The Progressive Movement Analysis

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Prior to the first progressive president, Theodore Roosevelt, the role of the government and the president was smaller and generally supported big business, not the common worker. The progressive movement came about because of corrupt politics, such as the political boss Tweed, as well as the freedoms that big business had that made it difficult to be a small business or a worker. There was no government regulation on capitalism, and this meant that small businesses, farmers, and workers were suffering from the lacking of laws because big businesses had things like monopolies and rebates that caused low wages and high prices. Roosevelt was the first president to start to bring about these changes that the people were demanding and was followed …show more content…

Wilson worked in the beginning of his presidency to complete the reform demands of many different groups across America. Lowering the tariff would end up helping the average American consumer. Wilson successfully pushes for a federal reserve both because of the demand of the people for credit regulation as well as help break up the concentration of national reserves in New York City. Wilson appeases the masses as well as making the economy more under the control of the government. Improving the anti-trust laws by getting the Clayton Anti-Trust Act passed gained him many supporters because it made corporate leaders liable for wrong doings while excluding agricultural organizations from antitrust prosecution. Wilson even further pleases the farmers by the passing of many acts that aid farmers with loans, interest rates, and education. As a president Wilson gains many supporters and solidifies the strong relationships between both the president and the people and the government and the …show more content…

These three presidents brought a government from minimal involvement in regulation of commerce because of its support for big business rather than the people to a place where it was the mediator between big business and the people. The reforms made by these three presidents showed the people that the government could reform and side with the common man through more government control However, the way these presidents, particularly Wilson, went about reform made it so the president was the one pushing for what the people wanted, and thus the presidency became a more important part of the expanding

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