The Progressive Era was a reconstruction period which took place between the years of 1890 to 1920. In this time many changes and reforms were enacted for the people of the United States. This era was driven in part by one of the best and most influential presidents of our country, Theodore Roosevelt. In his two terms he shaped how Americans lived in this country for the better by his program called the “Square Deal” that started in the early 1900’s. Theodore Roosevelt’s “Square Deal” reforms helped improve the conservation of the nation’s natural resources, protect the health of American consumers, and regulate big businesses. Roosevelt’s first reform had to deal with the conservation of natural resources. Many ranchers in the west wanted …show more content…
One of the biggest problems was the meat industry, European meat markets shut out American meat packers because of the tainted meat (May 81). Then when Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle” released, it caused a huge stir in the public when people saw all of the filth in the meat packing plants. After a progressive senator named Alfred J. Beveridge read this muckraking article, he immediately sent it to Mr. Roosevelt. Although the president did not like the style of writing, he stated that it very much “represented” the industry (Lewis …show more content…
Roosevelt was famous for using was the Sherman Antitrust Act, he stopped robber barons such as J.P. Morgan and John Rockefeller from totally destroying competition. The most notable break up was the separation of Rockefeller’s Standard Oil, once split up into four different oil companies, many journalists and historians put it in one of the top 100 events that changed America during the twentieth century. He would go on to stop over 40 trusts in court using this act during his second term in office (Hillstrom 67). President Roosevelt stopped corrupt political machines in New York City, he was able to stop city bosses like Boss Tweed with “good values and hard work,” (Hillstrom 70). Lastly, Mr. Roosevelt took pride in that later on, his work would allow for easier federal regulation in the future. President Taft was able to bust even more trusts than Roosevelt himself (May
Under his seven-and-a-half year reign, Roosevelt accomplished these goals by passing various laws including the Pure Food and Drug Act, Newlands Act, and the National Monuments Act. He also strengthened the Interstate Commerce Commission through the Hepburn Act and Mann-Elkins Act. The Square Deal was definitely fulfilled, and some aspects were even carried through by Roosevelt’s successor, William Taft. Taft and Roosevelt were known for their massive amounts of trust busting- notably the Standard Oil Company and Northern Trusts. Nevertheless, some historians believe that these policies were useless: “the period was one of useless rhetoric, business domination by the government” (Buenker, Burnham, & Crunden 1).
Theodore used the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to break apart many monopolies that he thought had gone bad. President Roosevelt believed that the huge “trust bosses” were acting foolish, because they were as rich as possible and didn’t care or notice to care about the common man and the desperately struggling poor. Theodore Roosevelt advocated for arbitration and became the “Trustbuster” because of all of the hard work that he put in as
William Taft was more Progressive and Theodore Roosevelt was more conservative. Roosevelt was all about the environment. He was also known as the conservationist. Roosevelt wanted to protect land and the wildlife. He protected about 230 million acres of public land (Theodore Roosevelt and conservation).Roosevelt then formed the Bull Moose Party, another name for the Progressive Party, to challenge Taft.
This piece introduces changes that occurred during the Progressive Age. More specifically, political, cultural, and social changes in America. For example, the Sherman Anti-Trust Laws. Changing the way monopolies are for the present and the future. Then reshaping administration in our country, and lastly Theodore Roosevelt.
This enabled easy transportation of goods around the country. Had Roosevelt not stuck his nose into Congress and helped pass these two acts, the entire macroeconomy would be different, even today. His breaking up of monopolies and trusts allowed capitalism to, in a sense, “work.” Pure capitalism always goes towards monopoly as businesses beat out competitors and use tactics like Horizontal and Vertical Integration. Part of the government’s job is to keep things fair by preventing monopolies.
Roosevelt viewed the office of the President as a major leader in the legislative process. During a time where reform was required, Roosevelt was able to change the public opinion in order to push reforms through Congress. Never before, did the President go to the public to promote policies, but Roosevelt did because he knew it was the most effective way to bring the necessary change to the United States. By doing so, he helped pass many reforms like the Pure Food and Drug Act, which helped keep Americans safe from harmful foods and drugs. In addition,
One of Roosevelt's dominant views was that the government had the right to control big business to protect the welfare of society. Mr. Roosevelt kept that philosophy in mind and Congress passed the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1890, whereas former Presidents had only used it carefully. Sherman Antitrust Act prohibits certain business activities that federal government overseers deem to be anti-competitive, and requires the federal government to investigate and pursue trusts. (U-S-History.com, 2017). During Roosevelts presidency, J. P Morgan was dismantled because it violated the Sherman Antitrust Act.
Roosevelt also passed the National Reclamation Act. This act in sure that the money earned from the sale of government land wouldn’t go to supply water to farms in the west. The money was used was during the construction of the Hoover
Thank you, Aunt Bessie for entrusting me with this enormous task. You have shown me the underside of America that I did not know existed. It has made me appreciate all of the social reforms that took place during the Progressive Era to make life better for all Americans. You have helped me learn about the Progressive reformers like Jane Addams, John Muir, Lewis Hine, Upton Sinclair, Teddy Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, and many more dedicated citizens like yourself. You have given child labor, food safety, and deforestation a great gift of
The act essentially outlawed trusts in the country. For example, the horizontal integration of the oil industry by Standard Oil would lead to its breakup in 1913. The goal of breaking up these trusts was to create competition and regulate prices as a monopoly had the power to set the price. Roosevelt did not enforce the act as much as Taft did, as Taft broke up over one hundred trusts during his single term. This helped foster political change as prior to the progressive era, laissez faire policies of the government allowed the monopolization of these industries
Roosevelt fought on the side of the people, seen in his challenge of the Northern Securities Company in 1902, in which the Supreme Court ruled in his favor and dissolved the corrupt railroad trust company. Similarly, he helped the citizens of the nation with his passing of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, which ensured that corporations could no longer flagrantly poison their consumers. Additionally, Woodrow Wilson’s New Freedom program, which advocated for stronger antitrust legislation, banking
The progressive movement was formed with an effort of cure to all the ills which had developed in the United States during the time of industrial growth in the last quarter of 19th century. The Progressive Era aimed at reforming the conditions for all workers and also to humanize how prisoners and mentally ill people were being treated. Another reform effort was during the period of reconstruction which lasted up to the time that America entered into the First World War. The reform was to address the issues of women rights and the temperance movement during the Progressive Era (Fox & Picillo, 2016).
Known for his tough policy on big corporations, president Theodore Roosevelt took many actions to cut down trust and get rid of government corruption (Outside Evidence). Altogether, the responses and the actions taken by people’s responses did much to change and impact
During the Gilded Age, the Era between 1900-1920 many Americans feared that the wealthy population were benefiting themselves at the cost of the poor. They also worried about corruption in the government. The progressives and the Federal Government was very effective at bringing reform against corporations and helping the poor. However even through all the work prejudice still continued on. Success in reform really started when Theodore Roosevelt became president in 1901 he was known as the first progressive president.
The Gilded age was a period in the late 1800s (1865-1900) that showed tremendous increase of wealth caused by the industrial age. The lifestyle of the rich during this period hid the many problems of the time that eventually brought about the progressive era movement. This was a movement for reform between 1900-1920s. Progressives typically held that the irresponsible actions of the rich were corrupting both public and private life. Forces such as immigration, the Populist Party and industrialization that led to the progressive era also impacted the American government both in its activeness and its democracy.