Theodore Roosevelt: The Best Progressive For America

In my opinion the best progressive for America was Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt was very popular because of his prestige as a hero of the Spanish-American War and his belief in “speaking softly and carrying a big stick.” After taking over the presidency in 1901, after the assassination of William McKinley, he swiftly guaranteed America that he would not take any radical measures. Then Roosevelt, demanded a “Square Deal” that would address his main concerns. Ownership of corporations and the relationships between employers and employees, as well as the government’s role in the relationships, were the touchy areas of focus during the time period. Employees were trying to get better rights and protection, while businesses expected their labor to remain cheap and abundant. The conflict came to a turning point in 1902, with the anthracite coal strike in Pennsylvania. Coal mining was very dirty and extremely dangerous work, and around 140,000 coal miners went on strike and demanded a 20% pay raise plus a decrease in the workday from 10 to 9 hours. The mine owners were very insensitive and told the workers they declined to negotiate with them. Then, with the approaching threat of the wintertime cold the declining coal supply began to cause fear all through the nation. Roosevelt,

By 1900, only about 25% of the massive timber preserves were still standing. Roosevelt had 125 million acres of timberlands made into federal reserves, which is over three times the amount conserved by all of his predecessors together. Roosevelt also completed similar actions with coal and water funds, thus ensuring the conservation of some natural resources for upcoming generations. Conserving America’s natural resources and calling attention to the desperate need for preservation may well have been Teddy Roosevelt’s greatest triumph as President, and perhaps even his most long-term