1. THE WILSON YEARS
The Election of 1912

2. Picking the Candidates
Republican Party: President Taft
Democratic Party: Woodrow Wilson (governor of New Jersey/progressive)
Progressive Party (Bull Moose Party): Former President Teddy Roosevelt
Socialist Party: Eugene Debs
Picking the Candidates

3. Wilson vs. Roosevelt Wilson: New Freedom Roosevelt: New Nationalism
Criticized Roosevelt’s New Nationalism for supporting regulated monopolies
Said that approach gave the federal gov’t too much power in the economy
Argued for Free Enterprise
Accepted large trusts as a fact of life—sought regulation
Favored legislation to protect women and children and workers
Roosevelt and Taft split the Republican vote—and Wilson wins!
Wilson vs. Roosevelt

4. Wilson’s Reforms Reforming Tariffs Reforming the Banks
Personally appeared before Congress to support a tariff reduction bill
Underwood Tariff (1913): reduced the avg. tariff on imported goods to about ½ of what it was in 1890’s
Provided an income tax on the earnings of individuals
Supported the establishment of a federal reserve system
Federal Reserve Act of 1913: Banks had to keep portion of reserves in a regional reserve bank
It created 12 regional banks supervised by Board of Governors. –national supervision of banking system
Wilson’s Reforms

5. Wilson began to agree with Roosevelt on trusts once in office
Progressives in office still demanded reform
Federal Trade Commission (FTC): to monitor American business—monitor “unfair trade practices”
Clayton Antitrust Act: outlawed certain practices that restricted competition
Passing of this Act corrected some of the problems of Sherman Antitrust
Antitrust Action

6. Keating-Owen Child Labor Act: prohibited the employment of children under the age of 14 in factories producing goods for interstate commerce
In 1918: Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional because child labor was not “interstate commerce” and therefore only states could regulate it
Adamson Act: established 8 hour workday for RR workers
Federal Farm Loan Act: helped farmers get low interest loans
Regulating Business

7. The Limits of Progressivism
Failure to address racial and religious discrimination
However, African Americans were absorbing the reform spirit and launched some campaigns of their own. NAACP was established in 1909
Race Riots occurred in 1908
Jewish people also lived in fear of mob violence
ADL-Anti-Defamation League was established
The Limits of Progressivism