NCWW - Progressivism In the Early 20th Century (Lesson)
Progressivism In the Early 20th Century
Theodore Roosevelt and the “Square Deal”
Theodore Roosevelt entered the presidency after the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901; Roosevelt soon began to move the Republican Party and the country as a whole in a progressive direction. He labeled his domestic program the “Square Deal.” (You’ll see the “New Deal” in the 1930s with TR’s relative, Franklin Delano Roosevelt! Bookmark this reference in your brain.)
Additionally, President Roosevelt championed the conservation of natural resources and also came to be known as a “trust buster.”
Roosevelt and Business Regulation
Roosevelt’s “Square Deal” approach to public activities was reflected in his handling of the anthracite coal strike in 1902 when he threatened to take over the mines if the owners didn’t negotiate in good faith with the union members.
In the end, the miners got a 10% pay increase but no union acknowledgment.
Roosevelt also pressured food production companies for consumer protection after the publication of Upton Sinclair’s, “The Jungle” and for stronger measures for environmental protection.
Roosevelt: “Trust Buster”
As president, Theodore Roosevelt viewed the consolidation of economic power in the hands of a few people as dangerous to the economic well-being of the nation as a whole.
The Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890 had been passed to limit monopolies, but the act was not strictly enforced. So. TR made it a priority to pursue “bad trusts”---trusts that were obstacles to trade---not necessarily the largest trusts.
Roosevelt the Environmentalist
By the end of the 1800s, Americans began noticing the damage that rapid industrialization and human activities had done to the environment---the disappearance of the forests from logging and mining worried sportsmen who were the early advocates of environmental conservation.
Roosevelt appointed Gifford Pinchot as the head of the United States Forest Service and to spearhead the government’s conservation initiatives. The origin of the Forest Service date to the 1870s amid concerns about clear cutting forests.
The Forestry Service went through several iterations in the late 19th century and the federal government established the National Park System in 1872 when it annexed Yellowstone National Park (mostly in Wyoming at the time).
In 1890 Yosemite Valley, California, and the surrounding region were designated a national park. (It had had federal protection since 1864.)
TR expanded the national park system with five more national parks and he established 150 national forests, including the Shoshone National Forest (the nation’s first national forest).
In the end, President Roosevelt put more than 200 million acres under government protection.
Conservation vs. Preservation
Conservation - President Roosevelt supported the view that the country's natural resources should be used responsibly so future generations could benefit from them too. Emphasis on regulation and the responsible economic use of resources "spoke" to the Progressive way of thinking at the time.
Preservation - John Muir (namesake of Muir Woods in California) was one of the founders of the Sierra Club (1892) an organization whose purpose was to preserve the forests and monitor the federal government's oversight of the protected lands.
The Election of 1908
After two terms in office, Theodore Roosevelt hand-picked William Howard Taft to serve as president in 1908. Taft won the Republican nomination and defeated William Jennings Bryan in the 1908 election. Progressives were dissatisfied with Taft as president who was unsuccessful in building a base of support while in office. He agreed to higher tariffs despite the Progressives’ goal of reducing tariffs to reduce consumer prices.
Taft did file antitrust suits in courts even though he didn’t publicize this to the public—he initiated 90 antitrust suits including one against U.S. Steel. Taft Trivia: William Howard Taft was the 27th president of the United States (1909-1913) and the 10th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1921-1930.) He was the only person to ever have served in both positions. He was prouder of being on the Supreme Court than of being the president.
The Big Question: Is it true that President Taft got stuck in a White House bathtub?
No. That’s a myth. Taft was a really big man at 350+ lbs. But it’s a legend that he ever got stuck in a White House bathtub.
Presidential Election of 1912
In 1910 a divide formed in the Republican Party between Taft and Roosevelt. By 1912, the divide had become a chasm within the party. Roosevelt and his supporters split from the Republican Party after the party chose William Howard Taft to run for president as the Republican nominee. Roosevelt and his supporters established the Progressive Party (nicknamed the Bull Moose Party) and nominated Theodore Roosevelt as its candidate for president in the 1912 election.
The election became more complex when Socialist Eugene V. Debs threw his hat into the ring as a presidential candidate.
The complications in the Republican Party opened the door to Democratic candidate Woodrow Wilson who handily won the election for president in 1912. Wilson was an outlier in the White House because he was the second Democrat to win the office since Andrew Johnson in Reconstruction. Moreover, Wilson was the first Southerner elected to the presidency since 1844 (Wilson was born in Virginia.) Wilson was a progressive reformer and had been the president of Princeton University and the governor of New Jersey before becoming president.
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