Teddy Roosevelt: Most notable for the power he brought to the executive branch.

Reformer? In name, yes In practice, sometimes.

Came to power with Assassination of Mckinley

Leon Czolgosz- Anarchist Son of Polish

immigrants Unemployed

factory worker 1901

Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo

• The Incident– 1st attempt not carried out due to lack of proximity

at a McKinley Speech– 2nd attempt- Temple of Music• Czolgosz wrapped gun in handkerchief• McKinley tried to shake his hand but was shot twice

• James Parker- 6’6” unemployed waiter– African-American standing behind Czolgosz was

“distracting” bodyguard (later testimony)– Was the first to assault Czolgosz with two punches

to the face• McKinley first improved then died days later

of infection.

• Saw Govt. as “mediator” of the public good.

• Believed the President should should guide and protect the public interest.

• Trusts– Wanted more regulation NOT destruction of

combinations– Govt. should investigate activities and publish

results• Transparency would alleviate most abuses

1904-Dissolved this JP Morgan company Assured Morgan that this was not a

campaign to go after all trusts Overall, Roosevelt left trusts alone

United Mine Workers Strike- 1902 Intervened on behalf of workers Threatened to seize mines with troops if

owners didn’t negotiate. Roosevelt also intervened on behalf of

owners

1904 Election Roosevelt promised to give everyone a

“square deal”. Cited the 1902 Mine Strike

Reform Efforts Hepburn Act 1906- weak effort at regulating

railroads Angered La Follette

• Consumer Protection– Pure Food and Drug Act – regulated medicines

• Workers Compensation• 8 Hour Workday• Inheritance and Income Taxes• Regulation of Stock Market• Conservation• His actions began to strain his relationship

with the conservatives in his own party

Influenced by The Jungle- Upton Sinclair ?

Marxist Sinclair’s motive

was NOT food industry but CAPITALISM “I aimed at their

hearts but hit their stomachs”

How much did Sinclair influence govt action?

• The 1906 report of the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Animal Husbandry refuted the worst of Sinclair’s charges point-by-point. The report labeled his claims . . .

• * “willful and deliberate misrepresentations of fact”* “atrocious exaggeration”* And “not at all characteristic (of the meat packing industry)” – (Source: U.S. Congress, House, Committee on Agriculture, Hearings on the

So-called “Beveridge Amendment” to the Agriculture Appropriation Bill, 59th Congress, 1st Session, 1906, pp. 346-350.)

• Meanwhile, as Congress went through the time-consuming process of investigating Sinclair’s fictions, the free market was regulating the meat packing industry in its own harsh way. Meat sales plummeted.

• This led the meat packing industry to lobby Congress for increased regulation!

• The industry actually wanted the government to protect them from the consumer backlash by imposing regulations that would restore consumer confidence, even though new regulations were totally unneeded! The result was the passage of the Meat Inspection Act of 1906.

“I have an utter contempt for him. He is hysterical, unbalanced, and untruthful. Three-fourths of the things he said were absolute falsehoods. For some of the remainder there was only a basis of truth.”

(Source: letter to William Allen White, July 31, 1906, from “The Letters of Theodore Roosevelt,” 8 vols, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1951-54, vol. 5, p. 340.)

• The first true “environmentalist” President.• Deeply loved nature and outdoors• Executive powers

– Restricted private development on much govt. land ( added to National Forest Land)

– Believed in carefully “managed” use of land and resources by “experts”.

– Gifford Pinchot- appointed first director of National Forest Service

• National Reclamation Act- 1902 (Newlands Act)– Federal funds and support for dams, reservoirs, and

canals in the West• Helped with Irrigation and Power

He also believe that some lands should not be developed at all.

Influenced by Naturalist- John Muir Founder of the Sierra Club Fought tirelessly to preserve Yosemite

Hetch Hetchy Valley

Added more land to the National Parks

Proposal to dam a pristine valley in Yosemite to create reservoir for San Francisco. Opposed vigorously by Muir and other naturalists

Pinchot: Given authority to decide by Roosevelt 1906- Earthquake gained sympathy for SF Decided interests of the city were greater than

interests of the preservationists. Preservationists: More mobilized for future fights

against “rational use” of the environment

Downturn symbolized the lack of control the govt. had over the economy. Caused by over-production

Roosevelt was blamed Acted by letting business leaders solve the

problem w/o govt. interference. JP Morgan organized a “bailout” of banks

Purchased Tennessee Coal and Iron Co. (no fear of interference)

Panic subsided shortly after.

Election of 1908- Roosevelt decided not to run again largely due to: earlier promise not to run Alienation of conservatives in his own party

Most trusted lieutenant and hand picked successor. Largely ineffective, alienated progressives on

issues of: Tariffs Ballinger-Pinchot Dispute- corruption scandal

led to the dismissal of Pinchot by Taft (angered progressives)

Angered by Taft’s splintering of the Party New Nationalism Speech

Shift away from “cautious”conservatism Argued for a strong federal govt.

Executive should be a “steward of the public welfare” “Those who thought primarily of personal property

rights and personal profit must now give way to the advocate of human welfare”

Graduated Income Tax Inheritance Tax Workers Compensation Labor regs for women and children

Graduated Income Tax Inheritance Tax Workers Compensation Labor regs for women and children Tariff Revision Firmer regulation of corporations

Conservative Republicans saw widespread defeats

Progressives won re-election Democrats (also pushed progressive

candidates won control of the House) Gained strength in the Senate

Roosevelt decides to run La Follette drops out due to health Anger at Taft Tennessee Coal and Iron Company Deal (Panic

of 1907)

Taft- R- Candidate of the conservatives Roosevelt –Bull Moose Party-

Progressives Wilson- D- Progressives

Strategically Roosevelt knew had little chance Many would not follow him from the

Republican party Progressives were split with Wilson

Progressivism was gaining prominence in Dem. Party

“New Freedom” Economic Policy

Go after trusts and monopoly aggressively to break them up.

Election Result Wilson 42% Taft 23% Roosevelt 27 Debs 6%

Bold and forceful leader Empowered the Executive Branch even

further Surrounded himself with fiercely loyal

appointees Reforms

Underwood-Simmons Tariff Lowered tariffs to:

Increase competition Weaken trusts

Tax Reform 1-6% income tax on individuals and corporations.

Created the Federal Reserve Bank 12 regional banks Federal Reserve Board would supervise

Appointed by the President Powers:

Issue currency Interest rates Money Supply Support troubled banks in times of need

Federal Trade Commission Act Commission to determine if business actions would

be acceptable to govt. “before” the action was taken.

Power to prosecute “unfair trade practices” (but “unfair” is not defined)

Power to investigate corporate behavior Clayton Anti-trust Bill

Was supposed to allow govt. to aggressively take action against trusts.

Greatly weakened by convervatives, Wilson didn’t seem to care much. Departure from his campaign rhetoric? Now seemed more focused on oversight

Did not support: Suffrage Desegregation efforts (some evidence to

support racist attitude) Southern background.

Dismissed much reform legislation citing: Constitutionality Unneccessary

Mid-term elections of 1914 Democratic setbacks seemed to ignite reform

attitude of Wilson

Appointed reformer Louis Brandeis to Supreme Court

Easier credit for farmers Worker’s Comp for federal employees Keating-Owen Act-1916- first federal law

regulating child labor. Prohibited shipment of child produced goods across

state lines. (struck down in 1918 but later upheld) Wilson later tried to impose heavy tax on child

labor Also struck down

Roosevelt Saw foreign policy as an easy way to exert

influence Suited to his personality

Big Stick Policy Comes from the old adage “walk softly but

carry a big stick”

Civilized White / Anglo Japan was an

exception to Roosevelt (due to rapid industrialization)

Produced Industrial Goods

Uncivilized Latin, Asian, Slavic Low economic

develop. Produced raw

materials, agricult. Seen as market for

goods

Right and duty to preserve order and stability for both nations. Strong Navy needed

1906- 2nd to England

Russo-Japanese War 1904- Japan and Russia go to war over land

in Manchuria Japan wanted a role as an industrial/imperial power Natural Resources

US and Roosevelt help negotiate treaty US interest is “Open Door” Terms:

Russia would acknowledge Japanese gains Japan would cease further expansion Secret: Japan and US agree to allow US trade in the

region

Results: Greater US influence internationally and in the

region Nobel Peace Prize for Roosevelt Japanese naval dominance in the Pacific

(destroyed Russian fleet) Greater tension between US and Japan

Japan began to limit US trade Great White Fleet sails around the world,

with stop in Japan

Every since Monroe Doctrine, US policy was to keep influence over Western Hemisphere

Venezuelan Incident: Stopped paying back debt owed to European

countries Naval blockade: Britain, Italy, Germany US uses threat of naval intervention to force end

to blockade

Not only to oppose European intervention But also intervene INSIDE Latin countries who

Cannot maintain stability and sovereignty Dominican Republic- 1903

New revolutionary govt. could not maintain financial order

US takes receivership and handles finances for 3 decades

Cuba- Platt Amendment Condition of independence prevented foreign

intervention into Cuba 1906- US troops landed to quell domestic

uprisings for 3 years

Most celebrated accomplishment of Roosevelt

Linked Atlantic and Pacific Crucial to effectiveness of US Navy that

needs influence in both Atlantic and Pacific

Because Colombia would not agree to US terms for canal Roosevelt staged a revolution so US troops

could help “maintain order”. Panama recognized as independent nation Work on canal proceeded, finished in 1914

Taft had less interest in global stability then Roosevelt but still adhered to spirit of Roosevelt Corollary

Nicaragua 1909- US backs rebels and offers loans to the

new govt. Dollar Diplomacy

Increase American influence through financial leverage

Latin American policy Similar to that of Roosevelt and Taft Signed treaty with Nicaragua guaranteeing

No other power could build a canal there. US could intervene to protect US interests.

Mexico US influences Mexican politics to help US business

interests. Rebel Pancho Villa- Conducts raids over US border

Pursued by General John J. Pershing Never found Villa, he was later gunned down in

Mexico

Wilson more interested in looming WWI