Progressive Presidents

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) - Progressive Act: Conservationism

protecting National parks, rivers, forests, wildlife refuges etc. from Industry

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) - Progressive Act: Control of Big Business

T. Roosevelt “busted” 43 “bad trusts” but he allowed others to exist.

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) - Progressive Act: Consumer Protection

from unsafe products. After reading The Jungle TR passed the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act.

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) - Progressive Act: “The Bully Pulpit”

when a politician makes speeches over and over again to convince the public to put pressure on Congress to pass a law or new change

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) - Progressive Act: Other Progressivism w/Booker T. Washington

TR invited Booker T. Washington to the White House for DINNER! He never asked him back because it was unpopular

Coal Strike of 1902: Oct. 3 1902, TR called a meeting at the temporary White House about the great strike in the coal fields of Pennsylvania who threatened a coal famine. When TR’s carriage got hit by a trolley, he begged for coal operations to resume. This turned the U.S. Gov from strikebreaker to peacemaker in industrial disputes.

Hepburn Act of 1906: Was endorsed by TR to give power to the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to regulate railroad rates. It covered bridges, terminals, ferries, railroad sleeping cars, and oil pipelines.

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) Not So Progressive Act: Social Darwinism

He believed that white, college educated, men should rule the USA, the Pacific Islands, and parts of Asia. Took 86 million acres of Native American land for national forests.

“Big Stick” Foreign Policy:

Roosevelt Corollary… SEE MAP

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) Not So Progressive Act: New Nationalism

Ran for a 3^rd term in 1912. New Nationalism called for:

-women’s suffrage

-old age pensions

-8 hr workday

-an agency to be a watchdog on business to protect consumers.

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) Not So Progressive Act: The “Bull Moose” Party

T Roosevelt’s “Progressive Party” in 1912… Bull Moose became the nicknames of the Progressives

President William Howard Taft (1909-1913) Progressive Act: Trustbuster

Busted 90 monopolies (including John Rockefeller’s Standard Oil into 34 companies) But, was soft spoken and not good at using the ”Bully Pulpit”.

President William Howard Taft (1909-1913) Progressive Act: Conservationism

Took over a million acres of land out of protection, allowing it to be developed! This made Progressives very angry!!!

President William Howard Taft (1909-1913) Progressive Act: Children’s Bureau

Investigated child education rates and conditions of child laborers (workers) in the US.

 

This was set up in 1912 to investigate infant maternal (mother’s giving birth) death rates.

President William Howard Taft (1909-1913) Progressive Act: Dollar Diplomacy

Dollar Diplomacy: President Taft’s plan was known as “Dollar Diplomacy”. US loans were given to Honduras and Nicaragua, both of whom were in debt to European nations. The plan was to keep European powers from invading these countries, and have them trade more with the US going forward. Taft also sent US Marines to Nicaragua to stop a revolution against the government that was going friendly with the U.S. Dollar Diplomacy did not increase trade and saw trade with China drop during Taft’s presidency.

President William Howard Taft (1909-1913) Not So Progressive Act: Payne Aldrich Tariff

This raised taxes on imported products/crops from other countries into the USA! This upset progressive voters…

President William Howard Taft (1909-1913) Not So Progressive Act: Ballinger-Pinchot Controversy

Fired T Roosevelt’s director of Forestry (Gifford Pinchot who helps protect National Parks) This made progressives furious!!!

 

Hired Richard Ballinger to be Secretary of the Interior, who many progressives felt was dangerous to National Parks and Resources

President Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) Progressive Act: New Freedom

New Nationalism; Wilson wanted to attack the “Triple Wall of Privilege”: Banks, Tariffs, and Monopolies/Trusts

President Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) Progressive Act: Graduated Income Tax

The Revenue Act of 1913 allowed for people who earned more money to have to pay a higher percentage of taxes on their income

President Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) Progressive Act: Federal Reserve Act

This was created in 1913 and used to set interest rates to control inflation and loan money when needed, and borrow when needed. AND…

 

This established the Federal Reserve Bank or “The Fed”.

President Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) Progressive Act: Federal Trade Commission

Created in 1913 to protect consumers from unfair or deceptive business practices and to ensure fair competition.

 

The act also prohibits “unfair methods of competition” and “unfair or deceptive acts or practices”

President Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) Progressive Act: Clayton Anti-Trust Act

This 1914 law strengthened the Sherman Act by naming certain business tactics illegal, to stop monopolies before they start.

 

This also exempted labor unions from antitrust/monopoly suits, and declared strikes, boycotts, and peaceful labor protests legal.

President Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) Progressive Act: Keating-Owen Child Labor Act

Under the act, the products of mines that employed children under age sixteen and

 

This law also stated that factories employing children under age fourteen could not be transported out of a state to another state by means of interstate commerce.

President Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) Progressive Act: Adamson Act

Passed in 1916, this established an eight-hour workday, with additional pay for overtime work, for interstate railroad workers.

President Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) Progressive Act: Federal Farm Loan Act

Signed in 1916, this established 12 federal banks that make low interest loans to farmers associations across the country.

President Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) Not So Progressive Act: Racist

Segregated the US gov. Allowed the US military to be more segregated… refused to support Anti-Lynching laws, because the South was totally segregationist Democrats.

Showed the film, “the Birth of a Nation” in the White House, which depicted the KKK as heroes, protecting the South.

President Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) Not So Progressive Act: Moral Diplomacy

Wilson called for a “cooling off” period between the US Latin American countries… using Secretary of State, William Jennings Bryan to make 22 treaties with Latin American countries. Wilson said the US would be “hands off”, ONLY if countries agreed to have a Democratic government (meaning people vote for their leaders). This is somewhat successful, but Wilson had to send Marines to Haiti in 1915, and the Dominican Republic in 1916, neither of which established Democracies. Fearing that Germany would try to use them as a base for submarines (U-Boats) also agreed to recognize Japan as ruler of Manchuria (part of China) and allowed Japan to take islands held by Germany in the Pacific Ocean.

President Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) Not So Progressive Act: Mexican Border

Mexico had revolutions from 1899 to 1916. Wilson refused to accept the Mexican leader, Victoriano Huerta, who established a bloody dictatorship in 1914, preferring Venustiano Carranza. The US sent troops to occupy Veracruz, Mexico, helping Carranza take power. Carranza’s enemy, Pancho Villa, then attacked a town in New Mexico, trying to start a war between Mexico and the US, killing 126 Americans. Wilson sent 10,000 troops to capture Villa, but failed to capture him. In 1917, Germany tried to make an alliance with Mexico, promising to return California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas to Mexico if they joined the war against the US. This info was intercepted by the British and given to the Americans, in what became known as the “Zimmerman Telegram”. Wilson then withdrew all US troops from Mexico, and the US declared war on Germany, and entered World War I in April 1917.