What was the impact of Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt, two progressive reformers, on the office of the presidency?They reinvigorated the presidency and gave it more power than it had had in the late 1800s.Their failures caused the office to decline in its power and importance.They had little impact on the office of the presidency.Their aggressive pursuit of reforms led Congress to limit the office's power.

How did Franklin D. Roosevelt change the powers of the presidency?A.He increased the power of the office by absorbing powers of the Supreme Court.B.He increased the power of the office by pursuing an aggressive legislative agenda.C.He decreased the power of the office by granting additional powers to Congress.D.He decreased the power of the office by giving executive powers to state governments.

How did Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt each increase the power and role of the president?

Much of Roosevelt's success in restoring public confidence in government might be attributed to hisMultiple Choiceoptimistic and ebullient personality.refusal to engage in tedious and politically charged press conferences.appeal to the lower classes.consistent application of clear-cut philosophies to social and economic problems.public demonstration of how a man could overcome physical paralysis.

The Progressive PresidentsPresident Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt (Republican, 1901-1909)Teddy Roosevelt was widely popular as a veteran of the Spanish American War and creator of the “Big Stick Policy,” which dominated American imperialism for decades, and for establishing the Panama Canal. Taking over the presidency in 1901 after the assassination of William McKinley, he became the youngest president ever at 42 years old. Roosevelt believed it was the federal government’s job to intervene to protect the welfare of the people, instead of leaving matters to local and state control. Roosevelt demanded a “Square Deal” that emphasized his Progressive goals though Three C’s: control of corporations, consumer protection, and conservation.CorporationsRoosevelt was known as a “trust buster” – he attacked large, monopolistic corporations, breaking apart what he saw as “bad trusts” that were damaging the economy. By 1900, trusts (multiple companies that joined together to form a monopoly) controlled about 80% of the industries in the United States. Some trusts, like Standard Oil, had earned poor reputations with the public through the use of unfair business practices. Although Congress had passed the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1890, the act’s vague language made enforcement difficult. President Roosevelt did not believe that all trusts were harmful, but he sought to curb the actions of those that hurt the public interest. The first trust he broke apart was the Northern Securities trust, controlled by J.P. Morgan, which had a monopoly over the railroads. Other reforms included:Elkins Act (1903): this law placed heavy fines on companies that engaged in illegal price-fixing practices (giving some customers higher rates than others)Hepburn Act (1906): this law trengthened government ability to investigate and monitor companies for unfair business practicesAlthough the Roosevelt administration filed 44 antitrust suits, winning a number of them and breaking up some of the trusts, Roosevelt allowed some trusts to remain, and big business still immense power over the American economy.Consumer ProtectionIn the early 1900s, there was little regulation of the food or drugs that were available to the public. Consumers had no idea what was in the products they were buying, when they had been created, and if the advertisements promoting them were true. In 1906, Upton Sinclair published a book called The Jungle that described in graphic detail the Chicago slaughterhouse industry. After reading The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, Roosevelt appointed a commission of experts to investigate the meatpacking industry. The commission issued a scathing report backing up Sinclair’s account of the disgusting conditions in the industry. True to his word, in 1906 Roosevelt pushed for passage of the Meat Inspection Act, which dictated strict cleanliness requirements for meatpackers and created the program of federal meat inspection.Before any federal regulations were established for advertising food and drugs, manufacturers had claimed that their products accomplished everything from curing cancer to growing hair. In addition, popular children’s medicines often contained opium, cocaine, or alcohol. In 1906, Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act, which halted the sale of contaminated foods and medicines and called for truth in labeling so that consumers would know exactly what they were buying.ConservationBefore Roosevelt’s presidency, the federal government had paid very little attention to the nation’s natural resources. The government stood by while coal mines polluted rivers and factories ruined forests. Roosevelt was widely known as a sportsman, hunter, and outdoorsman, and he had a genuine love for nature. John Muir, an environmentalist and writer with whom Roosevelt camped in California’s Yosemite National Park in 1903, persuaded the president to set aside 148 million acres of land for national parks. Roosevelt also established more than 50 wildlife sanctuaries and several national parks. He set aside 125 million acres of land as federal reserves, creating the national parks and wildlife preserves that we have today, such as Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks. If not for Roosevelt’s conservation efforts, our nation’s natural beauty may have been completely destroyed by industry.Worker's RightsRoosevelt is famous for being the first president to side with labor unions. When 140,000 coal miners in Pennsylvania went on strike and demanded a 20 percent raise, a nine-hour workday, and the right to organize a union, the mine operators refused to bargain. Five months into the strike, coal reserves ran low. Roosevelt, seeing the need to intervene, called both sides to the White House and eventually settled the strike. President Roosevelt’s actions had demonstrated a new principle. From then on, when a strike threatened the public welfare, the federal government was expected to intervene. In addition, Roosevelt’s actions reflected the progressive belief that disputes could be settled in an orderly way with the help of experts, such as those on the arbitration commission.Not a True Progressive?Some say that Roosevelt maintained too close of a relationship with big business. Roosevelt's advisers were industrialists and bankers. Roosevelt once wrote, “I intend to be most conservative, but in the interests of the corporations themselves and above all the interests of the country.” By 1904, 318 trusts, with more than $7 billion, still controlled 40% of U.S. manufacturing. In addition, Roosevelt was an aggressive imperialist, a position which many felt was at odds with his progressive beliefs.

A good-natured, committed Republican Progressive and close friend of Teddy Roosevelt, Taft was picked to succeed Roosevelt after Roosevelt completed his second term as president.More Trust Busting, Less Environmental ConservationTaft continued Roosevelt's aggressive Progressive policies. As president, Taft pursued a cautiously progressive agenda, seeking to consolidate (shrink) rather than to expand Roosevelt’s reforms. He received little credit for his accomplishments, however. Though his legal victories, such as busting 90 trusts in a four-year term, were more far-reaching than Roosevelt’s, he remained unpopular. As a trust buster, he broke apart almost twice as many trusts as Roosevelt, including Carnegie’s US Steel, which Roosevelt had actually supported. Taft did not believe, as Roosevelt did, that some trusts were “good” and some were “bad” – he felt that all monopolistic corporations were harmful to the American economy, and he pushed to create an economic environment where consumer rights and competition were protected.Taft angered conservationists by appointing as his secretary of the interior Richard A. Ballinger, who removed 1 million acres of forest and mining lands from the reserved list.Key AccomplishmentsTaft is responsible for two other large Progressive accomplishments during his Presidency:The Mann-Elkins Act of 1910: this law gave a government organization called the Interstate Commerce Commission the power to regulate railroads, telegraph, and telephone companies to make sure they didn't charge overly expensive prices16th Amendment (1913): this amendment established a federal income tax, which generated government funds by creating a gradual tax based on income (the higher your income, the higher the taxes). This tax helped decrease the gap between the rich and the poor.Taft Splits the Republican PartyMany Republicans were not pleased with Taft's actions. They saw him as too conservative because he supported measures like high tariffs (taxes on international imports), allowed public lands to be developed for private use, and failed to fix corruption in Congress. Though Taft and Roosevelt had originally been close friends, Roosevelt created a new political party in 1912 called the Bull Moose Party (after Roosevelt’s boast that he was “as strong as a bull moose”) in order to run against Taft and rid him from office. The party’s platform called for the direct election of senators and the adoption in all states of the initiative, referendum, and recall. It also advocated woman suffrage, workmen’s compensation, an eight-hour workday, a minimum wage for women, a federal law against child labor, and a federal trade commission to regulate business. Neither Taft nor Roosevelt won the election – the victor was a Democrat named Woodrow Wilson.QUESTION 310 pointsWhat was one major accomplishment of President Taft?