Another main focus Roosevelt had on his presidency is expanding the power of the federal government regulation business. Regulating business helps to protect employee rights, and hold corporations accountable for how much power it has in the business world. Roosevelt started and created The Department of Commerce and Labor. The Department of Commerce and Labor focused mainly on the concern on controlling the excess of a large business. When concern for large businesses striked, is when the department was created. Big businesses were overthrowing the economy, making the life of small businesses hard to live. Even though the department was short-lived, it was important to regulating business because it helped maintain the excess amount of power …show more content…
Roosevelt enforced his trust-busting policies heavily to control the amount of power unregulated business have. The Elkins act is a federal law that authorized the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to heavily fine railroads that offered rebates. Rebates are partial refunds or repayments for someone who has paid too much for tax. Railroad companies were not allowed nor permitted to offer rebates and made the Elkins act important. After Roosevelt sponsored this act, he got a popularity boost and made him more likable by the public. This law was part of his, “Square Deal” which is Roosevelt’s domestic program that showed his three main goals, conservation of natural resources, control of corporations, and consumer protection. The Elkins act, along with the Hepburn act was an extreme help in helping to control the railroad businesses. The Hepburn Act, a federal law that gave the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) power to set maximum rates for railroads and extend its functionality in America. One of Roosevelt's main goal policies was railroad regulation, the Hepburn and Elkins act both help to support this policy
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).
The Reforms of the Hepburn Act Crowds of fatigued men flock to the crow of the whistle for their day of backbreaking work away from their families, receiving little pay in perilous conditions. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, railroads became one of America’s rudimentary industrial enterprises. However, in a century of ruthless “Robber Barons” and their powerful monopolies, many lower class laborers were accustomed to meager wages, hazardous working conditions, and incessant shift hours. Most popular for its corruption, the railroad industry was headed by the captains Cornelius Vanderbilt and Jay Gould. In 1877, many railroad companies took advantage of more isolated areas through unfair shipping practices and inconsistent pricing (Laws.com).
These acts basically prevented the formation of monopolies, cartels, and mergers. Controversies over the antitrust laws separated Taft and Roosevelt farther as friends. Taft fired Roosevelt’s Secretary and replaced him with Richard Ballinger. This created tension between the two friends. Gifford Pinchot, who had run for the U.S Forest Service, accused ballinger of trying to stop what Roosevelt did, save the environment.
Theodore Roosevelt during the time accomplished to regulate corporate monopolies; best known as the Square Deal and earning the nickname “Trust Buster”. “We demand that big business give the people a square deal.” Roosevelt explained,” (Oakes 735). In the text, Oakes mentions how Teddy Roosevelt was responsible for establishing the Sherman Antitrust Act, which broke apart railroad giant Northern Securities Company. He even regulated business through the Elkin’s Act (1903), The Hepburn Act (1906), Federal Employers’ Liability Act of Labor, as well as consumer protection through the Federal Meat Inspection Act (1906), Pure Foods, Drug Act (1906) and
Another thing he did was the Pure Food and Drug Act and this act was to restrict foods so that businesses had to tell the truth about what was in their food with a ingredients label (which still exist today). This act would be another act tied in with economic reform, because this act reformed businesses to where they have to be more honest about their food with telling the customers exactly what is in them. But this act along with the Meat Inspection Act would also be social welfare, because it is trying to make food more sanitary for the people to eat and make people more healthy. Furthermore Roosevelt was named a Trust Buster for breaking up a lot of trusts. The first trust he broke up was the Northern Cooperation which was a railroad.
In order to encourage the growth of trade unions he passed this bills that did more than intended. As the book Who built America details,"The Wagner Act guaranteed workers the right to freely organize their own unions and to strike, boycott, and picket their employers(Rosenzweigh 454).This was exactly what all Middle and working class Americans needed to push them over. It had the stern language that the NIRA lacked and the backing of the National Labor Relation board to hear complaints. Because people thought there jobs were safer due to Roosevelt 's policies, they were more willing to join unions, leading to hike in
During this time period the outstanding debt of the national government decreased as a whole, which showcases that despite how the government was centering more attention on nonmilitary activities and likely interfering with laissez faire, the economy of the country improved as a whole. Government interference through the interstate commerce act also proved to be beneficial to both the party it was interfering on behalf of and the railroad systems. The act was seen as necessary in order to “conserve and protect” without harming the interests of the enterprises. It was in this same point of view that John Sherman created the Sherman Antitrust Act, for the sake of aiming at unlawful combinations and not harming any innocent enterprises. However, congress did follow in accordance to laissez faire when they resolved to no longer grant subsidies to corporations or private
It was proved that he stole more than two million dollars from the people in the six years he was a political boss that later cause corruption . To fix that in the future and prevented from happening again President roosevelt established the “Hepburn Act 1906”, that regulate power of the interstate Commerce Commission by increasing its membership from 5 to seven and permitting it to work out cheap rates upon the grievance of a shipper. Also he established the “Elkins Act 1903” that sponsored by President President Roosevelt, provided for the regulation of interstate railroads. The act forbade rebates or different rate reductions to shipping corporations. Railroads weren't allowed to supply rates completely different from the revealed
Other presidents were also able to establish antitrust reforms. President Woodrow Wilson established the Federal Trade Commission Act, aimed to prevent monopoly, and the Clayton Antitrust Bill. As Document E illustrates, the Clayton Antitrust Bill claims it unlawful to "lessen competition” or “tend to create a monopoly in any line of commerce". Although Presidents Roosevelt and Wilson established reforms to stop monopoly, they still had many holes in their trust-busting campaign which severely limited the full effects of
In their opinion, the employees were not employed in interstate commerce, so their wages had nothing to do with it either (Document F). They also thought that the government had no right to give workers the right to self-organize and break the law (Document G). The authority of the federal government expanded, and FDR was, in a sense, abusing the power he had. Roosevelt’s administration increased the role of the federal government in the economy. His New Deal programs were more successful in empowering the government than lightening the effect of the Depression.
He promised that the government would intervene in the economy to provide relief for the great depression, he proposed a ‘new deal’ that would give millions of Americans jobs and create a more stable US economy. “Roosevelt faced the greatest crisis in America since the Civil War.” (Franklin D. Roosevelt Biography). In the beginning of his presidency, he began to make good on his promises, he created many agencies and associations to help get the economy under control and to help lower the unemployment rate. As the economy was stabilizing and the unemployment rates and GDP were beginning to rise back up to normal levels, he fell under criticism for putting too much power in the government’s hands for controlling the economy.
In the start of the Industrial Revolution, it allowed for big business to thrive, however big businesses started to rise and the stock market started to boom. However in 1929 the stock market crashed because millions started trying to invest or borrow money to buy stocks causing prices to soar and the market to plunge down losing 50% of their stock value. The New Deal, created by President Franklin D Roosevelt, allowed for prosperity post Great Depression creating new jobs, new public projects, and programs that benefited all Americans. In the start of the Industrial Revolution, it allowed for big business to thrive, however big businesses started to rise and the stock market started to boom.
During his first term in office, he took on programs and policies to relieve the effects of the depression, collectively known as the New Deal. During this time, many social policies were passed to specifically aid the working class. Some of the acts Roosevelt implemented were the Glass-Steagall Act, the Federal Deposit Insurance, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Home Owners Loan Corporation, the Works Progress Administration, the National Labor Relation Board, and Social Security. All of these acts were put in place to aid the working class, and prevent the severity of future depressions. The outcome of the New Deal gave a new role for the federal government, which is the partial responsibility for the people’s financial
Eventually Roosevelt backed down. In 1903, Roosevelt wanted Congress to create a Department of Commerce and Labor to investigate corporations engaged in interstate commerce. When Congress did not want to do it, he took measures to ensure that they would pass it and they did in the end. Through these things in the reading along with the other things he did we see that Roosevelt while progressive went about it differently than Wilson did.
Has there ever been a president as influential as Franklin Delano Roosevelt? Truly Roosevelt was a unique man that lead American through one of its hardest times. WWII threatened world peace and the Great Depression was actively wearing the U.S. away. Few other times in U.S history required someone of FDR's caliber to lead America through such a storm. Roosevelt was undoubtedly meant with much success and love.