Lesson 21: Progressivism
Progressivism was a political movement into industrialism. It "progressed" social ideas. Theodore Roosevelt was the first progressive president. A Republican from New York, political bosses didn't like him because he wouldn't give them breaks with the law. They decided that the way to destroy his political career was to give him a job that wouldn't have any power, but that he couldn't say no to - the Vice Presidency. Elected as William McKinley's VP in 1900, Roosevelt would become president due to the assassination of McKinley. Read about William McKinley's assassination here: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/mckinley.htm
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt created a plan for his presidency, called the Square (fair) Deal. The three Cs for the square deal were control Corporations, Consumer protection, and Conservation.
Corporations - Roosevelt began to enforce the laws created to control businesses. He created the Department of Commerce and Labor. They made sure that the labor unions weren't getting ripped off by businesses. It ensured companies couldn't do layoffs just to get rid of employees belonging to labor unions. The Elkins Act (1903) and Hepburn Act (1906) were passed to go after the railroads for the first time, since the Wabash v. Illinois Supreme Court Case. Roosevelt became known as a trust-buster because he went after monopolies and trusts, such as JP Morgan and the Northern Security Company. In reality, William Howard Taft would bust five times as many trusts as Roosevelt.
Consumer - Roosevelt wanted to protect the consumer and ensure that they were getting a good product. He read a book called The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Sinclair was a muckraker, so he wrote a fictional book about the meat industry. Roosevelt read it, which led to the passing of the Meat Inspection Act of 1906. The Food and Drug Act of 1906 was passed which exists in today's Food and Drug Administration.
Conservation - A conservationist is someone who wants to use our natural resources, but save it at the same time. A preservationist wants to save everything and not use it. Roosevelt wanted to conserve nature. He created the National Park Service and National Forest Service. He would set apart 230 million acres of land for conservation.
Theodore Roosevelt would finish out McKinley's term and then win another term in 1904. In 1907, there was a panic. This and Roosevelt's early declaration that he wouldn't run for another term made it hard for him to run again, although he loved being president. In 1908, Roosevelt handpicked his successor to run - William Howard Taft.
Corporations - Roosevelt began to enforce the laws created to control businesses. He created the Department of Commerce and Labor. They made sure that the labor unions weren't getting ripped off by businesses. It ensured companies couldn't do layoffs just to get rid of employees belonging to labor unions. The Elkins Act (1903) and Hepburn Act (1906) were passed to go after the railroads for the first time, since the Wabash v. Illinois Supreme Court Case. Roosevelt became known as a trust-buster because he went after monopolies and trusts, such as JP Morgan and the Northern Security Company. In reality, William Howard Taft would bust five times as many trusts as Roosevelt.
Consumer - Roosevelt wanted to protect the consumer and ensure that they were getting a good product. He read a book called The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Sinclair was a muckraker, so he wrote a fictional book about the meat industry. Roosevelt read it, which led to the passing of the Meat Inspection Act of 1906. The Food and Drug Act of 1906 was passed which exists in today's Food and Drug Administration.
Conservation - A conservationist is someone who wants to use our natural resources, but save it at the same time. A preservationist wants to save everything and not use it. Roosevelt wanted to conserve nature. He created the National Park Service and National Forest Service. He would set apart 230 million acres of land for conservation.
Theodore Roosevelt would finish out McKinley's term and then win another term in 1904. In 1907, there was a panic. This and Roosevelt's early declaration that he wouldn't run for another term made it hard for him to run again, although he loved being president. In 1908, Roosevelt handpicked his successor to run - William Howard Taft.
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft would be the only president to serve in both the executive and judicial branches of the federal government. He would become the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. As president, Taft struggled. It was really difficult to follow Roosevelt. Taft wasn't a very good public speaker and was peaceful and passive. Roosevelt, on the other hand, had been a great public speaker and really energetic. Taft believed that all monopolies were bad, so he went after all of them. Roosevelt was upset with his successor, so he decided to run against him in 1912. Taft ran as a Republican and Roosevelt as a third party, called the Bull Moose Party. They would both be beat by the Democratic nominee - Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson was a Presbyterian who believed in predestination, though not as much as Benjamin Harrison. He hated war and loved peace, which is part of the reason he was elected president, as World War I had just started in Europe. Wilson's plan for the nation was to eliminate the triple wall of privilege - tariffs, banks, and trusts.
Tariffs - Wilson was against regressive taxes. He wanted to replace it with a graduated or progressive tax, which is the type of income tax we have today (the more you make the more you pay in taxes). To do this, he pushed the 16th amendment through.
Banks - He believed that banks only benefitted the rich. He created what was known as the bankers bank, or federal reserve, to make sure that banks were using equal loans for the rich and poor. This was done through the Federal Reserve Act of 1913. It created twelve regional federal reserve banks.
Trusts - He passed several acts to stop trusts. The Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914 was passed to protect labor unions. By protecting labor unions, Wilson believed that it would be more difficult for companies to create monopolies. The Clayton Anti-Trust Act of 1914 was passed as well. Read about it here: http://www.britannica.com/event/Clayton-Antitrust-Act
With diplomacy and foreign relations, Woodrow Wilson had a policy of moralistic diplomacy. Theodore Roosevelt's policy had been to "speak softly and carry a big stick," meaning talk with other nations, but be ready to back yourself up with force. William Howard Taft used dollar diplomacy, meaning that if other countries weren't doing things we liked, we wouldn't trade with them anymore. Woodrow Wilson's policy said that he would not deal with nations that were not on the same moral "high ground" as he and the United States were on.
Tariffs - Wilson was against regressive taxes. He wanted to replace it with a graduated or progressive tax, which is the type of income tax we have today (the more you make the more you pay in taxes). To do this, he pushed the 16th amendment through.
Banks - He believed that banks only benefitted the rich. He created what was known as the bankers bank, or federal reserve, to make sure that banks were using equal loans for the rich and poor. This was done through the Federal Reserve Act of 1913. It created twelve regional federal reserve banks.
Trusts - He passed several acts to stop trusts. The Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914 was passed to protect labor unions. By protecting labor unions, Wilson believed that it would be more difficult for companies to create monopolies. The Clayton Anti-Trust Act of 1914 was passed as well. Read about it here: http://www.britannica.com/event/Clayton-Antitrust-Act
With diplomacy and foreign relations, Woodrow Wilson had a policy of moralistic diplomacy. Theodore Roosevelt's policy had been to "speak softly and carry a big stick," meaning talk with other nations, but be ready to back yourself up with force. William Howard Taft used dollar diplomacy, meaning that if other countries weren't doing things we liked, we wouldn't trade with them anymore. Woodrow Wilson's policy said that he would not deal with nations that were not on the same moral "high ground" as he and the United States were on.
Unit 3 Final
1. Describe the Homestead Act and the two ways to get land.
2. Why was the Interstate Commerce Commission created?
3. What is predestination and how has this idea influenced politicians?
4. What is yellow journalism?
5. What event pulled the United States into the Spanish-American war?
6. Describe the results of the Compromise of 1877.
7. Describe Booker T Washington's position on Civil Rights.
8. Who was the assistant secretary to the Navy just prior to the Spanish-American war?
9. What is price fixing and why is it a problem?
10. Describe WEB DeBois' position on Civil Rights.
11. What is the purpose of the Civil Service Reform?
12. Who was the first progressive president?
13. What led to higher literacy rates after the Civil War?
14. What is the American Dream?
15. Who got rid of the most trusts during his presidency?
16. Explain laissez-faire economics and the role of government in it.
17. Name two positive consequences of the finishing of the transcontinental railroad.
18. What was Woodrow Wilson's foreign policy based on?
19. Are labor unions good or bad? Use examples from the lessons to defend your argument.
2. Why was the Interstate Commerce Commission created?
3. What is predestination and how has this idea influenced politicians?
4. What is yellow journalism?
5. What event pulled the United States into the Spanish-American war?
6. Describe the results of the Compromise of 1877.
7. Describe Booker T Washington's position on Civil Rights.
8. Who was the assistant secretary to the Navy just prior to the Spanish-American war?
9. What is price fixing and why is it a problem?
10. Describe WEB DeBois' position on Civil Rights.
11. What is the purpose of the Civil Service Reform?
12. Who was the first progressive president?
13. What led to higher literacy rates after the Civil War?
14. What is the American Dream?
15. Who got rid of the most trusts during his presidency?
16. Explain laissez-faire economics and the role of government in it.
17. Name two positive consequences of the finishing of the transcontinental railroad.
18. What was Woodrow Wilson's foreign policy based on?
19. Are labor unions good or bad? Use examples from the lessons to defend your argument.