The Teddy Roosevelt, Taft and the start of progressivism

By: Ryan Nunez and Kattie

Teddy Roosevelt

n  43, became the youngest President in the Nation's history n  Led Congress and the American public toward progressive reforms and a strong foreign

policy

n  Took the view that the President as a "steward of the people" should take whatever action necessary for the public good unless expressly forbidden by law or the

Constitution -He Greatly utilized and extended the powers of the Executive branch n 

Teddy Roosevelt n  During the Spanish-American War, Roosevelt was lieutenant colonel of the Rough Rider

Regiment, which he led on a charge at the battle of San Juan n  Roosevelt was chosen to become Governor in 1898 as a Republican in New York. He

served as an excellent governor at the time.

n  As President, he realize there was a need for shortcuts between the Atlantic and Pacific, Roosevelt ensured the construction of the Panama Canal; a 77.1 km ship canal in Panama that connects the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. It cuts across Isthmus of Panama and is a key for trade.

n  His interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine prevented the establishment of foreign bases in the Caribbean and claimed the right of intervention in Latin

America to the United States

State Progressivism n  Teddy Roosevelt considered the first State Progressive President

n  Started in the 1890s and lasted until WW1

n  Reconstruction was a period United States history, from 1865 to 1877, during which the nation tried to resolve the status of the ex-Confederate states, the ex-Confederate leaders, and ex-slaves after the American Civil War. Progressivism was a popular reform movement of the early twentieth century, emphasizing efficiency and democracy. It focused on changes brought by modernization, such as the growth of large corporations and railroads

n  Concerned for eliminating corruption and inefficiency in government n  The Goals of The Progressives’ were sometimes altered in politics due to the fact how

power shifted from political officials to administrated officials and therefore reduced the power of the people.

n  Progressivism was successful but it failed in helping African Americans, Woman and Native Americans

State Progressivism n  African Americans: During the 1970s most 1871s most of the civil right groups

were stopped and legislation turned around and declared unconstitutional towards the colored race. Congress had no interest in dealing with the dangerous African American groups and rise in numbers and crimes throughout the country.

n  In the 1880s, Britain, France, Germany, and Scandinavia adopted a series of social welfare programs--unemployment insurance, old-age pensions, and industrial accident and health insurance. During the Progressive era, many reformers borrowed these ideas and adapted them to meet the American needs.

Roosevelt Leadership Progressives contributed to the home front of World War I. They led the way in

instituting Americanization programs (to turn immigrants into model American citizens), and emphasized the value of efficiency, which would prove helpful for war.

Many politicians disliked Roosevelt for had a huge ego. He decisively acted where others had waited for Congress to debate each move and took action.

Roosevelt was the first "trust-busting" President; he established many national parks; he strengthened the position of labor forces in strike negotiations Throughout the course of his term Roosevelt overextended the limits of his executive power and this was greatly noticed by the Conservative Party. In his own words Teddy Roosevelt emphasized, “My view was that every executive officer . . . was a steward of the people bound actively and affirmatively to do all he could for the people, and not to content himself with the negative merit of keeping his talents undamaged in a napkin.”

Roosevelt’s Square Deal n  The Square Deal was based on three ideas;

n  -Conservation of natural resources n  -Control of Corporations n  - Consumer Protect

n  The Purpose of this act was to be used to protect business and labor. It also tried to give equal opportunities to business executives, laborers, and consumers.

n  The Deal was targeted to attack Plutocracy; governed by the wealthy and the bad trust while continuing protecting businesses from extreme demands in in organized labor.

n  Trusts and monopolies became the primary target of Square Deal legislation.

n  Roosevelt believed that such government action was necessary to distinguish the corruption in politics.

Roosevelt’s Square Deal n  Roosevelt tried to extend the Square Deal by pushing the federal courts and Congress to

give Roosevelt ( The executive branch) the power to decide on future anti-trust suits. An example of this was the Elkins Act -Railroads were not allowed to give rebates to favored companies any longer. These rebates had treated small Midwestern farmers unfairly by not allowing them equal access to the services of the railroad. Instead, the Interstate Commerce Commission controlled the prices that railroads could charge.

n  Other laws that came with the Square Deal

n  The Antiquities Act of 1906, which gave the president authority to restrict use of particular public land.

n  The Hepburn Act of 1906 strengthened the Interstate Commerce Commission

n  The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 and the Meat Inspection Act of 1906 were both widely accredited to Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, which revealed the horrific and unsanitary processes of meat production.

The Conservation movement

Conservation was deeply involved within the Progressive movement of the time Progressives favored dropping older laissez-faire; a doctrine that opposed government interference in economic affairs, practices in favor of a more active federal role in managing the economy n  Sought to limit some the harsher effects of industrial capitalism.

n  The desire to protect natural resources from waste, destruction, at the hands of unregulated economic enterprise.

The Conservation movement n  Conservationists in industrial cities—many of whom were women—launched

campaigns to limit air pollution.

n  The Conservation movement also placed many problems for groups such as inequality

n  Conservation laws criminalized some uses of natural resources, for example, these laws imposed harsh limits on socially and economically marginal segments of the population. Cutting down trees on public land to build log cabins became “timber theft’

n  Burning forests to clear land for agriculture or underbrush to attract game became “arson.”

n  Hunting game for meat, except under carefully regulated conditions, became “poaching.

The Conservation movement n  Protecting public lands also had harsh effects on Native Americans

n  when the boundaries of new national forests, parks, and monuments placed their traditional hunting, fishing, and gathering territories off limits.

n  Conservation reveals the power of strong federal laws to protect nature, but also highlighted the capabilities of community organizations.

n  President Roosevelt's concern for the environment was influenced by American naturalists, and by his own cabinet including Gifford Pinchot, Chief of Forestry

n  Roosevelt administration was responsible for the Newlands Act of 1902, which funded irrigation projects from the proceeds of the sale of federal lands in the West

Taft’s Presidency n  President Roosevelt decided when his term ended to pick a successor after his

legacy

n  Taft, who was a 350-pound Secretary of War, was chosen as the Republican candidate for 1908 presidential election

n  Taft was a mild progressive and an easygoing man that Roosevelt and other Republican leaders felt they could control.

n  Taft easily defeated the Democratic candidate, William Jennings Bryan, and the Socialist candidate, Eugene Debs

Taft’s Presidency n  Taft did not live up to Roosevelt’s standards or the expectations of other Progressives. n  He lacked Roosevelt’s strength of personality and was more passive in his dealings with

Congress

n  Many people felt that Taft lacked the mental and physical stamina necessary to be an effective President.

n  The first major blow to the Progressives during Taft’s administration was the Payne-Aldrich Tariff of 1909

n  Taft called a special session of Congress to address what many people felt were excessive tax's After this session, the House of Representatives passed a bill that moderately restricted tariffs or taxs

Taft’s Presidency n  Taft eventually signed the bill and declared it “the best bill that the Republican Party ever

passed.” This bill was against any Progressives intentions, and marked the beginning of an internal struggle for control of the Republican Party.

n  A Disagreement that arose in the Republican Party was Taft’s dealings with the conservation issues.

n  He was a dedicated conservationist and he devoted extensive resources to the protection of the environment. However, most of his progress was undone by his handling of the Ballinger-Pinchot dispute

n  This dispute was between US forest service Chief Gifford Pinchot, and US Secretary of the Interior Richard Achilles Ballinger.

n  Both man contributed to the split of the Republican Party before the 1912 presidential elections

Taft’s Presidency n  Pinchot criticized openly in how Taft and Ballinger by saying that both men were

violating the acts of the democrats and conservatives

n  Conservatives and Pinchot argued that both men were reopening the exploitation of public lands that had been closed in the Alaska Cold Mines.

n  Taft was frustrated with these accusations and fired Pinchot creating controversies for Taft.

n  In early 1912, Roosevelt triumphantly returned and announced himself as a challenger for the Republican presidential nomination

n  He was unable to secure the delegates necessary to win the Republican candidacy. Roosevelt formed the “Bull Moose” Party and vowed to enter the race as a third-party candidate.

References "Theodore Roosevelt." The White House. The White House, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. "The Square Deal - Boundless Open Textbook." Boundless. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2014. "The Progressive Era (1890 - 1920)." The Progressive Era (1890 - 1920). N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2014. "The Evolution of the Conservation Movement, 1850-1920." The Evolution of the Conservation Movement, 1850-1920. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2014.

n  "William Howard Taft." The White House. The White House, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2014.

"William Howard Taft." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2014.