Notes: Roosevelt vs. Taft vs. Wilson SMACKDOWN! Who will win? EQ: How well did Presidents Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson promote progressive goals in national policies?
1. Roosevelt Plan called “Square Deal” Believed there were “good trusts” and “bad trusts” Used the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to break up about 40 trusts/monopolies
Taft’s Presidency Roosevelt did not run in 1908 as promised and chose his Secretary of War, William Howard Taft, to be his Republican successor.
2. Taft Quiet and cautious, Taft said “When I am addressed as ‘Mr. President,’ I turn to see whether you are at my elbow.” Brought more than 90 lawsuits against trusts Payne-Aldrich Tariff angered Progressives Called for reform of banking system 16th Amendment created a federal income tax 17th Amendment – direct election of senators
The Return of the Animal Lover/Killer Roosevelt returns from Africa to run for president as a Republican in 1912, but Taft wins the nomination. So Roosevelt forms a new Progressive Party, aka the Bull Moose Party.
Election of 1912 Election of 1912 Candidates Party Electoral Vote Popular Vote T. Woodrow Wilson (NJ) Thomas R. Marshall (IN) Democratic 435 6,293,152 Theodore Roosevelt (NY) Hiram W. Johnson (CA) Progressive 88 4,119,207 William H. Taft (OH) James S. Sherman (NY) Nicholas M. Butler (NY) Republican 8 3,486,333 Eugene V. Debs (IN) Emil Seidel (WI) Socialist 900,369 Eugene W. Chafin (IL) Aaron S. Watkins (OH) Prohibition 207,972
3. Wilson Idealist and scholar “New Freedom” plan gave more economic freedom to small businesses and “regular folk” Clayton Antitrust Act – allowed unions to form Keating-Owen Child Labor Act Federal Reserve System stabilized banking system 18th Amendment – Prohibition ratified Supported women’s suffrage, 19th Amendment ratified