Theodore Roosevelt's Influence On Society

Theodore Roosevelt became the 26th President of the United States in September 1901, after the assassination of President William McKinley. Roosevelt became the youngest president in the nation's history. He was only 42 years old. Roosevelt's nickname was Teddy. His youth and enthusiasm changed the public image of the presidency. The presidential mansion officially became known as the White House when Roosevelt had the name emblazoned on his stationery. His first Annual Message to Congress was in December 1901. He stated his belief that government should mediate between conflicting forces in order to stabilize American society. This included capital and labor, isolationism and expansion and conservation and development. He felt that the President
He believed in reform of the American workplace, government regulation of industry, and consumer protection. Roosevelt believed that the government had the right and the responsibility to regulate big business so that its actions did not negatively affect the general public. During his administration, Roosevelt initiated forty lawsuits against big trusts. He challenged large trusts that threatened to restrain trade. In 1902, government brought a successful lawsuit against the Northern Securities Company. Roosevelt was known as a "trust buster." He also intervened in a coal miners strike in Pennsylvania. Roosevelt negotiated for a pay increase for the miners. The Sooner Act of 1902 was drafted to gain the right to build a canal to create a shipping route through what is now Panama. It was then part of Columbia. Columbia refused to ratify the Sooner Act. A new Panamanian government was established in 1903. The act was then passed. Panama ceded from Columbia. The construction of the Panama Canal began. In 1903, the United States won a dispute with Great Britain over the boundary between lower Alaska and Canada. Roosevelt was able to keep the Germans from interfering with Venezuela in