Progressivism and Theodore Roosevelt Flashcards
What progressive reputation had Roosevelt gained?
He had gained a reputation for fighting corruption when he was police commissioner in NYC.
What did Roosevelt regularly denounce?
The ‘wealthy criminal class’ of big corporations and cartels. He promised to regulate business effectively and limit its excesses.
However, how was Roosevelt less anti-business than he seemed?
He was just as fierce in denouncing socialists and Populists as ‘pin-heads and cranks’, and he believed big business was essential for national prosperity.
Give evidence to show that Roosevelt did pursue policies to regulate business and cut unfair policies.
- In 1902, he blocked the creation of Northern Securities, a huge new monopoly to control railroads between the Great Lakes and the Pacific coast.
What was the situation with the 1890 Sherman Antirust Act?
Cleveland and McKinley had rarely acted to enforce it, but Roosevelt ordered the Justice department into action.
What happened in 1906?
The Hepburn Act was passed to ensure closer regulation of the railroad companies.
What happened in 1904?
He easily won the re-election and continued Progressive policies, although there were occasions when he made compromises with business.
What did Roosevelt do for the environment in terms of timber and minerals?
He pushed through measures in conservation to curb corruption in the exploitation of timber and minerals on public lands.
What did Roosevelt do for the environment in terms of land?
- Expanded the areas of national parks and forests.
- National forests increased from 20 million acres in 1898 to 193 million by 1909.
- There were 53 new wildlife reserves and 5 new national parks.
What was demonstrated by the Panic of 1907?
The need to regulate big business, and the close links between business and politics.
When the stock market crashed, who was the government bailed out by?
A consortium of financiers, led by JP Morgan, who injected millions of dollars into the stock market to shore up prices and restore business confidence.
What did the Panic of 1907 show?
The power of the financiers and the weakness of the government. Progressives demanded reform.
