Progressive Era & the Presidents: Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson

Theodore Roosevelt: The Square Deal The “Square Deal” was the name of the domestic program formed upon three basic ideas: conservation of natural resources, control of corporations, and consumer protection. Roosevelt saw his job as stewardship- leading the nation in the public interest like a manager or supervisor and believed that a president had any powers not specifically denied to the president in the Constitution. (“I can do it as long as the Constitution doesn’t say I can’t…)

Theodore Roosevelt: Regulating Business Signed the Hepburn Act which strengthened the ICC (created in 1887) allowing it to regulate railroad shipping rates and also regulate pipelines, ferries, bridges, and terminals. TR was known as the “trust buster”. He made distinction between “good” trusts subject only to regulation and “bad” trusts which were to be dissolved. The Supreme Court also ruled against companies (Northern Securities Co. v. United States, 1901) which controlled the railroad system in the Northwest and ordered it to be dissolved.

Theodore Roosevelt: Labor Conditions Roosevelt also achieved important reforms in working conditions: Anthracite Coal Strike (1907): when coal mine owners in PA refused to negotiate with striking workers, Roosevelt threatened to send in the army. Owners then agreed to arbitration. Roosevelt also signed the Employers Liability Act (1906) to provide accident insurance for workers and also the Supreme Court ruled that workers hours on the job could be limited -- Lochner v. New York (1905), Muller v. Oregon (1908). Both of which were goals of Progressive reformers.

Theodore Roosevelt: Conservation Roosevelt is probably the most well-remembered for his efforts to protect the environment and wilderness lands. Forest Reserve Act (1891): Roosevelt used this act to put 150 million acres of public lands under protection of the federal government. When he left office, he had tripled the amount of land set aside for national forests, national parks, and wildlife refuges. National (Newlands) Reclamation Act (1902): set aside $$ to build dams and irrigation systems. Created the U.S. Forest Service (1905): to manage the nation’s water and timber resources.

William Howard Taft: Progressive Reforms continue… Justice Department brought twice as many lawsuits against big business as it had under Roosevelt. Mann-Elkins Act (1910): gave the ICC power to regulate communication by telephone and telegraph. 16th Amendment: gave Congress authority to impose income tax. Wanted lower tariffs but Congress raised them – Payne- Aldrich Act (1909). Republican party split during his presidency- a Taft faction and Progressive faction. This ultimately allowed a Democrat- Woodrow Wilson to win the presidency in November 1913. Taft and the bathtub– his claim to fame! 

Woodrow Wilson: New Freedom “New Freedom” was the name of Wilson’s Progressive philosophy. He aimed for a return to competition in the marketplace with enforcement of antitrust laws. Underwood Tariff Act (1913): lowered tariffs for first time since Civil War and provided for graduated income tax. Created the Federal Reserve System (1913): divided the nation’s banking system into 12 districts each with a federal reserve bank which gave the government more control over the money supply and control interest rates.

Woodrow Wilson: New Freedom Wilson also signed the Clayton Antitrust Act (1914): the act strengthened the government’s power to control business practices that threatened competition. Prohibited companies from price fixing and from buying stocks from competing firms. Ratification of the 19th Amendment: gave women the right to vote (suffrage).

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