Progressivism
Progressivism created divisions within the Republican Party.
It’s important to remember that in a country with a two-party-system, there will always be factions within the main political parties.
This is particularly true with American politics because of the size of the United States.
The needs of the people also depend on their race, socioeconomic background, region etc.
Progressivism is a political and reform movement that influenced American politics from 1896 to 1916
It was concerned with the damaging impact of the growth of large corporations, pollution and political corruption.
Progressives wanted to prevent the damage through individual and group action.
An example of individual action is through photography or journalism.
An example of group action is forming unions.
Progressivism was also concerned with tackling societal injustice and dealing with moral degradation in society.
They were concerned with social problems regarding the large corporations.
Theodore Roosevelt
Roosevelt was always viewed with suspicion by conservative Republicans despite his popularity with the American people.
This is because Roosevelt considered himself a reformer and he sympathised with Progressivism.
Roosevelt was an opponent of big business and referred to large corporations and cartels as the wealthy criminal class.
However he did not want to destroy big business altogether as he saw it as a necessary component of the American economy.
He was not fond of Populists and Socialists.
Roosevelt introduced significant reforms, which are referred to as the Square Deal by historians.
Roosevelt said he wanted a square deal for every man.
The Square Deal advocated for more equal opportunity.
He supported corporate regulation and attacked bad trusts.
He supported consumer protection. He forced companies to be honest about their products.
Roosevelt would have won a third term, but he didn’t run because of his belief that presidents should be relegated to two terms of presidency.
William Taft won the Presidency in 1908
William Taft
William Taft was a very different president than Roosevelt.
Taft embodied a strict constructionist view of the presidency.
Roosevelt took a more moralistic approach to the presidency, Taft was more pragmatic.
There were also similarities between Roosevelt and Taft.
For example, Taft also did anti-trust action just like Roosevelt.
William Taft was supported by conservative Republicans because he moved away from Roosevelt’s reform agenda.
Some of Taft’s measures favoured big business, for example: the Payne-Adrich Act which raised tariffs and was committed to expanding overseas trade.
Taft was popular with both reformers and conservatives.
On October 26, 1911, the Taft administration filed suit in federal court against the United States Steel Corporation for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890
The complaint was that the acquisition of the Tennessee Coal and Iron Company was anticompetitive, done deliberately and unfairly to reduce competition.
The filing of this lawsuit was a violation of the agreement between the Roosevelt administration and J.P Morgan.
This increased tension between Taft and Roosevelt.
Progressivism and Republican Divisions
In 1910, the divisions between Conservative and Progressive Republicans came to a head with a revolt of 42 Progressive Republicans against the Conservative Speaker of the House, Joseph Cannon.
This was in response to Cannon using his power to appoint his allies and punish those who opposed his legislation.
The revolt did not remove Cannon from the House, but it reduced his power.
President Taft moved even more towards the Conservative wing of the Party while the Progressive wing of the Party led by Robert La Follette, launched the National Progressive Republican League
The National Progressive Republican League is an organisation that aimed at directing the Republican Party toward a more progressive platform, advocating for reforms such as direct election of senators, women's suffrage, and stricter regulations on corporations.
In the run-up to the 1912 election, it appeared as though the contest for the Republican nomination would be between La Follette and Taft.
However Roosevelt announced his intention to run for President again and won the Republican nomination.
Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson can be credited for uniting the Democratic Party.
Wilson was previously the Governor of New Jersey and gained respect.
There were four different candidates: Taft, Roosevelt, Eugene Debt (trade union activist) and Wilson himself.
Wilson and Roosevelt had more centre politics and both appealed to the majority of voters who preferred reform.
Roosevelt was far more popular than Wilson was.
So Wilson’s tactics on winning the Presidency had to be good. He toured the country to speak to voters and he tried to appeal to a middle-class voter demographic. It was targeted towards those who wanted to own property or business.
In the end, Wilson gained 6 million votes which was 42% of the voters in America. This was enough to win him the Presidency.
However Roosevelt and Taft combined have won nearly 8 million voters. Historians argue that if Republicans weren’t so divided they would have won the election.
Wilson’s reforms were targeted to challenge what he called the Triple Wall of Privilege (banks, tariffs and trusts)
Underwood-Simmons-Tariff Act: helped to lower tariffs from about 40% to 26%; this substantially reduced tariffs on imports which he believed would encourage American manufacturing
The Federal Reserve Act 1913: established a strong central bank under state regulation and control. This was needed as public confidence in the banking system was low due to the collapse of smaller banks during periods of depression.
All banks had to join one of 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks which were supervised by a Federal Reserve Board, thus providing protection against financial panic
Federal Trade Commission 1914: set up to inspect and regulate corporate business methods with a view to preventing unfair practices.
Clayton Anti-trust Act 1914: extended the powers of the 1890 Sherman Anti-trust Act - nearly 100 anti-trust cases were launched against big business
Several constitutional amendments were made during his Presidency:
16th Amendment 1913: Gave Congress powers to impose income tax.
17th Amendment 1913: Compulsory for all states to elect Senators by direct popular vote, whereas previously, they had been chosen by state legislatures.
Many states adopted primaries to elect candidates.
Many states in the West started initiatives which allowed voters to put issues on the ballot and allowed referendums which allowed voters to vote directly on laws.
18th Amendment 1919: Introduced Prohibition, banning the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcohol in the United States.
19th Amendment 1920: gave women the right to vote
Voter Disenfranchisement
Progressives limited immigrant populations voting through literacy tests and laws requiring voter registration.
Voter registration was said to be implemented to limit fraud and the power of political machines (organised groups that control political parties and their activities).
However it suppressed voting generally.
Many Southern States started requiring literacy tests so they could further discriminate against African American voters.
Some states required poll taxes which meant people had to pay to vote which disenfranchised African Americans, because they were disproportionately poor.