Preview

Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson: Progressive Presidents

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1691 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson: Progressive Presidents
Progress is not something that comes very quickly. It is a gradual process that takes time, in the interest of our country and the Progressive Era, more than a decade. The presidents of this time, Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson, were like chefs developing a recipe for the betterment of the United States. Every act that was passed, each decision that was made, was a trial or taste-test of the constantly changing recipe for the country. If something angered citizens or drew criticism, the president went back to his office, his kitchen, and was ready to make more changes. Where he left off in the progressive recipe, the next chef took over. He would analyze what had been done, identified his plan of action, and then set to work by either making a few alterations or starting anew. This in effect was what Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson did. They each had differing opinions about what the "Better United States Recipe" needed. What they liked about the recipe they kept, making small changes that they thought would accentuate the product more. The things that they didn't like, they made drastic reforms. Basically, what each of the progressive presidents did, starting with Roosevelt and ending with Taft, was build off each other's ideas and mistakes, all with one goal in mind: make the United States of America the best it can be.

Theodore Roosevelt, twenty-sixth president of the United States, started the progressive ball rolling by making critical changes to issues dealing with the control of corporations, consumer protection, and conservation of natural resources. These criteria, which were better known by the epithet The Square Deal, were supported by numerous acts and actions on the part of the President and Congress. During this time, Theodore Roosevelt's enthusiasm for controlling large corporations is best exemplified by the title with which people soon began to characterize the Rough Rider - a "trustbuster". His first major step towards accomplishing 44 antitrust suits
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    DBQ Project Example Essay: Theodore Roosevelt's Role in Reforming US Business Laws
    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages

    DBQ Project Example Essay: Theodore Roosevelt's Role in Reforming US Business Laws

    As America became a more modernized nation, big businesses started to form trusts to secure profits and keep other businesses intact, President Roosevelt wouldn’t have any of that. In his letter to Sir Edward Grey, Roosevelt said that “We demand that big business give the people a square deal; in return we must insist that when anyone engaged in big business honestly endeavors to do right he shall himself be given a square deal.” (Document A). He basically describes in this quote that the businesses must be fair to the people, and not just be all about themselves. This relates to the theme of economic transformations, because the economy was rapidly changing and businesses were becoming stronger. Historian H.W. Brands described how Roosevelt was more on the need for public good, and Roosevelt broke up 40 monopolistic corporations, which made him known as a “trust buster.” This relates to the theme of reform because Roosevelt was reforming all of the business laws in the early 1900s to be equal for all people.…

    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Did Roosevelt Symbolize Progressive Indifference?
    • 255 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Did Roosevelt Symbolize Progressive Indifference?

    With the westerners trespassing on Indian lands Chief No Shirt presented his grievances to Roosevelt only for him to refuse to see him, then later on leaving Chief with a letter stating if they wish to prosper they must conform to white society. As much as the Progressive plan was to include minorities, Roosevelt symbolized “Progressive indifference”. With Roosevelts administration stacking policy over policy so whites will have control over millions of acres, Indians would then be forced to be moved on to reservations. Next, Assimilation was a strategy to tame Indians into white culture, or Daniel says the motive for assimilation “to make them as much as possible carbon copies of whites…”3. A main reason for this urgent push for assimilation…

    • 255 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Progressive Woodrow Wilson's Foreign Policy After World War I
    • 858 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Progressive Woodrow Wilson's Foreign Policy After World War I

    Coming out of World War I, the United States emerged as the most powerful nation in the world. The president at this time was the Progressive Woodrow Wilson. Wilson came up with a plan for long lasting peace at the conclusion of the war called the Fourteen Points. One of these points was the League of Nations which was Wilson's favorite thing. This part of Wilson's plan stated, "A general association of nations must be formed under specific covenants for the purpose of affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike." However, the United States never signed the Treaty of Versailles and never became a member of the League of Nations. Opposition against Wilson's plans…

    • 858 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Wilsonian Progressivism vs. Roosevelt Progressivism
    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Wilsonian Progressivism vs. Roosevelt Progressivism

    During this period, progressivism was gradually rising from the local and state level to the national level. Increasing numbers of people across the nation supported expanding the role of the federal government to ensure the welfare of the people. Roosevelt felt that Taft was defying everything that they were for in government and decided to run agains't him. Roosevelt created the "Bull Moose" party. Although Roosevelt and Wilson were both progressives, they differed over the means and extent to which government should intervene or regulate the states and the economy. Differences between New Nationalism and New Freedom over trusts and the tariff became a central issue of the campaign. Roosevelt believed the federal government should act as a "trustee" for the American people, controlling and supervising the economy in the public interest. Wilson had greater reservations about a large federal government and sought a return to a more decentralized republic. Roosevelt and Wilson's national reforms made them successful during the progressive era. They were both successful progressive presidents.…

    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Compare And Contrast The Three Presidents During The Progressive Era
    • 73 Words
    • 1 Page

    Compare And Contrast The Three Presidents During The Progressive Era

    The 3 presidents during the Progressive Era were William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, and William H. Taft. William McKinley raised protective tariffs to help American Industry grow. Theodore Roosevelt had an active lifestyle and he used his bully pulpit to get the common people the square deal. He was for the common people. William H Taft stumbles in his Presidency and did not expand on Roosevelt's reforms. He was not liked as a…

    • 73 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Theodore Roosevelt: The First Modern President
    • 414 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Theodore Roosevelt: The First Modern President

    Theodore Roosevelt, a man known to be the youngest and first modern president of the United States of America. But many only know him for his presidency and not for his own life. The life of Theodore Roosevelt was more interesting than what he is known for.…

    • 414 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Compare Roosevelt And William Howard Taft
    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Compare Roosevelt And William Howard Taft

    In 1908, William Howard Taft accepted the Republican nomination for President with the backing by his friend and the current president, Theodore Roosevelt. Taft was expected to uphold the progressive beliefs and reforms that Roosevelt has started in his presidency. Although some historians have deemed Taft an “average” president, instead, he is a champion who had many accomplishments and upheld his ethical values by firmly believing and trusting in the American judicial system. From the beginning, William Howard Taft faced many challenges. While Taft lacked the campaigning skills and ability to play to his audience as well as Roosevelt, his core values focused on his strong belief in the law.…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Why Is Woodrow Wilson Considered The Most Progressive President
    • 309 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Why Is Woodrow Wilson Considered The Most Progressive President

    During the Progressive Era,The United States faced many problems that needed to be addressed which were unfair business, poor working conditions and destruction of the environment. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson worked to fix some of these problems. While all the Presidents worked to correct these problems during the Progressive Era, Woodrow Wilson was the most progressive president because he attacked big business’s, signed the act to create the national park service and supported for workers.…

    • 309 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Progressive Presidents: Presidents Theodore Roosevelt And President Woodrow Wilson
    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Progressive Presidents: Presidents Theodore Roosevelt And President Woodrow Wilson

    Throughout the years, American has given birth to some of the most prominent, sagacious and influential leaders in history; leaders such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln amongst many others. This was embodied all through the early 20th and late 19th, with the presence of the progressive presidents in the oval office. President Theodore Roosevelt, President William Howard Taft and President Woodrow Wilson had diverse levels of effectiveness on reforming our nation, however they had one factor in common; they were great leaders who promoted the growth and prosperity of our country.…

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    William Howard Taft's Accomplishments Of Teddy Roosevelt
    • 663 Words
    • 3 Pages

    William Howard Taft's Accomplishments Of Teddy Roosevelt

    William Taft was a nominated by his successor, Teddy Roosevelt. He was nominated for the Republican Party in the Presidential Race in 1908, in which he defeated William Jennings Bryant of the Democratic Party. He was called a "trust buster", by people against his beliefs and decisions.…

    • 663 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Theodore Roosevelt as a Moderate
    • 718 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Theodore Roosevelt as a Moderate

    Theodore Roosevelt, often known as the “trustbuster”, believed that there were good trusts and evil trusts. Due to his commitment to mend relations between capital and labor, he strived to take power away from only the evil and greedy corporations. In 1902, Roosevelt achieved his first acclaimed trust bust with the attack on a railroad holding company known as the Northern Securities. James J. Hill and J.P Morgan, the organizers of the Northern Securities, had attempted to create a monopoly of the railroads in the Northwest but were shot down in 1904 when the Supreme Court prosecuted Hill and Morgan for violating the Sherman Anti-trust Act. The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 was finally strengthened when Roosevelt urged congress to pass the Elkins Act of 1903 and the Hepburn Act of 1906. These acts fined railroads giving rebates and terminated free passes of the railroads. In 1903, wishing to promote economic growth, Roosevelt encouraged congress to create the Department of Commerce and Labor a part of which was the Bureau of Corporations which found and exposed violations in many trusts. Roosevelt’s busting of only evil trusts and his earnest desire…

    • 718 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Roosevelt Presidency
    • 318 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Roosevelt Presidency

    Roosevelt didn’t like the impact that trusts had on local small business. But at the same time he believed that large-scale production and industrial growth were necessary and beneficial to the economy and country and control was needed. Hence, he made a policy to differentiate and pick out the “good” and the “bad” trusts. Supporting the good ones and eradicating the bad. He went after the Northern Securities Company for a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. This company was made up big shots like such as Rockefeller and J. P. Morgan. The Supreme Court ordered the company to be disband. He also went after then the American Tobacco Company, New Haven Railroad, and Standard Oil. All made things for his successor –Mr. Taft-…

    • 318 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    President Theodore Roosevelt In The Progressive Era
    • 398 Words
    • 2 Pages

    President Theodore Roosevelt In The Progressive Era

    In the progressive era, presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William Taft, and Woodrow Wilson were often known as the “Progressive Presidents.” President Theodore Roosevelt, in 1908, very easily could’ve won the presidential election, but in 1904 he made a big promise not to run for a second term as president. He didn’t want to just give up control, so he chose the next president. He chose his successor, President Howard Taft to become the next president. He was a 350 pound Secretary of War and he was chosen in 1908 to become the Republican candidate. President Taft was a progressive president that the other past presidents would thought would be easy to control him.…

    • 398 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Progressive Era Dbq
    • 792 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Progressive Era Dbq

    The progressive leaders led the reform process of the nation’s industrial economy in the early years of the 20th century. Through the antirust acts, inspection acts, and regulations on trading, progressive reformers reshaped the way the economy ran. In a political cartoon by the Washington Post in 1907, President Roosevelt is on a dead raccoon with the words “bad trust” shaved into it. The political cartoon does over exaggerate the effectiveness of Roosevelt’s policies regarding trusts, but it does represent the way Roosevelt started the new regulation policies. In his second presidency, he started the “square deal.” This deal first passed Hepburn Railroad Regulation Act of 1906 which put regulations on the industry. Next, the square deal went after the meat industry. In the Neill-Reynolds Report of 1906, the meat industry was accused of insanitary food practices. “Meat scraps were found being shoveled into receptacles from dirty floors where they were left to lie until again shoveled into barrels…” stated the report. This caused Congress to pass the Pure Food and Drug Act and Meat Inspection Act. With the election of Woodrow Wilson in the 1912, he sold his idea of “new freedom”. As stated in the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914, “It shall be unlawful for any person engaged in commerce that directly or indirectly discriminated in price between different purchasers…” “The effect of such discrimination may be to substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly in any line of commerce…” The act was put forth by President Wilson to encourage business competition. However, the act was attacked by the conservatives who caused it to not take full effect in legislation. However, a similar act, the Federal Trade Commission Act, took full force. This act set up an agency that regulated business’ actions and helped determined whether they were lawful or not. In a statement made by Herbert Croly in the New Republic, Croly questions Wilson’s…

    • 792 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Progressive Era Dbq
    • 1487 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Progressive Era Dbq

    By the turn of the century, a reform movement had developed within an array of groups and individuals with a common desire to improve life in the industrial age. Their ideas and work became known as Progressivism or the belief that changes in society were badly needed and that government was the proper agency for correcting social and economic ills. Starting up around when Theodore Roosevelt became president and lasting though World War 1, America went through many changes. New reform organizations, laws, and amendments continually shaped this era for better or for worse. During the Progressive Era, many reformers were able to successfully create reform at a national level; however, the benefits of the federal government’s actions were more strongly felt economically and even politically rather than socially.…

    • 1487 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics