P. 7 PROGRESSIVISM UNDER
ROOSEVELT: THE SQUARE DEAL
• When President William McKinley was
assassinated 6 months into his second term,
Theodore Roosevelt became the nations 26th
president
McKinley was
assassinated by
an anarchist in
Buffalo in
September of
1901
ROOSEVELT AND THE ROUGH
RIDERS
• Roosevelt grabbed national attention
by advocating war with Spain in 1898
• His volunteer cavalry brigade, the
Rough Riders, won public acclaim for
its role in the battle at San Juan Hill in
Cuba
• Roosevelt returned a hero and was
soon elected governor of NY and later
McKinley’s vice-president
Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders
THE MODERN PRESIDENT
• When Roosevelt was thrust into the
presidency in 1901, he became the
youngest president ever at age 42
• He quickly established himself as a
modern president who could influence
the media and shape legislation
TRUSTBUSTING
• By 1900, Trusts – legal bodies
created to hold stock in many
companies – controlled 80% of U.S.
industries
• Roosevelt filed 44 antitrust suits
under the Sherman Antitrust Act
1902 COAL STRIKE
• In 1902 140,000 coal miners in Pennsylvania
went on strike for increased wages, a 9hour work day, and the right to unionize
• Mine owners refused to bargain
• Roosevelt called in both sides and settled
the dispute
• Thereafter, when a strike threatened public
welfare, the federal government was
expected to step in and help
“THE JUNGLE” LEADS TO FOOD
REGULATION
• After reading The Jungle by Upton
Sinclair, Roosevelt pushed for
passage of the Meat Inspection Act
of 1906
• The Act mandated cleaner
conditions for meatpacking plants
PURE FOOD AND DRUG ACT
The Pure Food and Drug Act took
medicines with cocaine and other
harmful ingredients off the
market
• In response to unregulated
claims and unhealthy
products, Congress passed
the Pure Food and Drug Act
in 1906
• The Act halted the sale of
contaminated foods and
medicines and called for
truth in labeling
ROOSEVELT AND THE
ENVIRONMENT
• Before Roosevelt’s presidency, the
federal government paid very little
attention to the nation’s natural
resources
• Roosevelt made conservation a
primary concern of his administration
Roosevelt, left, was an avid
outdoorsman – here he is with author
John Muir at Yosemite Park
Theodore Roosevelt & Conservation
• 1st president to take an active role in the
American conservation movement
• Ardent sportsman & naturalist
• Concerned with exploitation of America’s
natural resources & remaining wilderness
Theodore Roosevelt & Conservation
• Using his executive powers as president, he:
– Restricted private development of millions of acres of
underdeveloped land
– Added most underdeveloped land in the west to the
National Forest System
– Seized many forests & water sites for conservation
purposes
Gifford Pinchot
• Appointed as the 1st Chief Forester of the U.S. by
President Theodore Roosevelt
• Supported rational & efficient human use of the
wilderness
• Believed trained experts in forestry & resource
management needed to develop & manage the
wilderness & national parks
Gifford Pinchot
1st Chief of the Forest Service,
1905-1910
Roosevelt sends federal aid to the West
• Teddy Roosevelt’s natural resource policy won support in
Congress
• National Reclamation Act (Newlands Act)
– Provided federal funds for the construction of dams,
reservoirs, and canals in the West.
– Projects provided cheap source of electric power
– Opened new lands for cultivation
– Provided critical aid for irrigation & power development
in western states
– Bureau of Reclamation established
• It took about 20 years before positive effects of the
Newlands Act took hold
Theodore Roosevelt & Preservation
• Believed in protecting natural beauty of the land
& health of its wildlife from human intrusion
• Championed the expansion of the National
Forest System as a means to protect forests
from excess lumbering
Antiquities Act of 1906
• Roosevelt proclaimed 18 national monuments.
• It also established:
– 5 national parks
– 51 wildlife refuges
– 150 national forests
Expansion of the National Park System
• Purpose of the National Park System:
– To protect the land from exploitation or
development
The National Park Service
National Parks Created by the T. Roosevelt Administration
Yellowstone National Park
Yosemite National Park
1st - 1872 - Yellowstone, Wyoming
California
Sequoia National Park
California
Mount Rainer National Park
Washington State
The National Park Service
National Parks Created by the T. Roosevelt Administration
Crater Lake National Park
Mesa Verde National Park
Oregon
Mesa Verde, Colorado
Wind Cave National Park
Chickasaw National Recreation Area
South Dakota
Oklahoma (Formerly Platte National Park)
Yosemite National Park
Mirror Lake, Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park
Sequoia National Park
Sequoia National Park
Mesa Verde National Park
The Legacy of Theodore Roosevelt’s
Conservation & Preservation Efforts
• The North Dakota badlands
provides the scenic backdrop
to the park which memorializes
the 26th president for his
enduring contributions to the
conservation of our nation's
resources.
• The area was first established
as a Memorial Park in 1947.
• It gained National Park status
in 1978.
• The Little Missouri River has
shaped this 70,448-acre park
which is home to a variety of
plants and animals.
In Summary…
ROOSEVELT’S ENVIROMENTAL
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Roosevelt set aside 148 million
acres of forest reserves
• He also set aside 1.5 million acres
of water-power sites and he
established 50 wildlife
sanctuaries and several national
parks
Yellowstone National
Park, Wyoming
Reviewing Environmental Reforms
• Why were environmental reforms,
conservation & preservation, important to
the American people during the
Progressive Era?
• In your opinion, were environmental
reforms during the Progressive Era a
success or failure? Explain your answer.
• What impact did Environmental Reforms
during the Progressive Era have on future
generations?
ROOSEVELT AND CIVIL RIGHTS
• Roosevelt failed to support
Civil Rights for African
Americans
• He did, however, support a
few individuals such as
Booker T. Washington
NAACP FORMED TO PROMOTE
RIGHTS
• In 1909 a number of African Americans and
prominent white reformers formed the
National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People
• The NAACP had 6,000 members by 1914
• The goal of the organization was full
equality among the races
• The means to achieve this was the court
system
1964 Application