The Progressive PresidentsGuided Reading Activity Answers

President Theodore Roosevelt "Don't any of you

realize there's only one life between that madman and the presidency?“

"Now that damn cowboy is president!"

- Mark Hanna, Political Advisor to William McKinley

The Goals of Theodore Roosevelt Roosevelt was a strong supporter of

Progressive goals, including: 1. The regulation of unfair business

practices like trusts and monopolies.2. The preservation of natural resources

and the environment.3. The protection of consumers.4. Worker’s rights as employees.

Theodore RooseveltAsst. Secretary of the United States Navy

Theodore Roosevelt the Roughrider

Theodore Roosevelt, the “Trustbuster” -

Trustbusters were men and women who used laws – like the Sherman Anti-Trust Act – to destroy monopolies and trusts. These practices were unfair to consumers and to free enterprise. Theodore Roosevelt used anti-trust lawsuits more than any President before him had, but he still considered many trust and monopolies “good for Americans.” He only wen after the “bad trusts.”

Roosevelt sued the Northern Securities Trust, the Standard Oil Company, and the American Tobacco Trust as President

TR the Trustbuster

Companies like Standard Oil and the many corporations owned by J.P. Morgan didn’t think the young president was in earnest when he began to take on the trusts – they were wrong!

The Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902

During the strike, the President decided to intervene as an arbitrator. He suggested that both sides meet at the White House, since the winter was settling in and coal was needed in many communities just to satisfy the basic necessities of families. Coal company owners were certain that TR, like past Presidents, would side with company owners and not labor. But in this case, they were wrong! The President forced the company owners to give in to many of the striking workers demands – in the name of justice.

Conservation - Conservation is simply the protection of natural resources. As Roosevelt stated: “I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us.” In other words, the use of natural resources should be supervised by companies who would encourage sustainability – and preserve the countries resources for future generations.

The U.S. Forest Service

National Parks - are natural areas which are protected and managed by the federal government.

Yosemite National Park in California

Crater Lake National Park in Oregon

The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair

The Congress passed and TR signed two bills into law.

The Meat Inspection Act of 1906

The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906

Prior to the Pure Food and Drug Act, medicines were not required to list their ingredients. Most were simply alcohol and sugar, which may have temporarily relieved symptoms, but never cured anything. Some patent medicines were much, much worse! Really?

William Howard Taft

President Taft Weighing in at well over 300 lbs., the President

got stuck in the original White House bathtub…. Taft, however, was responsible for breaking up

more trusts in four years than Theodore Roosevelt had in seven.

He encouraged the 16th Amendment, creating a graduated income tax.

He strengthened laws protecting coalminers and other workers, established the eight hour day for government employees, and helped to make regulations controlling child labor.

The Election of 1912

Three Candidates for the White House, Election of 1912

Woodrow Wilson, Democrat

William Howard Taft, GOP

TR: The Bull Moose Party

And the winner is….

Woodrow Wilson. Since both Roosevelt and Taft had been Republicans, the party’s vote was divided between two candidates. Wilson did not win a majority of the votes cast – more Americans voted against him than voted for him - yet, he did garner enough electoral college votes to secure the Presidency. He was sworn into office in March of 1913.

The Clayton Anti-Trust Act The Clayton Anti-Trust Act improved upon

the Sherman Anti-Trust Act by banning practices which limited competition.

The law also prevented anti-trust legislation from being used against unions who attempted to bargain collectively or negotiate with large corporations.

The bill was signed into law by Woodrow Wilson in 1914.

The Clayton Anti-Trust Act frustrated monopolists like J.P. Morgan

The Federal Reserve Act The Federal Reserve Act set up a system

of federal banks and gave the government the power to raise or lower interest rates (the cost of loans to borrowers) and the money supply. Having this power gave the government the ability to control competition between banks and to regulate some parts of the United States economy.