Theodore Roosevelt William Howard Taft Woodrow Wilson Goals

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