Ch 9, Section 4
Progressivism under
William Howard Taft
1. Who won the Presidential election of 1908?
• William Howard Taft (Republican)
• Taft was Secretary of War under Teddy
Roosevelt
2. In the 1908 election, which Democrat did
William Howard Taft defeat?
• William Jennings Bryan
3. In many ways, the Taft Administration was what?
• Progressive…but not fanatical
4. How was William Howard Taft different from
Teddy Roosevelt?
• He was more cautious
• He did not have Roosevelt’s outgoing personality
• Taft never won over the American public as Teddy
Roosevelt had done
5. From the 1860 Presidential election through
the 1908 Presidential election, which Party had
won every election but two?
• The Republicans
• They Republicans won: 1860, 1864, 1868,
1872, 1876, 1880, 1888, 1896, 1900, 1904,
1908
6. From 1860 through 1908, which two
Presidential elections did the Democrats win?
• 1884 and 1892
7. Which Democrat won in 1884 and 1892?
• Grover Cleveland
8. By 1910, which political party was beginning to
split into Progressive versus Conservative wings?
• The Republican Party
9. In the 1910 midterm elections, which party won
control of the U.S. House of Representatives?
• The Democratic Party, for the first time in nearly
20 years
10. In 1910, former President Teddy Roosevelt (still
a Republican) began to call for what?
• A New Nationalism in which the federal
government would exercise power on behalf of
“the welfare of the people.”
11. Increasingly, Teddy Roosevelt was in conflict
with whom?
• President Taft and much of the Republican Party
12. By 1912, former president, Theodore
Roosevelt had decided to do what?
• Run for President, but not as either a
Republican or Democrat
13. As a figure of speech, what do we call
candidates who are not Republicans or
Democrats?
• Third Party candidates
14. What Party did Teddy Roosevelt (aka “T.R.”)
represent?
• The Progressive Party
15. What was the Progressive Party’s nickname
in 1912?
• The Bull Moose Party
16. Why was the Progressive Party called the “Bull Moose Party?”
• In response to an question about his health, T.R. responded that he
was as “healthy as a bull moose,” and the name stuck.
17. What were some of the things that TR’s Bull Moose Party
supported?
• Direct election of U.S. Senators
• Women’s suffrage
• Workmen’s compensation
• Eight-hour workdays
• Minimum wages for women
• Federal ban on child labor
18. In 1912, who did the Democratic Party
nominate as its candidate for the presidency?
• Governor Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey
19. What did Republican voters do in 1912?
• They split between Taft and Roosevelt
20. What other significant “Third Party” candidate
ran for the presidency in 1912?
• Eugene V. Debs, a Socialist
21. Thus who were the four major presidential
candidates and parties in the election of 1912?
• President William Howard Taft, Republican
• Governor Woodrow Wilson, Democrat
• Former President Teddy Roosevelt,
Progressive (Bull Moose)
• Eugene V. Debs, Socialist Party
22. Between which two candidates did the election
campaign turn particularly nasty?
• Taft versus Roosevelt (Republican versus former
Republican)
23. What were some of the insults thrown by
Roosevelt and Taft
• Taft called TR a “dangerous egotist”
• TR called Taft a “fathead” and a “guinea pig”
24. Republican disunity helped whom the most?
• Woodrow Wilson, the Democrat
25. Who ultimately won the Presidential
election of 1912?
• Woodrow Wilson
• He became President on March 4, 1913
26. What was the final score in electoral votes in
the 1912 Presidential election?
• Wilson (Dem)
435 Electoral votes
• Roosevelt (Prog)
88 Electoral votes
• Taft (Republican)
8 Electoral votes
• Debs (Socialist)
0 Electoral votes
27. What percent of the popular vote did
Democrat Woodrow Wilson receive?
• About 42%
28. What did Wilson, Roosevelt, and Debs all
have in common?
• They were all Progressives who devoted to
economic and social reform in some shape,
form, or fashion
29. What was the approximate final score in
terms of popular votes in the 1912 election?
• Wilson (Dem)
6,300,000
• Roosevelt (Prog)
4,100,000
• Taft (Republican) 3,400,000
• Debs (Socialist)
900,000
30. Fundamentally, why did the Democrat,
Woodrow Wilson, win the Presidential Election
of 1912?
• The Republican vote was divided between
Roosevelt and Taft, thus ensuring Wilson’s
victory