2/11 Aim: Was Teddy Roosevelt an effective Progressive era president? DN: T.R. speech w4B8

Theodore Roosevelt and the Square Deal "Roosevelt was a great personality, a great activist, a great preacher of the moralities, a great controversialist, a great showman. He dominated his era as he dominated conversations....the masses loved him; he proved to be a great popular idol and a great vote getter." – Thomas Bailey, Historian

TR’s SQUARE DEAL “square deal” – plan to help the American people through Progressive reforms Helped create the modern presidency as we know it (an activist approach)

1.Food and Drug Laws 2.Trust Regulation 3.Conservation 4.Race relations/civil rights – little reform Progressive Era Legacies of TR

“It was only when the ham was spoiled that it came into the department of Elzbieta…there was never the least attention paid to what was cut up for sausage; there would come all the way back from Europe old sausage that had been rejected, and that was moldy and white – it would be dosed with borax and glycerin, and dumped into the hopper, and made over again for home consumption. There would be meat that had tumbled out on the floor, in the dirt and sawdust, where the workers had tramped and spit uncounted billions of consumption germs. There would be meat stored in great piles in rooms; and the water from leaky roofs would rip over it, and thousands of rats would race about on it…a man could run his hand over these piles of meat and sweep off handfuls of the dried dung of rats. These rats were nuisances, and the packers would put poisoned bread out for them; they would die, and then the rats, bread, and meat would go into the hoppers together.” - The Jungle, Upton Sinclair

1. FOOD AND DRUG LAWS

TR was influence by Sinclair’s The Jungle and took on the meatpacking industry

Meat Inspection Act (1906) Sinclair exposed unsanitary conditions in meatpacking Sinclair exposed unsanitary conditions in meatpacking TR forms commission to investigate-they back up Sinclair’s claims TR forms commission to investigate-they back up Sinclair’s claims TR pushes for Meat Inspection Act in 1906 TR pushes for Meat Inspection Act in 1906 requirements for meatpackersrequirements for meatpackers federal meat inspection federal meat inspection

- food/drug companies making false claims - food/drug companies making false claimsfalse claimsfalse claims -halts sale of contaminated foods, medicines -requires truth in labeling **did not ban harmful products, but labels had to provide accurate information so the consumer could decide Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)

Medicines to cure all your ales!

Tar for a cough? No more itching? Ate too much at the holidays? BACK

What is the message of this cartoon?

2. Trust Regulation Trusts – legal Trusts – legal –Lowered prices to knock out competition, then hiked up prices consumers paid (ie. Standard Oil) –Sherman Anti-Trust Acts = useless T.R. took on trusts that hurt public interest T.R. took on trusts that hurt public interest

Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902 (PA) Coal = most efficient source of fuel at the time Coal = most efficient source of fuel at the time Workers strike for safer conditions, better wages, shorter work hours Workers strike for safer conditions, better wages, shorter work hours T.R. stepped in and threatened to take over mines (country threatened by shortage) T.R. stepped in and threatened to take over mines (country threatened by shortage)

Workers – won 9 hour work day, 10% pay raise, but gave up closed shop (union recognition) and right to strike for 3 years Workers – won 9 hour work day, 10% pay raise, but gave up closed shop (union recognition) and right to strike for 3 years ** federal govt. was expected to intervene in strikes**

T.R.’s Idea of the Fed. Govt.’s Responsibilities Intervention for the PUBLIC GOOD Intervention for the PUBLIC GOOD –Trust-busting –Strike intervention –Railroad regulation

3. Conservation Before T.R. Before T.R. –Late 1800s pioneers and ranchers exploited resources in West (cattle grazing, forest clearing) –Coal companies – dumped from mining –Cities – dumped sewage Conservation – not COMPLETE preservation (some areas used for the common good) Conservation – not COMPLETE preservation (some areas used for the common good)

During/After T.R. During/After T.R. –Set aside over 150 million acres for preservation –Over 50 wildlife preserves –Several national parks

T.R. and Muir (naturalist) Yosemite, CA

4. RACE RELATIONS

What did T.R. do for civil rights? Not an advocate of civil rights Not an advocate of civil rights Supported a few African Americans Supported a few African Americans –Invited Booker T. Washington to dinner at White House

Discussion 1.Think about the services and technology you use, products you buy, entertainment you watch, etc. Do you think that there are still monopolies in America today. If so, what companies would you consider a monopoly? Explain. 2. Do you think that monopolies should be allowed to exist at all? Come up with one example, not mentioned in class, of a monopoly that could be good for the country.