The Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt
Matthew Hacker, period 8 APUSH
1. Basic Information:
a. Years of the president’s term(s) in office:1901-1909
b.
Party affiliation-Republican
c. Prior political experience
a) 3 terms NY State Assembly
b) Federal Civil Service Commission
c) New York City Police Commissioner
d) Assistant Secretary of the Navy
e) Governor
f) Vice President
(Norton 2nd Edition page 606)
d. Did he have majority support in the House and Senate? Yes- many of
Roosevelt’s initiatives were supported in both the Senate and the House,
allowing many of his landmark pieces of legislation to be passed
(57th Congress of the United States- AllExperts)
e. Important cabinet appointments and Supreme Court appointments if any.
a) Secretary of Commerce and Labor, Oscar S. Straus- Jewish
minority, first time
b) Supreme Court: Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
c) Supreme Court: William Rufus Day
d) Supreme Court: William Henry Moody
e) 72 appointments to Court of Appeals and US district Courts
2.
Election information:
a. Opponents in election(s): 1904 Presidential- Alton B. Parker (Democrat)
Eugene V. Debs (Socialist Party)
b. Campaign issues
Goodwill election- very similar views
Allegations of corruption in the Bureau of Corporations made by
Democrats- eventually dismissed
c. Campaign results
Roosevelt- 56.4% popular vote, 336 Electoral Votes
Parker- 37.6% popular vote, 140 Electoral votes
Debs- 3% popular vote, 0 Electoral votes
(Wikipedia)
3. Domestic Performance:
a. Identify 3-5 most important pieces of legislation, achievements or challenges
he faced or that occurred during his tenure. How were they addressed and
were they handled effectively? What happened as a result? Be sure to explain
why these were the most important occurrences of his presidency.
1) Conservation- Roosevelt was a major conservationist.
He promoted the Newlands Reclamation Act of 1902
to promote federal construction of dams to irrigate
small farms. Roosevelt established the United States
Forest Service, and signed the first 5 national parks
into law. In addition, he created the first national
Forest (Shoshone National Forest). He added nearly
150 million acres to the national forests. As a
progressive, he desired a “well-conceived plan” for
managing the United States’ resources. However, he
was forced to compromise because timber and mining
companies detested the federal supervision of their
operations, and Congress never put up enough money
to enforce federal regulations. “The whole object of
forest protection” is “the making and maintaining of
prosperous homes” (American Spirit, page 215).
Roosevelt felt that nature should be preserved so that
Americans could continue to use it for their own good
in the future, not just in the long term.
2) Trustbuster- Though he has a reputation as a
trustbuster, he believed consolidation was the most
effective way to achieve progress as a country.
However, he did aggressively attack “bad” trusts that
manipulated the market. As a result of this, he went
against the railroad, meatpacking, and oil trusts. In
1904 the Supreme Court ordered the Northern
Securities Company (JP Morgan railroad trust).
However, he still preferred to cooperate rather than
persecute, so his favored tactic was to pressure the
companies to regulate themselves. In 1906 he managed
to the Hepburn Act passed, which “imposed stricter
control over railroads and expanded the powers of the
Interstate Commerce Commission” (Norton 2nd Edition
page 607). While some accused him of being weak
against the companies, he laid the precedent of
government regulation so he could be successful in
other, more idealistic objectives.
(Norton 2nd Edition page 607)
3) Pure Food and Drug Laws- shocked by allegations
made by Upton Sinclair’s novel The Jungle Roosevelt
ordered an investigation into the meatpacking industry.
After the conditions were confirmed, Roosevelt
supported the Pure Food and Drug Act as well as the
Meat Inspection Act (both 1906). Again, he set the
precedent for government regulation, and reaffirmed
his stance of using “the progressive tactics of
investigation and arbitration” (Norton 2nd Edition page
607).
4) The “Square Deal”- The exemplar of his preferred
tactics for use towards labor and business, the “Square
Deal” was formed when, in 1902, the United Mine
Workers went on strike against coal mine owners
demanding better pay and an 8 hour day. When neither
side could reach a deal, Roosevelt threatened the use of
Federal troops to force the reopening the mine. He set
up a special commission, and they decided in favor of
higher wages and shorter days, but also did not require
the mine owners to recognize the unions. The Square
Deal was meant to be fair to all, which was practically
his motto. The deal eventually spread to cover
conservation of natural resources, control of
corporations, and consumer protection. (Norton 2nd
Edition page 608)
b. Were his actions successful or not, whether immediately or eventually? Why?
1) Conservation- while the big businesses did not allow
much federal oversight, the 150 million acres of national
parklands still exist today. National parks and the
conservation of the land in them are still cherished
subjects today, and his precedent to create them allowed
for further expansion of the national park system. Thus, it
can be said that it was successful both immediately and
eventually.
2) Trust-busting- while Roosevelt was more moderate in
pursuing trusts than his reputation as a trustbuster would
imply his determination to go against some of the trusts
resulted initially in the disintegration of the Northern
Securities Company, his precedent ensured that
eventually many more trusts would be broken up.
3) Pure Food and Drug Laws- These laws initially called for
tighter oversight of meatpacking plants, it would
eventually spawn today’s Food and Drug Administration,
which covers a far greater amount of the industry than
before. Again, Roosevelt’s precedent for tighter
regulation set off a trend in this area.
4) Square Deal- his philosophy had an immediate impact
with the passage of the Antiquities Act, Hepburn Act,
Pure Food and Drug Act, and Meat inspection act (all
1906). Being the all-encompassing philosophy, the square
deal has lingered on in the form of tighter governmental
regulation.
c. How were his actions perceived by Washington DC, the American public and
the world?
1) Conservation- the West protested Conservation greatly,
arguing that Congress and Roosevelt cared more for
trees than the wellbeing of American Citizens living
there. They argued that the practices that were now
being fought had become a foundation of the local life.
The lands that were being protected, they argued, should
have been allowed for use by the settlers in those areas.
2) In general, Theodore Roosevelt’s domestic actions were
popular at home with the average citizen, except in the
case of Conservation in the West. However, he did
manage to offend and make enemies with large
businesses that viewed him as a Trustbuster, seeking to
destroy capitalism (despite that not being the case).
4. Foreign Performance:
a. Identify 3-5 most important pieces of legislation, achievements or
challenges he faced. Be sure to explain what they were (causes and effects)
as well as why these were the most important occurrences of his presidency.
1) Panama Canal- achievement. Seeking a canal in
Panama (then a part of Colombia), Roosevelt
attempted to negotiate based off of an antique 1843
treaty that would have allowed the US to buy the canal
zone from Colombia, but the Colombian government
refused, infuriating Roosevelt. Seeing dissent in
Panama, Roosevelt managed to persuade Panama to
become an independent nation from Colombia, and
wished them to rebel (American Spirit page 192).
Roosevelt sent the US Navy to pressure the
Colombians, and the Panamanians seceded without
much opposition. Panama proceeded to sell a canal
zone to the U.S. for $10 million. The Panama Canal
promoted a strong US Navy and revolutionized global
commerce and travel simultaneously. Roosevelt had
the foresight to understand the importance of such a
canal, and this is among his greatest achievements.
2) Brokering an end to the Russo-Japanese War- The
Russo-Japanese war was a major conflict between the
two imperial powers of Czarist Russia and Japan. The
war, which started in early 1904, continued on until
1905, and that end was largely due to Roosevelt’s
brokering skills. During the summer of 1905,
Roosevelt urged the Czar to end the war as “the
present contest is absolutely hopeless and that to
continue it would only result in the loss of all of
Russia’s possessions in East Asia.” A part of this deal
was that Roosevelt would not reveal that Russia had
consented to this plead so that Russia would not look
like it was seeking peace due to losing to Japan.
Russian and Japanese delegates met in Portsmouth,
New Hampshire, where the peace treaty that was
signed ensured that Japan would rule Korea, and
Russia would leave Manchuria, among other
concessions. For brokering this peace, Roosevelt was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906.
(The Russo-Japanese War Research Society)
3) 1904 Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine- after a
Venezuela over borrowed from Britain and Germany;
these two nations proceeded to “spank” Venezuela as
punishment by sinking two ships and bombarding a
fort and a village. Roosevelt understood that
eventually, if Europe continued such action, they could
again be influencing Western Hemisphere actions,
which would be a violation of the Monroe doctrine.
Hence, in 1904, Roosevelt added a Corollary to the
Monroe doctrine stating “Chronic wrongdoing…may
force the United States, however reluctantly, in
flagrant cases of such wrongdoing or impotence, to
exercise of an international police power.” In effect,
Roosevelt stated that since we would not allow
Europeans to police the Caribbean or Latin America,
the United States should. Therefore America had
assumed a great role as a policing power, a role that we
continue to assume to this day. (American Spirit pages
194-195)
b. For each top 3-5, identify
i. Were his actions or initiatives successful or not, whether
immediately or in the long term, or both? Why or why not?
1) Panama Canal- his initiative for the Panama Canal
was highly successful, and continues to be a key
contribution to the global society. The canal is still
the backbone of trade in the Americas. The project
was successful immediately once Panama seceded
from Colombia, as the grateful Panamanians sold
the Canal Zone for 10 million, and allowed the US
to construct the canal.
2) Brokering an End to the Russo-Japanese war- his
attempts to end the Russo-Japanese war was again
successful, ending the year and a half long war.
However, the peace may have hurt more than the
actual war, as Korea was kept under brutal
occupations by the Japanese, and the Japanese
would invade the vacated Manchuria during the
Sino-Japanese war, where many more atrocities
were carried out by Imperial Japan. Despite this, it
was a good short term success, as Roosevelt could
not have possibly foreseen the future.
3) Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine- his success here
can be debatable. While the United States did
become the number one police state for the
Americas, it also shifted American politics to that of
a more imperialistic nation. By ending our
isolationism in that regard, we have made many
new enemies, but also ensured our supremacy in the
Western Hemisphere, a role we continue to have.
Our police state duties assumed then have now been
extended to the entire world, with the recent
conflicts in Somalia, Kosovo/Serbia, Iraq, etc. being
“police actions.” Roosevelt set a dangerous
precedent with his Corollary.
ii. How were his actions perceived by Washington DC., the American
public and the world?
1) Panama Canal- in the United States, all was chipper
over this endeavor, but Colombia was left with a sense
of betrayal and hostility towards the US, and the
Panamanians were deeply grateful that the US ensured
their independence.
2) Brokering and end to the Russo-Japanese War- Again,
all was fine in the US over the ending of this war, and
the international community felt it was a great
achievement, culminating in his Nobel Peace Prize in
1906. However, Japan felt that Roosevelt was merely
meddling in his affairs, and compounded with the issue
of San Francisco Public Schools segregating Japanese
children created a rough time for Japanese-American
relations. These remained lukewarm until 1924, when
we broke our end of a Gentleman’s Agreement, which
created greatly strained tensions, eventually leading to
Pearl Harbor and WWII in the Pacific.
3) Europe was mostly indifferent over the corollary to the
Monroe doctrine, as now the US could do the dirty
work of ensuring payments from borrowing for them.
However, the Latin America was deeply hurt by this,
feeling it infringed on their rights to be a sovereign
nation.
5. Legacy:
a. For what is he best remembered?
Conservation
b. Did he set any precedents for future presidents?
Internationally,
Theodore Roosevelt set the precedent of being the police state for the
Western hemisphere. At home however, he set far greater precedents. He
“influenced the presidency’s 20th century character.” He realized that the
small government style of government would not work in the 20th century,
and his regulation efforts characterized the 20th century of US politics.
c. Which of his achievements have withstood the test of time?
Panama Canal, Regulations on businesses and anti-trust enforcement,
Conservation
6. Ranking:
a. Please rate the President on a scale of 1-10
9
b. Justify your reasoning in a summary analysis paragraph in which you offer
your conclusions and assessment of the president and his effectiveness and
accomplishments (or lack of).
Theodore Roosevelt earns 9 out of 10 in my eyes due to the numerous changes
that he made for the better, and the sheer number of precedents he set.
Domestically, his Pure Food and Drug Act led to a far safer food supply for the
United States, and eventually the FDA was formed to enforce this act. Today,
there are arguably no trusts, and business is still quite regulated (although there
are now calls to change that). However, perhaps his greatest achievement is
that of a conservationist. Many of the national parks that he created remain
popular places for the American public, lands that otherwise would have been
exploited greatly, likely to the point of destruction. Internationally, he shaped
20th century foreign policy. Both his corollary to the Monroe doctrine and the
Panama Canal both set precedents for a far more aggressive and globally active
United States than what was seen in the 19th century. For all of his great
achievements (especially domestically), I cannot rate him a 10 out of 10 since
he made some miscalculations in the long run, especially his “Gentleman’s
Agreement” with Japan. When our end of the bargain was broken in 1924,
Japan began to resent the United States, eventually leading to Pearl Harbor and
to the Pacific Front of WWII. In addition to this miscalculation, his arguably
negative precedent of being a police state has gotten the United States into
many unsavory roles since 1903.
c. How did events and his actions during this leader’s term change America and
the World?
America was transformed from a laissez-faire society and government into
one that began hands on regulation of business, and took greater
responsibility for its citizens (Pure Food and Drug Act) and nature. In
addition, Roosevelt ensured that the United States
7. Works Cited Page
1) A People and a Nation 6th Edition
2) A People and a Nation 2nd Edition
3) The American Spirit
4) http://www.russojapanesewar.com/TR.html
The Russo-Japanese War Research SocietyTheodore Roosevelt and the Russo-Japanese
War
5) http://www.associatepublisher.com/e/0/57th_u
nited_states_congress.htm 57th Congress of
the United States
6) Wikipedia