progressives tr taft wilson. progressive era what is the difference between conservatism and...

Progressives

TR

Taft

Wilson

Progressive Era

• What is the difference between Conservatism and Progressivism?

• Goals of the Progressives: 1. decrease the role of special interest groups in

government 2. To make the government more honest and responsive to

citizens needs 3. To increase popular participation in the American system 4, To create a more active, stronger role for the Federal

government to protect the public interest 5. to get the government responsible for the social welfare

of its citizens• Progressives were essentially conservative as far as basic

property rights and fundamental capitalistic structure was concerned.

Child Labor

More Child Labor

Progressive Era

• Origins: attitudes-muckrakers-social gospel-

temperance movement –Jane Addams and the Settlement House movement

• Municipal, state and national reforms• Black America-NAACP• Women’s Role—fight for the vote

Sources of Strength• Farmers—still want tighter regulation of railroads• Urban Middle Classes-alarmed at he power of the

giant trusts and political machines• Workers-regulation of women and child labor• Writers-Ida Tarbell-Frank Norris-Upton Sinclair-

Lincoln Steffens• Political Leaders: Robert LaFollette—• Hiram Johnson-railroads in California• Charles Evans Hughes- New York-insurances• Joseph W. Folk-corruption in Missouri

Robert M LaFollette

• As governor of Wisconsin, La Follette battled the Republican establishment and gradually managed to establish an outstanding reform record. Progressive legislation included measures to increase control over the railroads, modifications to the tax system, limitations on lobbying activities and the institution of conservation programs. He also prevailed upon the legislature to enact state civil service reform and direct primaries. La Follette advanced what came to be known as the “Wisconsin Idea,” calling upon university professors and other outside experts to help tailor reform legislation and staff the resulting regulatory agencies. In this way he hoped to free state government from the influence of self-serving politicians and special interest groups.

Accomplishments

• Political Reforms:

a. Direct primaries

b. Australian Ballot

c. Direct democracy-initiative-recall-referundum

d. Direct election of Senators

e. Nationwide Women’s Suffrage

f. Municipal government changes

Accomplishments

• Regulation of Railroads and utilities• Consumer protection laws—state and

federal-factory inspection laws—Pure Food and Drug Act-

• Legitimate union activities were exempted from antitrust prosecution and use of injunctions in labor disputes

Weaknesses

• Only a few states participated-Wisconsin-New Jersey

• Courts did not uphold the legislation in the beginning

• Failed the African American-no changes

TR

Program—Presidential Leadership- Square Deal• Coal Strike• Trusts• Railroads• Conservation• Muckrakers• The Panic of 1907

TR

• http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/biopictures1.htm

TR and Family

TR

TR• October 27• T. R. and Alice marry.• 1881• November 9• T. R. is elected to the state assembly for the

twenty-first district of New York State at the age of twenty-three.

• 1882• T. R.'s book The Naval War of 1812 is

published to critical acclaim.

More TR1882--Served in New York Assembly

1884—wife and mother died

Dakota Territory-lived in the saddle-driving cattle

1886-defeated for mayor of New York

-married Edith Kermit Carow

1887-Publishes Life of Thomas Hart Benton

1889- member of Civil Service Commission 1895 then the Police Commissioner of New York City

1897 Assistant Secretary of the Navy

1898-Rough riders

- Elected Governor of New York

1900-Vice President

1901-September 14-26th president of the United States at age 42

More Books by TR• Life of Gouverneur Morris• Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail• Essays in Practical Politics• The Winning of the West• History of New York• The Wilderness Hunter• Hero Tales from American History in collaboration with Henry Cabot Lodge• American Ideals• The Rough Riders• Pastimes of an American Hunter• African Game Trails• Realizable Ideals• Theodore Roosevelt An Autobiography• History as Literature and Other Essays• Through the Brazilian Wilderness• Life Histories of African Game Animals• America and the World War• A Booklover’s Holiday in the Open and Fear God and Take Your Own Part• Foes of Our Own Household• The Great Adventure

Coal Strike

•

Anthracite Coal Strike 1902

•

• The Anthracite Strike of 1902 was an effort by the United Mine Workers to get higher waves, shorter hours, and recognition of their union

Roosevelt had no authority in the matter, but summoned representatives of both sides to a White House meeting. The president proposed arbitration; the miners accepted the proposal, but the owners declined. Then Roosevelt angrily threatened to send in federal soldiers to take over the mines. After issuing this threat, he turned to J.P. Morgan and secured his services to act as a go-between with the mine operators.Miners receive a wage hike of ten percent, nine hour work day but no recognition of their union—brings eace to the area for fifteen years.

Trustbuster

•

Northern Securities

J P Morgan was enjoying a peaceful dinner at his New York home on February 19, 1902, when his telephone rang. He was furious to learn that Roosevelt's Attorney General was bringing suit against the Northern Securities Company. Stunned, he muttered to his equally shocked dinner guests about how rude it was to file such a suit without warning.

•   Using the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, the federal government brought a suit against the company and the Northern Securities Company sued to appeal the ruling.  The case worked its way up to the Supreme Court, where the justices ruled 5-4 in favor of the federal government.  Roosevelt’s action had ignored the advice of leading conservatives in the Republican Party and demonstrated his independence from party elders.  It also increased his popular support and helped in his election campaign in 1904. He went on to file 40 more suits.

Railroad Problem

• Elkins Act 1903-recipient and grantor liable to prosecution of rebates

• Hepburn Act 1906—great advance towards government regulation of railroads—gave the commission power to reduce unreasonable and discriminatory rates—burden of proof on carrier

ConservationConsidered Greatest Contribution

• Exposing Waste• Irrigation• National Parks• Internal Waterways Commission• The National Conservation Commision

The Panic of 1907

•

A swarm gathers on Wall Street during the bank panic in October 1907. Federal Hall, with its statue of George

Washington, is seen on the right

Panic of 1907• Started when the Knickerbocker Trust failed• The New York Stock Exchange fell almost

50%• Industry produced too much-inventory

mounted• The panic may have deepened if not for the

intervention of financier J. P. Morgan, who pledged large sums of his own money, and convinced other New York bankers to do the same, to shore up the banking system.

• Will lead to the passage of the Aldrich-Vreeland Act

TR’s Foreign Policy

•

Roosevelt Corollary

•

Dominican Republic

• First opportunity to use the Roosevelt Corollary

• Dominican Republic bankrupt• France and Italy threatened to intervene• U.S. takes over custom offices – pays

foreign debt

Panama Canal

•

Russo-Japanese War 1904

• Japan wins• TR offers to mediate• Treaty of Portsmouth-Russia recognizes

Japan’s predominant position in Korea and Southern Manchuria and other territorial concessions.

• TR received Nobel Peace Prize for his role as mediator.

More Foreign Policy

• 1907 Gentleman’s Agreement• 1908 Root-Takahira Agreement

TR picks Taft

William Howard Taft

Election of 1908

• Taft and William Jennings Bryan

Inauguration

Taft and the Progressives

• Conflict over Speaker of the House between George Norris and Uncle Joe Cannon

• Tariff Issue—Payne Aldrich Tariff• Ballinger-Pinchot Controversy

Conflict over Speaker of the House

• Progressive Republicans and Democrats objected to the autocratic power of the Speaker of the House –through his power to appoint committees and to dominate the rules committee, he prevented progressive legislation from being passed.

• George Norris led a campaign to defeat Cannon—Taft said he would support it—than Cannon promised to support a tariff that Taft wanted.

• A year later, all committees were made elective-Speaker was excluded from membership on the Rules committee.

Tariff Issue

• Taft called a special session of congress to deal with the tariff issue—lowering the tariff

• The House responded with the Payne Bill which followed the president’s suggestions

• The Senate added 847 amendments—becomes Payne-Aldrich Tariff

• Bitterly opposed by Progressives including La Follette and Beveridge

• Taft signed it and declared”the best the Republican Party ever passed”

Ballinger-Pinchot Controversy

• Gifford Pinchot who was head of the Forest Service accused Richard A. Ballinger, Secretary of the Interior, of a lack of zeal in protecting natural resources from private exploitation

• Taft assigned the problem to a special committee of Congress and they vindicated Ballinger

• Taft dismissed Pinchot who had won the court of public opinion and now it looked as if Taft was undermining Roosevelt’s conservation program

TR and Taft Split

Accomplishments

• Trust buster• Civil Service reform• 16th and 17th Amendments• Mann-Elkins Act-telephone

and telegraph companies• Department of Labor• Baseball-started the

tradition

Foreign Policy

• Dollar Diplomacy—Nicaragua

Marines sent- stay until 1933• Reciprocal Tariff-

With Canada-failed• Lodge Corollary

• The Lodge Corollary was a corollary to the Monroe Doctrine proposed by Henry Cabot Lodge and ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1912 forbidding any foreign power or foreign interest of any kind from acquiring sufficient territory in the Western Hemisphere so as to put that government in "practical power of control".

Taft as Chief Justice

Election of 1912

• Four candidates• Republican party renominated Taft• Progressive Republicans formed a new

party and nominated TR—Bull Moose Party

• Democrats nominated Woodrow Wilson• Socialist Party nominated Eugene V. Debs

CampaignTR’s New Nationalism

•

New Nationalism and New Freedom

• New Nationalism-honesty in government, the regulation of business, conservation of natural resources, and reconstruction of society by political action such as better working conditions- women’s suffrage-aid to agriculture etc

• New Freedom-tariff reform, enforcement of Sherman Antitrust Act better banking and currency laws

Outcome of Election

• Wilson 435 TR 88 Taft 8

Wilson’s Come To DC

Democrats in Power

Wilson’s Administration

• Background: minority president- best educated – spent two decades at Princeton-reform governor of New Jersey—gave impression of being a cold fish

• Appointed William Jennings Bryan

as Sec of State—closest advisor was

Colonel House

WilsonStrong President

• The Underwood Tariff(1913)-called a special session of congress to lower tariff duties—addressed congress in person.

• The Federal Reserve Act-the panic of 1907 showed the need to create a more elastic monetary system

• Pujo Committee was set up to investigate the system

Wilson and Baseball

Federal Reserve System

• Mainly the work of Senator Carter Glass of Virginia-specialist in banking legislation

• Chief provisions: 12 regional reserve banks-the Federal Reserve Banks were banker’s banks—Control of system was placed under a Board of Governors some chosen by member banks and others appointed by the president, they were to accept deposits and make loans to member banks—issued a new uniform currency- Board may raise discount rate—buy and sell government securities

Regulation of Business

• Federal Trade Commission Act (1914) created Federal Trade Commission and

empowered it to issue “cease and desist” orders to any firm found guilty of unfair methods of competition

• The Clayton Act –strengthened antitrust regulations and included “labor’s charter of freedom”

Social Legislation• LaFollette Seamen’s Bill-better living and

working conditions for ocean and lake sailors• Adamson Act-8-hour workday for railroad

workers • Keating-Owen Act-prohibited interstate shipment

of goods produced by children under the age of 14—Hammer v Dagenhart declared this act unconstitutional- Congress does not have the power to regulate commerce of goods that are manufactured by children

Appraisal of Progressivism

• Need for Executive Leadership: party leadership had been lax-senators and congressmen succumbed to lobbyists-showed need for strong executive and party leader

• Need or Continued Liberal Action

Wilson’s Foreign Policy

Problems with Mexico