PROGRESSIVE
PRESIDENTS
1901-1919
THEODORE ROOSEVELT (1901-1909)
 Was ambitious, advanced through New York politics to
become governor
 NY political bosses cannot control him, urge run for vicepresident
 President McKinley shot; Roosevelt becomes president at 42
 His leadership, publicity campaigns help create modern
presidency
 Supports federal government role when states do not solve
problems
THE TRUSTBUSTER
 Square Deal—Roosevelt’s progressive reforms
 Trustbusting
 By 1900, trusts control about 4/5 of U.S. industries
 Roosevelt wants to curb trusts that hurt public interest
 Breaks up some trusts under Sherman Antitrust Act
 1902 Coal Strike
 Coal reserves low; forces miners, operators to accept arbitration
 Sets principle of federal intervention when strike threatens public
 Roosevelt pushes for federal regulation of railroads to control abuses
 Elkins and Hepburn Acts- put limits on railroads
CONSUMER PROTECTION
 Regulating Foods and Drugs
 Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle—unsanitary
conditions in meatpacking
 Roosevelt commission investigates, backs up
Sinclair’s account
 Roosevelt pushes for Meat Inspection Act (1906):
 dictates sanitary requirements
 Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)
 Pure Food and Drug Act halts sale of
contaminated food, medicine requires truth in
labeling
DOCUMENT ANALYSIS
UPTON SINCLAIR’S THE JUNGLE
 “ . . . A n d t h e n t h e r e w a s t h e c o n d em n e d m e a t i n d u s t r y, w i t h i t s e n d l e s s h o r r o r s . T h e
p e o p l e o f C h i c a g o s aw t h e g o v e r nm e n t i n s p e c to r s i n P a c k i n g town , a n d t h ey a l l to o k
t h a t to m e a n t h a t t h ey w e r e p r o te c te d f r o m d i s e a s e d m e a t ; t h ey d i d n o t u n d e r s t a n d
t h a t t h e s e h u n d r e d a n d s i x t y - t h r e e i n s p e c to r s h a d b e e n a p p o i n te d a t t h e r e q u e s t o f t h e
p a c ke r s , a n d t h a t t h ey w e r e p a i d b y t h e U n i te d S t a te s g o v e r n m e n t to c e r t i f y t h a t a l l t h e
d i s e a s e d m e a t w a s ke p t i n t h e s t a te . T h ey h a d n o a u t h o r i t y b eyo n d t h a t ; f o r t h e
i n s p e c t i on o f m e a t to b e s o l d i n t h e c i t y a n d s t a te t h e w h o l e f o rc e i n P a c k i n g tow n
c o n s i s te d o f t h r e e h e n c h m e n o f t h e l o c al p o l i t i c al m a c hi n e ! . . .
A n d t h e n t h e r e w a s “ p o t te d g a m e ” a n d “ p o t te d g r o us e ,” “ p o t te d h a m , ” a n d “ d ev i le d
h a m ” — d ev y l e d , a s t h e m e n c a l l e d i t . “ D e - v y l e d ” h a m w a s m a d e o u t o f t h e w a s te e n d s o f
s m o ke d b e e f t h a t w e r e to o s m a l l to b e s l i c e d b y t h e m a c h i n e s ; a n d a l s o t r i p e , d ye d
w i t h c h e m i c a l s s o t h a t i t w o u l d n o t s h o w w h i te , a n d t r i m mi n g s o f h a m s a n d c o r n e d
b e e f , a n d p o t a to e s , s k i n s a n d a l l , a n d f i n a l l y t h e h a r d c a r t i l a g i n o us g u l l et s o f b e e f ,
a f te r t h e to n g ue s h a d b e e n c u t o u t . A l l t h i s i n g e n i o us m i x t ur e w a s g r o un d u p a n d
f l av o r e d w i t h s p i c e s to m a ke i t t a s te l i ke s o m et hi n g . A ny b o d y w h o c o ul d i nv e n t a n ew
i m i t a t io n h a d b e e n s u r e o f a f o r t un e f r o m o l d D u r h am , s a i d J u r g i s ’ s i n f o r m a n t , b u t i t
w a s h a r d to t h i n k o f a ny t h i ng n ew i n a p l a c e w h e r e s o m a ny s h a r p w i t s h a d b e e n a t
w o r k f o r s o l o n g ; w h e r e m e n w e l c o me d t u b e rc ulo s i s i n t h e c a t t l e t h ey w e r e f e e d i n g ,
b e c a u s e i t m a d e t h e m f a t te n m o r e q u i c kl y ; a n d w h e r e t h ey b o u g h t u p a l l t h e o l d r a n c i d
b u t te r l e f t o v e r i n t h e g r o c e r y s to r e s o f a c o n t i n e n t , a n d “ ox i d i z e d ” i t b y a f o r c e d - ai r
p r o c e s s , to t a ke aw ay t h e o d o r, r e c h ur n e d i t w i t h s k i m m i l k , a n d s o l d i t i n b r i c k s i n t h e
cities! . . .”
CONSERVATION
 Industrialization and private interests exploited the
natural environment
 Roosevelt sets aside forest reserves, sanctuaries,
national parks
 Believes conservation part preservation, part
development for public
 By 1916, the National Park Service will be
established
PROGRESSIVISM
UNDER TAFT
 Republican William Howard Taft (1909-1913) wins presidency
with Roosevelt’s support
 He is more cautious and less charismatic than Roosevelt
 Taft angers Progressive Republicans
 Taft signs Payne-Aldrich Tariff—moderate tariff which is not as low as
Progressives wanted
 Conflicts with conservationists over reserved land put in the public
domain
 Taft fired Gifford Pinchot, head of U.S. Forest Service
 Progressives turn against Taft and the Republican Party Splits
ELECTION OF 1912
 Bull Moose Party
 1912 convention, Taft people outmaneuver Roosevelt’s for
nomination
 Progressives form Bull Moose Party; nominate Roosevelt, call for:
 more voter participation in government
 women’s suffrage
 labor legislation, business controls
 Runs against Democrat Woodrow Wilson, reform governor of NJ
Let’s Practice!
Analyze the cartoon
THE ELECTION
 Wilson endorses progressive platform called the
New Freedom
 wants stronger antitrust laws, banking reform, lower
tariffs
 calls all monopolies evil
 Roosevelt wants oversight of big business; not all
monopolies bad
 Socialist Party candidate Eugene V. Debs wants
to end capitalism
 Wilson wins great electoral victory; gets majority
in Congress
WILSON WINS
 Woodrow Wilson (1913 -1921)
 Wilson was lawyer, professor, president of Princeton, NJ governor
 As president, focuses on trusts, tariffs, high finance
 Key Antitrust Measures
 Clayton Antitrust Act stops companies buying stock to form monopoly
 Ends injunctions against strikers unless threaten irreparable damage
 Federal Trade Commission (FTC)—new “watchdog” agency
 Investigates regulatory violations
 Ends unfair business practices
WILSON’S FINANCIAL REFORM
 Wilson pushes for Underwood Act to substantially reduce
tarif fs
 Keating-Owen Act (1916) first federal law restricting child
labor
 Sixteenth Amendment legalizes graduated federal income tax
 Federal Reserve System—private banking system under
federal control
 Nation divided into 12 districts; central bank in each district
 Outbreak of WWI will distract Americans and reform ef forts
stall