The Bull Moose Party

The Bull Moose Party The Bull Moose Party is a third party in American history that lasted from 1912 to 1916. The party was founded by Teddy Roosevelt and was formerly known as the Progressive Party. “It called for revision of the political nominating machinery and an aggressive program of social legislation. The party’s popular nickname of Bull Moose was derived from the characteristics of strength and vigor often used by Roosevelt to describe himself” (Bull Moose Party). The Bull Moose Party was somewhat successful, although it dissolved several years later. The Bull Moose Party was created by Theodore Roosevelt in 1912. Roosevelt was President of the United States until 1909. Following Roosevelt, a republican, William Howard Taft became President. Taft was also a republican. At the end of Taft’s term, Theodore Roosevelt was dissatisfied with Taft’s leadership and decided he wanted to become the republican nominee for President. The party decided to choose Taft for their nominee for President. Angered and upset, Roosevelt stormed out of the convention center and formed his own party. This party became known as the Progressive Party and would later be referred to as the Bull Moose Party. Theaodre Roosevelt ran for President in the 1912 election as a Progressive. His running mate was Hiram Johnson. The Bull Moose Party focused on many different platforms, and would be classified and ideological third party. “True to Roosevelt 's progressive beliefs, the platform of the party called for major reforms including women 's suffrage, social welfare assistance for women and children, farm relief, revisions in banking, health insurance in industries, and worker 's compensation. The party also wanted an easier method to amend the constitution” (Bull Moose Party; About.com)
Their platform called for registration for lobbyist, strong restrictions on political campaign contributions, and recording and publication of the proceedings of Congressional Committee. The Bull Moose Party was very passionate about social issues. They called for national health care, social insurance, minimum wage for women, worker compensation for injuries, inheritance tax, and Federal income tax. The Bull Moose Party wanted direct election of senators and primary elections for both state and federal nomination. They also pushed for a more “direct democracy”. This included recall election, which would allow citizens to reelect officials before their term was over. Referendum would allow laws to be created by popular vote, while initiative would allow citizens to propose a law by petition and then create it by popular vote. The party wanted reduced tariffs and a strong military with limitation on the Navy. The Bull Moose Party was very similar to the republicans of that time, and resembles modern democrats. In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt ran for President under the Bull Moose Party. “Voters could choose between William Howard Taft who was the incumbent Republican president, Roosevelt who had previously been the Republican president or Woodrow Wilson, the Democratic candidate. Roosevelt shared many of the progressive policies of Wilson yet his core support came from Republicans who defected from the party” (Bull Moose Party; About.com). Roosevelt received 27% of popular vote and 88 electoral votes, compared to Taft’s 21% and 8 electoral votes. The split between the Republicans and the Bull Moose Party allowed Woodrow Wilson to win the election with 43% of the popular vote and 435 electoral votes. Despite their loss in the 1912 election, the Bull Moose Party still continued on several more years before dying out. In 1914, 138 candidates ran for the House, and five of them were elected. Hiram Johnson also ran in the election for the Governor of California as a Progressive after being denied to run as a Republican. He was re-elected as Governor. In Washington, the Bull Moose Party won a third of the seats in the State Legislature. The Bull Moose Party was a fairly successful third party. Its focus on social issues allowed it gain popularity, helping it to become one of the most famous third party in American History.

Works Cited
"Bull Moose Party." About.com American History. Web. 06 May 2013.
"Bull Moose Party (political Party, United States)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, Web. 06 May 2013.
"Bull Moose Years of Theodore Roosevelt by Theodore Roosevelt Association." Bull Moose Years of Theodore Roosevelt by Theodore Roosevelt Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2013.

Cited: "Bull Moose Party." About.com American History. Web. 06 May 2013. "Bull Moose Party (political Party, United States)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, Web. 06 May 2013. "Bull Moose Years of Theodore Roosevelt by Theodore Roosevelt Association." Bull Moose Years of Theodore Roosevelt by Theodore Roosevelt Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2013.