Transcript Slide 1

■Essential Question:
–What role did President
Theodore Roosevelt play as a
progressive reformer?
■Warm-Up Question:
–Define each progressive reform:
Initiative, Referendum, Recall,
17th Amendment, Wisconsin Idea,
Pendleton Act, Direct Primary Election,
City Commission Government
President Theodore Roosevelt
■VP Theodore Roosevelt became
president after the assassination of
William McKinley in 1901
■TR was a different kind of president
–He thought the gov’t ought to
take responsibility for the welfare
of the American people
–His agenda of progressive reform
was called the “Square Deal”
Theodore Roosevelt:
A “Modern” President
■ TR“It
was
committed
is the
duty of theto a
president
act upon the
series of to
reforms:
theory thatup
heharmful
is the
–Breaking
steward
of
the
people,
monopolies (called
and…to assume that he
“trustbusting”)
has the legal right to do
–Regulating
businesses
whatever
the needs
of the
such as
railroads
&
people
demand,
unless
theConstitution
meat industry
the
or the
laws
explicitly forbid
–Conservation
of him
to resources
do it”
natural
Trustbusting
■During the Gilded Age, Congress
passed a series of laws designed
to keep big business in check:
–The Interstate Commerce
Commission (ICC) was formed
in 1886 to regulate railroads
–The Sherman Anti-Trust Act in
1890 made it illegal for
companies to restrict trade
■But neither of these laws were
strict enough to control monopolies
Trustbusting
■Roosevelt saw the benefit of
efficient monopolies, but wanted
to control bad trusts:
–In 1902, the gov’t ordered the
Northern Securities Company
(a giant railroad monopoly)
broken up because it violated
the Sherman Anti-Trust Act
–The Roosevelt administration
“busted” 25 trusts in 7 years
Theodore
Roosevelt,
the
Trustbuster
Supporting Workers
■In 1902, the United Mine Workers
went on strike to demand higher
pay & an eight-hour work day
–The anthracite
coal strike lasted
11 months &
threatened the
nation as winter
approached
Supporting Workers
■Unlike the Gilded Age presidents,
TR did not side with the owners &
break up the strike
–TR forced both
sides to arbitrate
or face gov’t
seizure of the
coal mine
–The result was
a “square deal” for both sides
Regulating Business
■When muckraker Upton Sinclair’s
The Jungle was published,
Roosevelt pushed for regulation
of the meat packing industry
–Congress
the Meat
Quick passed
Class Discussion:
Inspection
Act ingenerate
1906 so much
Why
did The Jungle
outrage
Americans
& politicians?
–To
banfrom
harmful
products
& end
Read
excerpts from
The Jungle
false
medicine
claims,
the Pure
Food & Drug Act passed in 1906
Unregulated Food & Medicines:
The Need for the Pure Food & Drug Act
Conservation of the Environment
■ During the Gilded Age, corporations
clear-cut forests & viewed America’s
natural resources as endless
■ Roosevelt began the 1st national
environmental conservation program
–The gov’t protected 195 million
acres as off limits to businesses
–The Reclamation Service to place
natural resources (oil, trees, coal)
under federal protection
National Parks and Forests
The Legacy of Theodore Roosevelt
■In 1908, Roosevelt decided not
to run for re-election as president
■TR’s presidency was important
because for the first time, the
national government:
–Regulated big business
–Protected the environment
–Assumed responsibility for the
welfare of workers & consumers
Closure Activity
■?
■ Essential Question:
–What role did Presidents Taft &
Wilson play in bringing about
progressive reforms?
■ Warm-Up Question:
–Describe the accomplishments of
& rank order these 6 reformers:
Theodore Roosevelt, Jane Addams,
Upton Sinclair, Booker T. Washington,
Susan B. Anthony, Ida Tarbell
William Howard Taft (3.46)
William
Howard Taft
When Roosevelt
decided not to run
for re-election in
1908, his successor
to the presidency
was Republican
William Howard Taft
The Presidency of Taft
■Like TR, Taft believed that the
U.S. needed progressive reform:
–In his 4 years as president,
Taft helped break up twice as
many monopolies as Roosevelt
–Created the Children’s Bureau
& pushed for child labor laws
–Helped create safety codes for
coal miners & railroad workers
The Presidency of Taft
■ But, Taft did not always trust the
gov’t to solve problems & often
sided with conservative Republicans
–He angered progressives when he
supported a high tariff which
helped monopolies
–He allowed a cabinet secretary to
sell 1 million acres of conservation
land to businesses
■ Progressive politicians hoped that
TR would run for president again
Progressives (& Roosevelt) began to view
Taft as having made a mess of TR’s reforms
The Election of 1912
■TR decided to run for president in
1912 but the Republican Party
picked Taft as their candidate
–TR created the Progressive
(“Bull Moose”) Party
–Taft was the Republican nominee
& the Democrats ran a reform
governor, Woodrow Wilson
■Republican voters were divided in
whom to support: Roosevelt or Taft
The Election of 1912 &
the Progressive Party (Bull Moose Party)
I’m feeling as fit as a
“bull moose”
The Election of 1912
With the Republicans divided, Democrat
Woodrow Wilson won the election of 1912
Republicans divided by a Bull moose
equals a Democratic victory!
Woodrow Wilson (0.51)
“Progressive Amendments”
President Woodrow Wilson
■President Wilson oversaw a great
wave of progressive reforms:
–16th Amendment created the
1st income tax in U.S. history
–17th Amendment allowed for the
direct-election of U.S. Senators
–18th Amendment outlawed
alcohol (prohibition)
–19th Amendment granted women
the right to vote (suffrage)
President Woodrow Wilson
■ President Wilson oversaw a great
wave of progressive reforms:
–Created the Federal Reserve to
regulate the economy by adjusting
the money supply & interest rates
–The Clayton Anti-Trust Act limited
the ability of companies to form
monopolies & protected workers’
right to strike
–The Federal Trade Commission
monitored unfair business practices
The Federal Reserve System
The “Fed” regulates
the amount of
money in circulation
to help keep the
economy strong
The End of Progressive Reform
■The Progressive Era (1890-1920)
brought major changes:
–Gov’t regulation of big business
–Improvements in U.S. cities
–More democracy for the people
■But, the outbreak of World War I
in Europe distracted Americans &
brought an end to the Progressive
Era
Closure Activity
■?