American Presidents of the Reform Era

1
American Presidents of the Reform Era

• Roosevelt to Wilson
• and the Election of 1912

2
Theodore Teddy Roosevelt

• President, 1901-09
• Youngest President at age 43
• New York
• Republican

3
Roosevelts Presidency

• Domestic Issues - Bully Activist
• Square Deal - Business Reform
• Trust-buster
• Environmentalist
• 194 million acres for National Parks
• Public Health
• Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)
• Yellow Fever

4
(No Transcript)
5
William Howard Taft

• President, 1909-13
• Ohio
• Republican
• Weighed 300 pounds

6
Taft Presidency, 1908-1912

• Series of reforms
• Anti-trust cases
• Tariff reductions
• Strengthened Interstate Commerce Act
• Although TR earned the name Trust-buster, Taft
  actually broke apart more trusts

7
Taft and Roosevelt

• Teddy Roosevelt more and more disenchanted with
  his successor
• Taft fired TRs Chief of Forest Service
• 1910 Midterm Elections
• Democrats take House

8
Taft and Roosevelt

• Taft Anti-trust case criticizes TR policy
• US Steel
• Roosevelt declares for nomination
• Increasing split among Republicans
• Conservative camp
• Progressive camp
• Robert LaFollette

9
Republican Convention
LaFollette
Roosevelt
Taft
10
Republican Convention
Fathead!
Demagogue!
Dumber than a guinea pig
Dangerous Egoist
Roosevelt
Taft
11
Republican Convention

• Progressive wing (TR LaFollette) split delegate
  vote
• Taft takes Conservatives
• TR and allies walk out and vow to start new party
  - The Progressive Party

12
Democratic Convention

• Highly contested
• William J. Bryan backs Wilson
• Wilson wins on 46th ballot

13
Campaign

• Teddy Roosevelt and Progressive Party
• Bull Moose Party
• New Nationalism
• Government involvement in the economy
• Guarantee social justice
• Protecting labor
• Womens suffrage

14
(No Transcript)
15
Campaign

• Taft
• Incumbents traditionally did not campaign
• Surrogates back conservative platform
• Some reform
• Maintain tariffs

16
(No Transcript)
17
Campaign

• Wilson and the Democrats
• New Freedom
• Reform, but not radical
• Government not to interfere too much in economy
• Reduce tariffs
• Good government
• Womens suffrage a state issue

18
Campaign

• Eugene V. Debs
• Candidate in 1904 and 1908, as well as 1912
• Socialist
• Government ownership of some industry
• Sweeping labor reforms
• Womens suffrage

19
(No Transcript)
20
(No Transcript)
21
Results
22
(No Transcript)
23
(No Transcript)
24
Wilsons Presidency

• Domestic Issues
• 18th Amendment Prohibition
• 19th Amendment Votes for Women
• Federal Reserve System
• Federal Farm Loan Act
• Some support for Labor Unions

25
(No Transcript)