Progressivism Through The Eyes of Three Presidents

Progressivism Through Three PresidentsEra 7

RooseveltTaftWilsonRoosevelt and the Rough RidersTheodore Roosevelt captured national attention by advocating war with Spain in 1898. His volunteer cavalry brigade, the Rough Riders, won public acclaim for its role in the battle of San Juan Hill in Cuba.Roosevelt returned a hero and was soon elected governor of NY and later McKinleys vice-president.

Teddy Roosevelt becomes PresidentWhen President William McKinley was assassinated six months into his second term, Theodore Roosevelt became the nations 26th presidentMcKinley was assassinated by an anarchist ,in Leon Czolgosz Buffalo in September of 1901The Modern President

When Roosevelt was thrust into the presidency in 1901, he became the youngest president ever at age 42.He quickly established himself as a modern president who could influence the media and shape legislation.Roosevelts Square DealTheSquare Dealwas based on four basic ideas: control of corporations, conservation of natural resources, consumer protectionconcerns of laborThe Square Deal sought to protect both business and labor. It sought to ease the radical voice in both and come to compromise.

Control of Big BusinessOne of Roosevelts major goals was regulation of railroads.This came about with the passing of the Hepburn Act in 1906This act created the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) that became a watch dog over interstate trade.(ICC) the power to set maximumrailroadratesTrust-BustingAnother target was trusts legal bodies created to hold stock in many companies By 1900, trusts controlled 80% of U.S. industries. Roosevelt filed 44 antitrust suits under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act

Labor and UnionsRoosevelt was the first President to get between labor and big business.He set himself and government up as the middle man to arbitrate conflicts.He used a method called collective bargaining.a process of negotiations between employers and a group of employees aimed at reaching agreements that regulate working conditions.1902 Coal Strike United Miners UnionIn 1902, 140,000 coal miners in Pennsylvania went on strike for increased wages, a 9-hour work day, and the right to unionize. Mine owners refused to bargain.Roosevelt called in both sides and settled the dispute. Thereafter, when a strike threatened public welfare, the federal government was expected to step in and help.

Roosevelt and the EnvironmentBefore Roosevelts presidency, the federal government paid very little attention to the nations natural resources. Roosevelt made conservation a primary concern of his administration.

Film clip of Theodore RooseveltRoosevelts Environmental AccomplishmentsRoosevelt set aside 148 million acres of forest reserves, 1.5 million acres of water-power sites, 50 wildlife sanctuaries, and several national parks.

Consumer ProtectionThe Jungle by Sinclair leads Roosevelt to get involved in regulating food and drug companies for the good of the public.Meat Inspection Act 1906authorized theSecretary of Agricultureto inspect and condemn any meat product found unfit for human consumption. This law was to protect the American diet. Pure Food and Drug Actprincipally a "truth in labeling" law designed to raise standards in the food and drug industries. All labeling on any product had to be accurate.Created the FDA Food and Drug AdministrationLets Review the Square Deal

The PANAMA CANALBuilt tocross the Colombian isthmus of Panama and unite the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.Begun by the French in 1881Year after year, the digging-and the dying-continued. As the toll mounted, so did discontent. In the page's of Harper's Weekly, American cartoonist Thomas Nast caricatured de Lesseps, wondering "Is M. de Lesseps a Canal Digger or a Grave Digger?When the Canal failed in December,1888, thousands of French investors lost their money. The word Panama quickly became synonymous with scandal and fraud About $287 million had been spent. Fifty million cubic meters of earth and rock had been moved. Eleven miles of canal had been dug. Twenty thousand men had died. The canal remained unfinished, but the dream had not yet ended. Theodore Roosevelt would soon take up the cause.

Roosevelt takes up the causeRoosevelt acted quickly. In 1902, the United States reached an agreement to buy rights to the French canal property and equipment for a sum not to exceed $40 million.1904, the Americans' first year in Panama, mirrored the French disaster. The chief engineer, John Findlay Wallace.Americans never quitThe arrival of Wallace's replacement, the rugged and ingeniousJohn Stevens, marked a turn in fortunes for the beleaguered canal. Stevens had built the Great Northern Railroad across the Pacific Northwest. In rough territory from Canada to Mexico, he had proven his tenacity. His new plan of action would ultimately save the canal.

Success at lastIt came on September 26. The tugboat Gatun traveled through the first set of locks and out onto the lake. The locks worked flawlessly. After nine years, the end was at last in sight.The Panama Canal opened officially on August 15, 1914. The world scarcely noticed. German troops were driving across Belgium toward Paris; the newspapers relegated Panama to their back pages. The greatest engineering project in the history of the world had been dwarfed by the totality of World War I.

Lack of Progress during the Progressive EraOne issue was consistently ignored: the plight of African-Americans in the United States. African-Americans were faced with consistent racism in the form of segregation in public spaces, lynching's, disenfranchisement from the political process, and no access to quality healthcare, education and housing.Roosevelt and Civil RightsRoosevelt failed to support Civil Rights for African Americans.

He did, however, support a few individuals such as Booker T. Washington, who founded the Tuskegee Institute to provide a technical education for African Americans.

NAACP Formed to Promote RightsIn 1909 a number of African Americans and prominent white reformers formed the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The NAACP had 6,000 members by 1914.

The goal of the organization was full equality among the races through the court system, a position supported by W.E.B. Du Bois.

Progressivism under President TaftRepublican William Howard Taft easily defeated Democrat William Jennings Bryan in the 1908 presidential election.Among his accomplishments, Taft busted 90 trusts during his four years in office more than Theodore Roosevelt during his eight years in office.

Taft, right, was Roosevelts War SecretaryMuller v. Oregon (1908)Topic: Protective legislation limiting the hours women could workWas decision a POSITIVE or NEGATIVE for Progressive reform?

POSITIVE improved working conditions for womenLater became a NEGATIVE when it was used to discriminate against women in the workplaceTaft Loses PowerTaft was not popular with the American public or reform-minded Republicans. He called the Presidency, the lonesomest job in the world. By 1910, Democrats had regained control of the House of Representatives.

1912 Election Republicans split in 1912 between Taft and Roosevelt (who returned after a safari to Africa).

Convention delegates nominated Taft and discontented Republicans formed a third party, the Progressive Party (nicknamed the Bull Moose Party), and nominated Roosevelt.

The Democrats put forward a reform-minded New Jersey governor, Woodrow Wilson.

Wilsons New FreedomWith a strong mandate from the American people, Wilson moved to enact his program, the New Freedom.

He planned his attack on what he called the triple wall of privilege: trusts, tariffs, and high finance.

Clayton Anti-Trust ActIn 1914 Congress enacted the Clayton Anti-Trust Act that strengthened the Sherman Act.

It had an anti-trust provision that prevented companies from acquiring stock from another company and supported workers unions.

Federal Trade Commission FormedThe FTC was formed in 1914 to serve as a watchdog agency to end unfair business practices. The FTC protects consumers from business fraud.

Supreme Court Case: Hammer v. Dagenhart (1916)Topic: Child labor lawsWas decision a POSITIVE or NEGATIVE for Progressive reform?

NEGATIVE declared child labor law unconstitutional because it couldnt be connected to interstate commerce clause of the ConstitutionEffective child labor laws will eventually tie no child labor with mandatory school attendance

Hammer v. Dagenhart was overruled in 1941 in the case of United States v. Darby Lumber Co. Federal Income Tax ArrivesWilson worked hard to lower tariffs, however, the lost revenue had to be made up and was when the 16th Amendment instituted a graduated federal income tax.

Women Win Suffrage

Native-born, educated, middle-class women grew more and more impatient. Through local, state, and national organization, as well as vigorous protests, women finally realized their dream in 1920.

The Road To Suffrage was paved through TennesseeAnne Dallas Dudley was head of theTennessee Equal Suffrage Association.Along with others, she led the campaign in Tennessee to approve ratification of theNineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution. Albert H. Roberts, governor of Tennessee, called a special session of the Tennessee General Assembly to consider ratification of the 19th Amendment, which would give women the right to vote. The amendment required ratification in 36 states to become law, and by August 1920, 35 had ratified it, while 8 had rejected it, and 5 (including Tennessee) had yet to vote.

Gov. Roberts certifying the vote that put the 19th Amendment into effect.Anne DudleyBattle in Tennessee for suffrageHarry T. Burn had originally made clear his intention to vote "nay" in any vote on womens suffrage. However, a letter from his mother asking him to vote in favor of the amendment helped to change his mind. Mrs. J. L. Burn of Niota, Tennessee, had written a long letter to her son, a copy of which he held during the voting session on August 18, 1920. The letter ask her son to support women.After much debating and argument, the result of the vote was 48-48. Burn's vote broke the tie in favor of ratifying the amendment. He asked to speak to the House the next day and told them he changed his vote because his mother asked him to and that she had always taught him that "a good boy always does what his mother asks him to do."

The perfect 36Three-fourths of the states must ratify a proposed amendment for it to be added to the U.S. Constitution in 1920, (there were 48 states three-fourths of the states was 36) Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th amendment Therefore Tennessee is known as the perfect 36.The 19th Amendment was added to the Constitution in 1920.

19th amendment States:The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Limits of ProgressivismWhile the Progressive era was responsible for many important reforms, it failed to make gains for African Americans. Like Roosevelt and Taft, Wilson retreated on Civil Rights when he entered office.

The KKK reached a membership of 4.5 million in the 1920s