Unit 3.3 Progressive Presidents
l Theodore Roosevelt (1858 – 1919), ______(1901-09), Republican
l Promoted his “______” - a promise to treat both citizens and businesses fairly; Roosevelt wanted to protect consumers from “bad” trusts, but also protect businesses from unreasonable labor demands
l The Anthracite Coal Mine Strike
l 1902: 150,000 Pennsylvania coal miners went on strike, leaving the nation without coal for heat
l Roosevelt threatened to ______s, forcing the owners to negotiate with the strikers
l The Elkins Act (1903) & Hepburn Act (1906)
l Required railroads to charge everyone the same shipping rates
l Laws strengthened the ______ (ICC) by giving it the ability to impose fines and even to set railroad rates
l US v. Northern Securities (1901)
l Three major railroads merged under a holding company called Northern Securities, creating a monopoly
l Roosevelt sued, claiming Northern Securities violated the Sherman Antitrust Act
l The Supreme Court ruled in ______, ordering the ______of Northern Securities
l Creation of the U.S. Department of Commerce & Labor (1903)
l Even while opposing trusts, Roosevelt knew that supporting business was ______for the nation
l Roosevelt created the Dept. of Commerce & Labor, including the Bureau of Corporations, a branch designed to monitor ______and ______them when their practices might force government action
l The Meat Inspection Act (1906) & Pure Food & Drug Act (1906)
l In 1906, Upton Sinclair wrote ______, an exposé of the disgusting conditions within the meat-packing industry
l Public outcry afterwards prompted Roosevelt to seek food inspection reforms
l New laws required the inspection of meat by the United States Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) and ______the manufacture, sale, or shipment of impure or falsely labeled food and drugs
l Products containing drugs like alcohol, caffeine, or cocaine also had to be ______
l Land Conservation Efforts
l Roosevelt supported conservation of the nation’s ______and set aside millions of acres of public lands for ______, forests, and wildlife preserves
l William Howard Taft (1857 – 1930), ______(1909-13), Republican
l Strongly supported by Roosevelt during the election of 1908
l The Payne-Aldrich Tariff (1909)
l Taft tried to get tariffs ______, but ended up being forced to accept the Payne-Aldrich Tariff which actually ______ tariffs on most goods
l This angered & disappointed Progressives, including Roosevelt, and badly hurt Taft’s reputation
l Ballinger-Pinchot Controversy (1909)
l Taft’s Secretary of the Interior, Richard Ballinger, was accused by head of the US Forest Service (and close friend of Roosevelt) Gifford Pinchot of corruption
l Taft’s Attorney General dismissed the charges due to lack of evidence, so Pinchot leaked his story to the press
l Taft fired the popular Pinchot, angering Progressives
l The Mann-Elkins Act (1910)
l Increased the powers of the Interstate Commerce Commission by adding ______(telegraph & telephone companies) to the industries overseen by the ICC
l Taft the “______”
l Roosevelt was perceived as being a more efficient trustbuster than Taft, but Taft actually prosecuted twice as many antitrust cases in his ______as president as Roosevelt did in ______!
l US v. American Tobacco (1911)
l US Supreme Court ruled that James Duke’s American Tobacco Co. had violated the ______by establishing an illegal monopoly on the cigarette industry
l The Children’s Bureau (created in 1912)
l Designed to protect children from abuse, both at home and in the workplace and to monitor orphanages, foster care, and adoptions
l First federal agency to be headed by a ______(Julia Lathrop)
l The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (March 25, 1911)
l ______to a New York textile factory were kept ______from the outside to prevent employees from stealing
l When a fire broke out, the workers could not escape and 146 died
l Public outrage led to major reforms in factory working conditions and building codes
l The Election of 1912
l Disappointed in Taft, Roosevelt decided to run for president once again in 1912
l The Republican Party stuck with Taft, so Roosevelt formed his own Progressive Party, better known as the “______
l The Bull Moose platform of “______” supported making the federal government powerful enough to regulate corporations
l Roosevelt was _____ while campaigning, limiting his ability to appear in public over the last several weeks of the election
l The Democratic Party nominated Progressive NJ governor (and political newcomer) Woodrow Wilson
l With the Republicans split between Taft and Roosevelt, Wilson won the election fairly easily
l Woodrow Wilson (1856 – 1924), ______(1913-21), Democrat
l Ran on the “______” platform: rather than empower government to regulate monopolies and trusts, simply destroy monopolies to ensure fair competition
l Believed in limited government, especially where the economy was concerned
l 16th Amendment (1913): Created a ______
l 17th Amendment (1913): To eliminate corruption in the Senate, the Constitution was amended to require US senators to be ______rather than appointed by state legislatures
l The Underwood Tariff (1913): Cut tariffs in half, down to about 30%
l Wilson believed that competition with European companies would force American companies to produce better products more efficiently (cheaper)
l The ______ (1913)
l Required private banks to keep a portion of their deposits on reserve in federally run banks to act as a cushion against unexpected losses; federal reserve banks then set national interest rates and regulated the amount of money in circulation, allowing them to control inflation and prevent recessions
l The Federal Trade Commission (1914)
l Had the authority to investigate and penalize businesses using unfair trade practices
l FTC was not designed to breakup trusts, but rather to make ______
l The Clayton Antitrust Act (1914)
l Banned “tying” agreements which required retailers who bought products from one company to stop selling products from competing companies
l Required businesses to ______all customers the ______for a product
l Banned manufacturers from giving price discounts to retailers who bought larger volumes
l Declared labor unions to be exempt from antitrust laws
l The Keating-Owen Child Labor Act (1916)
l Prohibited the employment of children under 14 in factories producing goods sold through interstate commerce, but was later declared unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court
l The Adamson Act (1916): Passed by Congress to avoid a national railroad strike
l Established an 8-hour workday for railroad workers, created overtime pay
l First US law to ______in private industry
l Federal Farm Loan Act (1916)
l Created special federal banks to provide loans to farmers and small businesses
l Encouraged small businesses to compete with bigger rivals to prevent trusts and monopolies
l 18th Amendment (1919)
l Growing support for ______ (anti-alcohol) led to a ban on the manufacture, transport or sale of alcoholic beverages anywhere in the US
l 18th Amendment was repealed by the ______Amendment in 1933
l 19th Amendment (1920): Gave ______in federal elections