Bold Leadership and ProgressivismRoosevelt takes office, Trustbusting and Regulating and Just What is a “Rough Rider”?

Theodore Roosevelt

He became President in 1901 when McKinley was assassinated

He was very charismatic and had lots of energy

He was well educated having graduated from Harvard and entering Law School at Columbia

After the death of his wife he removed himself from the New York Assembly and fell in love with the wilderness

Rough RidersHe was the Assistant Secretary of the Navy until the Spanish American War broke out and he resigned to form the voluntary cavalry, the Rough Riders

He became famous along with the Rough Riders and his popularity led to his election as governor of New York

He was nominated as McKinley’s running mate in the 1900 election

In the White House

When McKinley was shot, Roosevelt assumed the presidency

He expanded the role of the President by pushing through his reform proposals, his Square Deal

It was his hope that the poor and small businesses wouldn’t be taken advantage of by the wealthy and powerful

A Square Deal

“When I say I believe in a square deal, I do not mean to give every man the best hand. If good cards do not come to any man, or if they do come, and he has not got the power to play them, that is his affair. All I mean is that there shall be no crookedness in the dealing.”

Written Response:

Why do you think he compares his government to cards? What does he hope to achieve?

Coal Miners Strike in PA

Penn. coal miners went on strike in 1902 (wanted more money and shorter workdays) and even though Roosevelt sympathized with the miners, he knew the country needed coal

He wanted the strike to be quick

After trying to make the owners listen to the demands of the miners, he threatened to have federal troops take control of the mines and run them with federal employees

Department of Labor and Commerce

Within the next year, Roosevelt established the Dept. of Labor and Commerce

This department monitors interstate businesses and tries to make sure capitalists don’t abuse their power

Interstate Commerce Commission gets some help

The ICC was supposed to make sure shippers were charged the same railroad rates if passing through more than one state

The Supreme Court had done a lot to limit the ICC’s power by 1900

Elkins Act- 1903, fines for any RR’s giving special rates to preferred shippers

Hepburn Act- 1906, gives ICC enforcement power, government can set and limit shipping costs, sets maximum prices for bridges, tolls, oil pipelines, and ferries

Food and Drug Regulations

Public hit hard in the stomach by Upton Sinclair

TR urged Congress to pass the Meat Inspection Act in 1906 (the same year The Jungle was published)

Meat passing state lines had to be inspected, processing plants had to be inspected as well by federal agents

TR Keeps It RealThe Pure Food and Drug Act- banned shipment of impure food across state lines and banned the mislabeling of food and drugs

Chicken must be chicken! Pork must be pork!

It also helped make unsafe ingredients or chemicals illegal