National Political Reform
Unit 7.2
Teddy Roosevelt’s Square Deal
• Presidents in the 19th Century often sided
with businesses in conflicts with labor
• During his first economic crisis as
president, Roosevelt is going to be the
first to insist on a Square Deal for both
• Roosevelt, Taft, & Wilson sought reforms
and regulations at the national level
Teddy Roosevelt’s Square Deal
• Coal miners were on strike for much of 1902
– Many Americans feared they wouldn’t be able to heat their
homes
• Roosevelt called union leaders and coal mine owners to the
White House to settle a large dispute and provide an
adequate and equitable remedy to their problems
• Mine owners stubbornly refused to compromise
– Roosevelt threatened to take over the mines with federal
troops
• Roosevelt solved the problem for Americans and they
responded by electing him to office in 1904
– Earned the miners a 10% wage increase and a 9 hour work
day
Teddy Roosevelt’s Square Deal
• Trust Busting:
– First president to
enforce the Sherman
Antitrust Act (1890)
since that law was passed
– Roosevelt broke up trusts
in railroad monopolies, the
Standard Oil Company,
and 40 other large
businesses
– Breaking up “bad” trusts
vs. regulating “good”
trusts
Teddy Roosevelt’s Square Deal
• Consumer Protection:
– The Jungle, written by Upton Sinclair, exposed
the horrifying details of the meatpacking
industry
• Americans called for a change in the food
industry in 1906:
–
–
The Pure Food and Drug Act: Forbade the
manufacturing and sale of mislabeled food
and drugs
The Meat Inspection Act: Federal inspectors
would visit meat packing plants to secure
sanitation standards
The Jungle
Teddy Roosevelt’s Square Deal
• Conservation Efforts:
– Roosevelt’s most lasting
domestic effort was
forest conservation
• Forest Reserve Act
(1891) set aside 150
million acres of federal
land as a natural
reserve
• In 1908, a National
Conservation
Commission was
established under
Gilford Pinchot, first
director of the U.S.
Forest Service
1908 Election
• Roosevelt did not
seek reelection and
the Republicans
nominated Secretary
of War William
Howard Taft
• Democrats
nominated William
Jennings Bryan, who
lost for a third time
Republican Platform
• Taft was another big trustbuster
– Ordered the prosecution of twice the number
of antitrust cases
• Also a conservationist
– Added large tracts of the Appalachians to
increase the National Forest Reserves and was
the first president to set aside federal oil
lands
• The 16th Amendment (1913) authorized the
U.S. government to collect income taxes
– Originally proposed by the Populist platform
Split in the Republican Party
• Many Progressives in the Republican party
were disappointed and disenchanted with
Taft, but Conservatives loved him
– Signed into law and publicly defended a higher
tariff bill
– Fired Pinchot for insubordination
– Failed to support the Progressive Republican’s
efforts to reduce the dictatorial powers of
Speaker of the House Joseph Cannon
– Only supported conservative candidates in the
1910 midterm elections
Rise of the Socialist Party
• A third party developed in the 1900s
dedicated to the welfare of the working
class
• The Socialist platform was even more
radical than the Progressives
– Public ownership of the railroads, utilities,
and even of major industries like oil and
steel
Rise of the Socialist Party
• Eugene V. Debs:
– One of the founders of
The Socialist Party of
America
– Was the party’s
candidate in five
presidential elections
(1900-1920)
– Adopted socialism while
in jail for the Pullman
strike
Rise of the Socialist Party
• Socialists and Progressives:
– Joined forces on some issues such as worker’s
compensation and minimum wage, but were
different on many other levels
– Socialists were often viewed as too radical for
Progressives
– Eventually, society would accept some socialist
ideals:
• Public ownership of utilities, 8 hour work days,
pensions for employees
The Election of 1912
• Candidates:
– Republicans nominated President Taft for
reelection
– Progressive Republicans broke away and
formed the Bull Moose Party, led by Theodore
Roosevelt
– Woodrow Wilson ran on the Democratic ticket
– The Socialist Party, gaining strength, again
nominated Eugene V. Debs
The Election of 1912
• Campaign:
– Taft was unpopular and Debs was too
radical
– Election came down to Roosevelt’s “New
Nationalism” (govt. regulation of business,
social welfare, and women’s suffrage) VS.
Wilson’s “New Freedom” (limit big business
and big government, stop corruption, and
introduce reform)
The Election of 1912
• Results
– With the Republicans split, Wilson easily won the
election by receiving 435 electoral votes
– Roosevelt received 88, Taft received 8, Debs
received none
• Overwhelming support for Progressive
candidates ensured that reform movements
would continue under Wilson
• …but the Progressives inability to elect
candidates to local offices was evidence that
the party would not last