Teddy Roosevelt

1
Teddy Roosevelt

• The Wild President

2
Roosevelt, a New President

• William McKinley was assassinated
• Roosevelt was only McKinleys VP for 1 year.

3
Roosevelt, The Wild President

• Only VP for a year, known as a wild man in the
  Republican party b/c independent
• Party boss Mark Hana said
• I told William McKinley that it was a mistake to
  nominate that wild man at Philadelphia. I asked
  him if he realized what would happen should he
  die. Now look, that damned cowboy is President of
  the United States!
• Not so much what he did that made him wild, but
  rather his style lots of energy.
• Did not openly rebel, made change through
  moderate measures

4
Roosevelts Philosophy

• Reform was less a vehicle for remaking American
  society, but rather for protecting it against
  more radical changes.

5
Government and Business Reforms

• Gov. should be the mediator of public good,
  president at center.
• Liked economic concentration in big business, but
  knew too much consolidation produced dangerous
  abuses of power
• TRANSPARENCY and investigations of corporations
• Established the DEPT. of COMMERCE AND LABOR
• NOT A TRUSTBUSTER AT HEART but made a FEW highly
  public efforts to break up combinations
• Ex. 1902 Break up of the railroad monopoly
  Northern Securities Company

6
Reform for Workers

• Non-committal attitude to be the impartial
  regulator of labor.
• In the past federal intervention on labor
  disputes Support for the employers
• Fed. Intervention under Roosevelt meant both
  employers AND labors position as well.
• EXAMPLE Coal Strike of 1902

7
1904 Election

• Reform not a TOP priority first term, did not
  want to antagonize republicans
• Easy re-election
• BOASTED that he gave everyone a SQUARE DEAL
• WHAT DO YOU THINK the meaning of a SQUARE DEAL
  means?

8
The Square Deal

• INTERSTATE COMMERCE ACT of 1887 was ineffective
  and weakened by courts ? Roosevelt asked Congress
  for INCREASED gov. power to oversee railroad
  rates.
• HEPBURN RAILROAD REGULATION ACT of 1906 sought to
  restore some regulatory authority to the Gov.
  Reformers were not satisfied bc Roosevelt made
  some concessions to railroad tycoons.
• PURE FOOD AND DRUG ACT Weak in enforcement,
  restricted sale of dangerous or ineffective
  medicines. Created FDA.
• Meat Inspection Act ultimately helped
  eliminated diseases transmitted through impure
  meat.
• Proposed MEASURES 8 hour workday, broader
  compensation for victims of industrial accidents,
  inheritance income taxes, regulation of the
  stock market.

9
Roosevelts Conservationism

• Almost a romantic regard for the wilderness
• Attempted to seize land from Private Sector,
  predominately in the west so as to conserve the
  land for the public.
• Created an Act to provide federal funds for
  construction of dams, reservoirs, and canals in
  the West little impact after 20 years.