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Identify Theodore Roosevelt
Define the Square Deal
Why was TR a progressive president?
Chapter 17 Section 4

McKinley re-elected
in 1900 with
Roosevelt as his
vice president
◦ McKinley is
assassinated in 1901
by Leon Czolgosz
◦ Reform minded ex NY
governor takes over

42 year old
Roosevelt was an
lively and motivated
progressive leader
◦ very much a “hands
on” type of president
◦ used the White House
as a “bully pulpit” to
speak on issues
 What do you think this
means?
◦ Re-names executive mansion the White House
 Is there any significance to the removal of the term
“executive”?

Conservatives
◦ want to bring in the
US Army to put the
strikers down

Progressives
◦ want the
government to take
over running the
mines

Roosevelt has his own idea—Arbitration
◦ What is arbitration?

Arbitrators reach a compromise that both
sides are happy with
◦ First time the federal government had intervened
this way
◦ Leads to Roosevelt’s promise of a “Square Deal”
 What does Roosevelt mean by promising a Square Deal

Becomes
Roosevelt’s
Campaign slogan in
1904
◦ Intended to balance
the interests of
business, consumers,
and labor
 Limit the power of trusts
 What was meant by fighting against
misconduct, not against wealth?
 promote public health/safety
 Spoiled food often disguised as fresh food
 Over the counter medications containing
cocaine or morphine
 How did the meat inspection Act and Pure
food and Drug Act Help?
 Improving working conditions/Environmental
Protection
Roosevelt closed off more than 100 million
acres of forestland.
Another
example of the
government’s
expanded
authority was
the National
Reclamation
Act of 1902.
This Act gave the
federal government
power to distribute
water in the arid
west, effectively
giving government
the power to decide
where and how
water would be
dispensed.
In 1908, Roosevelt retired. But he soon disagreed with
his successor William Howard Taft on several issues.
1909
Taft approved the Aldrich Act which did not
lower tariffs as much as Roosevelt wanted.
1910
Taft signed the Mann-Elkins Act, providing
for federal control over telephone and
telegraph rates.
1911
Taft relaxed the hard line set by the
Sherman Antitrust Act.
Taft did not share Roosevelt’s views on
trusts, but this was not the only area in
which they disagreed.
Taft believed that a monopoly was acceptable as
long as it didn’t unreasonably squeeze out smaller
companies.
When Taft fired Gifford Pinchot and overturned an
earlier antitrust decision, Roosevelt angrily decided
to oppose Taft and ran for president again.
Roosevelt promised to restore government trustbusting in a program he called New Nationalism.
Roosevelt’s candidacy split the Republican Party,
which nominated Taft.
Roosevelt then accepted the nomination of the
Progressive Party setting up a three-way
race for the presidency in 1912.