follette of Wisconsin emerged as the

party’s leading candidate only to be pushed aside by Roosevelt

Republican Convention (1912)o Although Roosevelt clearly had a majority of

Republican votes, Taft was given the nominationo Prompted the Progressives to leave the party &

create their own – Roosevelt “Bull Moose” Partyo Gave the Republican Old Guard control of the GOP

The Bull Moose Party

Election of 1912 Republican – William Howard Taft

o Supported by “Old Guard” Republicanso Did little campaigning

Progressive – Theodore Roosevelto Supported by cultured, middle-class peopleo Called for a “New Nationalism”

• Believed that only a powerful federal government could regulate the economy & guarantee social justice

• Thought that concentration in industry was a natural part of the economy that should be paralleled by the growth of powerful regulatory agencies

• Wanted a broad program of social welfare

Election of 1912 Democrat – Woodrow Wilson

o Supported by young Southern progressiveso Called for a “New Freedom”

• Attacked the Triple Wall of Privilege: The tariff, the banks, & the trusts

• Favored small businesses & a return to a free competitive economy without monopolies

• Believed that all trusts were bad• Rejected a stronger role for the government in human

affairs

Election of 1912

Socialist – Eugene V. Debso Found support in industrial

cities & ethnic communitieso Divided into conservative &

radical wings• Conservatives called for

government ownership of the railroads & utilities, factory inspections, & the abolition of the Senate & the presidential veto

• Radicals – supported by the International Workers of the World (IWW) – advocated strikes & sabotage over politics

Election of 1912

Woodrow Wilson

Born in Virginia

Former president of Princeton University

Governor of New Jersey

Believed the president should play a dynamic role in government

Lacked Roosevelt’s common touch

Moral righteousness often made him uncompromising

Underwood Tariff (1913)

Wilson called for a special session of Congress to address the tariff issue

The Underwood Tariff Bill was passed by the Houseo Reduced the tariff to 25%o Enacted a graduated income tax under authority granted

by the 16th Amendment• 1% on incomes over $4000• 7% on incomes over $500,000

The Senate then allowed numerous increases in rates to be addedo Wilson appealed to the people to demand that their

Senators pass the bill

Federal Reserve Act (1913)

Created the Federal Reserve System & granted it the authority to issue paper money

Established a Federal Reserve Board – appointed by the president – to oversee a nationwide system of privately owned regional banks

Current functions of the Fed include:o Addressing the problem of banking panicso Managing the nation’s money supplyo Maintaining the stability of the financial systemo Strengthening the US’s standing in the world economy

Federal Trade Commission (1914)

Empowered a commission – appointed by the president – to monitor industries engaged in interstate commerce

Allowed commissioners to issue cease & desist orders, ending unfair trade practices such as false advertising, mislabeling, & bribery

Clayton Antitrust Act (1914)

Supplemented the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) by:o Outlawing price discriminationo Regulating mergers & acquisitions

Enforced by the Federal Trade Commission

Exempted labor & agricultural organizations from antitrust prosecution while explicitly legalizing strike & peaceful picketingo Union leader Samuel Gompers hailed the act as the

“Magna Carta of labor”

Other Progressive Reforms

Federal Farm Loan Act (1916) – Low interest loans for farmers

Federal Highway Act (1916) – Highway construction in rural areas

Workingmen’s Disability Act (1916) – Assistance to federal civil-service employees during periods of disability

Keating-Owen Act (1916) – Child labor restrictions on products sold through interstate commerceo Ruled unconstitutional in 1918 on the grounds that it

interfered with states’ powers

Other Progressive Reforms

Adamson Act (1916) – 8-hour workday, with extra pay for overtime, for interstate rail workers

Minimum wages

Prisons & “reform” schools forced to shift from punishment to rehabilitation