Victoria Dieck

Chapter 22
1)Theodore Roosevelt and the Modern Presidency
a)The Accidental President
i)VP Theodore Roosevelt assumed presidency September 1901after Pres
McKinley assassinated. Reputation as an independent and wild man;
became champion of cautious an moderate change, reform to protect
society against more radical changes
b)Government, Capital, and Labor
i)Roosevelt saw fed govt as mediator of the public good. Not opposed to
industrial combinations but realized potential for abuse of power
ii)Supported regulation of trusts- created Department of Commerce and
Labor 1903 to publicly investigate corporations. Did make effort to
break up some trusts- used Sherman Antitrust Act to break up
Northern Securities Company monopoly over RRs in Northwest
iii)Saw govt as impartial regulator for labor as well- 1902 strike by
United Mine workers led Roosevelt to ask labor and management to
accept impartial federal arbitration, threatened to seize mines if
management balked
c)The Square Deal
i)Reform not priority during first years as president, more concerned w/
winning reelection by not alienating conservative Republicans,
winning support of businessmen and using patronagewon 1904
election
ii)First targeted RR industry by asking Congress to increase fed power
to oversee rates- Hepburn Railroad Regulation Act of 1906 restored
some govt regulatory power
iii)Supported Congress passing Pure Food and Drug Act, after Upton
Sinclairs 1906 The Jungle supported Meat Inspection Act. Also
favored 8 hour work day for labor, workmens compensation, and
inheritance and income taxes
d)Roosevelt and Conservation
i)Concerned w/ unregulated exploitation of resources and wildernessused executive power to restrict private development on govt land,
saw goal of conservation to carefully manage development and to
apply same scientific method of management being used in cities

ii)President supported public reclamation and irrigation projects- 1902

Newlands Act funded dam construction, reservoirs, canals in West to
open new lands for irrigation, cultivation and power development
e)Roosevelt and Preservation
i)Pres also sympathized w/ naturalists who wanted to protect land,
wildlife from human intrusion- expanded National Forest System for
rational lumbering, but also grew National Park System to protect
lands from any development
f)The Hetch Hetchy Controversy
i)Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite seen as beautiful land by naturalists,
but San Francisco residents + Roosevelts head of National Forest
System Gifford Pinchot wanted land to build dam + reservoir for
citys growing water needs
ii)Pinchot saw needs of city more important than claims of preservation;
issue placed in 1908 referendum, dam approved by large margin in
election
g)The Panic of 1907
i)Despite reforms govt still had little control over industrial economy; in
1907 production outgrew domestic + foreign demand, speculation +
poor management led to panic.
ii)JP Morgan pooled assets of NY banks to prop up banks, made deal
with Pres to allow US Steel to purchase Tennessee Coal and Iron
Company shares
iii)B/c of Panic of 1907 and promise made in 1904 to step down four
years later, did not seek renomination and reelection for 1908 bid
2)The Troubled Succession
a)Taft and the Progressives
i)During early administration called on Congress to lower tariff (a
progressive demand), refused to oppose Repub Old Guard. Result
was Payne-Aldrich Tariff - reduced tariffs little, raised othersprogressives resented inaction
ii)1909 Ballinger-Pinchot Dispute in which Head of Forest Service
Gifford Pinchot was told that Sec of Interior Richard Ballinger had
sold public lands in Alaska for personal profit. Taft thought charges
groundless, Pinchot leaked info to press-- Taft fired Pinchot,
progressives alienated
b)The Return of Roosevelt

i)Roosevelt upset w/ Taft and believed only he was capable of reuniting

Republican Party; 1910 outlined New Nationalism that moved
away from conservatism + argued only effort of strong fed govt could
bring social justice
c)Spreading Insurgency
i)In 1910 Congressional elections many conservative Repub candidates
lost and progressives reelected; Dems gained maj in House, seats in
Senate
ii)Reform sentiment on the rise, but Roosevelt claimed he only wanted
to pressure Taft into action; Roosevelt decided to run, however, after
Taft charged US Steel acquisition of Tennessee Coal and Iron
Company had been illegal and reform candidate Robert LaFollettes
campaign collapsed
d)Roosevelt versus Taft
i)Taft had support of conservative Repubs and party leaders, Roosevelt
supported by progressives- at convention Republican National
Committee gave nomination to Taft. Roosevelt left Repub Party and
established own Progressive Party w/ himself as nominee (nicknamed
Bull Moose Party)
3)Woodrow Wilson and The New Freedom
a)Woodrow Wilson
i)Reform support growing in Democratic Party as well as Repub Party;
Dems chose progressive Woodrow Wilson as 1912 Presidential
election nominee
ii)Wilson supported New Freedom- held that bigness was unjust and
wanted to destroy, not regulate monopoly (whereas Roosevelts New
Nationalism believed in govt regulation of concentration)
iii)Roosevelt and Taft split Repub vote, Wilson elected
b)The Scholar as President
i)Wilson bold and forceful- used position as leader of Dems to build
coalition to support his program (Dem majorities existed in both
houses)
ii)Greatly lowered tariff in Underwood-Simmons Tariff in order to
introduce competition into market + breakup trusts; to make up for
revenues past graduated income tax
iii)1913 Congress passed Federal Reserve Act- regional Fed banks made
up of regional banks + issued loans at discount rate, issued Fed

Reserve notes backed by govt, shifted funds to meet credit demands +

protect banks. Supervising Federal Reserve Board members selected
by Pres
iv)1914 Wilson began to deal w/ monopoly, Congress passed Federal
Trade Commission Act and Clay Antitrust Act
(1)FTC was regulatory agency to help business determine whether
their actions were legal, also power to prosecute unfair trade
practices
(2)Clayton Antitrust Bill to allow break up of trusts weakened by
conservative opposition; ultimately administration decided that
government supervision and regulation by FTC sufficient
c)Retreat and Advance
i)Pres believed New Freedom accomplished, therefore didnt support
progressive suffrage movement and efforts to halt segregation in
federal agencies after Dems had heavy losses in Congress in 1914
elections to Repubs (who won support from Progressive party)
Wilson began new reforms
ii)Wilson supported appointment of progressive Louis Brandeis to
Supreme Court; supported measured expanding role of federal govt
1916 Keating-Owen Act regulated child labor (struck down by Sup C
b/c relied on interstate commerce clause in Const), 1914 Smith-Lever
Act to help agricultural extension education
4)The Big Stick: America and The World, 1901-1917
a)Roosevelt and Civilization
i)