The Progressive Presidents

1
The Progressive Presidents

• US History Spiconardi

2
Theodore Roosevelt

• Despite being a conservative, Teddy used the
  power of the presidency to deal directly with
  social and economic problems
• Presidency had any power not specifically denied
  in the Constitution

3
Theodore Roosevelt The Square Deal

• Consumer Protection
• Upon reading Upton Sinclairs The Jungle, TR
  orders investigations
• TR supports legislation to ensure purity of food
  drugs
• Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)
• Meat Inspection Act (1906)

4
Theodore Roosevelt The Square Deal

• Regulating Business
• The Trustbuster
• TR was not against trusts he believed there were
  good ones and bad ones
• Uses Justice Department to prosecute
• Railroad, meatpacking, and oil trusts
• Encouraged companies that wanted to merge to work
  with the government

5
(No Transcript)
6
(No Transcript)
7
Theodore Roosevelt The Square Deal

• Labor Conditions
• Investigated coal mines in Pennsylvania when
  company refused to go to arbitration with
  striking workers
• Threatened to re-open mines using federal troops
• This forced management to go to arbitration
• TR wants a square deal ? fair for everyone
  management, labor, consumers

8
Theodore Roosevelt The Square Deal

• Conservation
• We are prone to think of the resources of this
  country as inexhaustible this is not so.
• Protected nations environment and wilderness
• Purchased parkland, forests, monuments and
  wildlife refuges
• Triples the amount of public land

9
(No Transcript)
10
William Howard Taft

• Hand picked successor of TR (Teddy kept GWs
  precedent of two-terms)

11
William Howard Taft Reforms

• Reforms
• Contrary to popular belief, busts more trusts
  than TR
• Supported eight-hour workday and mine safety
  legislation
• Sixteenth Amendment ? federal income tax
• Seventeenth Amendment ? direct election of
  senators

12
William Howard Taft Reforms
13
William Howard Taft Problems

• Problems
• Not a great politician like TR
• Wanted to lower tariffs, while Congress raised
  them
• Progressives felt he backed down on this by not
  vetoing a tariff raising bill
• Republican Party spilt over protecting American
  business, while combating trusts

14
Election of 1912

• Election of 1912
• TR upset that Taft allows business men to buy
  public land in Alaska
• Decides to run against Taft as a member of Bull
  Moose Party

15
Election of 1912

• Best showing of a third party candidate

16
Woodrow Wilson

• Republicans split vote and democrat Woodrow
  Wilson wins presidency

17
Woodrow Wilson New Freedom

• New Freedom
• Concentrated economic power threatened individual
  liberty
• Monopolies had to be broken up so the marketplace
  could truly be open
• Without interference of the governmentthere
  can be no fair play between individuals and such
  powerful institutions as the trust.

18
Woodrow Wilson Financial Reforms

• Financial Reforms
• Underwood Tariff Act
• lowers tariffs for the first times since the
  Civil War
• provides for graduated income tax/progressive tax
• Creates Federal Trade Commission to investigate
  businesses
• Federal Reserve System
• National Banking System (12 banks)
• Provided for fair interest rates
• Money no longer would depend on gold supply

19
Woodrow Wilson
20
Bye-Bye Progressives

• End of the Progressive Era
• World War I causes US to focus on war effort and
  not social change