Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Wilson. What made them Progressive presidents? Identify what you believe to be the most important pieces of legislation passed during each administration. Why are these so significant? Finally, be sure to indicate what each president did to expand the meaning of freedom for Americans.
At the beginning of the 20th century, America was in a critical era. Presented with so many opportunities and resources, but also affected by significant internal problems, the country was looking for some leaders able to lead them on the good path. The political mood had enough of reform, and the stage was set for the ear of progressive presidents, beginning with the Republican Theodore Roosevelt. Theodore Roosevelt was widely popular due to his status as hero of the Spanish - American War and his belief in speaking softly and carrying a big stick. He took the presidency in 1901 after the assassination of William McKinley; he started a hard work that had made America take a huge step in his evolution. He then demanded a squared Deal that encompassed his primary concerns of their era which was named the 3 Cs: the consumer protection, the control of corporations and conservation. The tenancy of corporations and the relationship between owners and laborers, as well as the role of the government in that relationship were the most controversial topics of their period. The workers were asking for full rights and protection while corporations were not willing to make any change about the workers conditions meaning they expected the labor to remain cheap and plentiful. Roosevelt, going against those established methods that industrialists have adopted, decided to step in that matter. He summoned mine owners and the union representatives to settle this matter and took the miners side. Still the mine owners were reluctant to negotiate until he threatened to use his big stick, declaring that he would size the mines and operate them with federal troops. Roosevelt began to attack large, monopolistic corporations; in 1902, the Northern Securities Company, owned by J.P. Morgan and James J. Hill, controlled most of the railroads in the North of the USA. Teddy Roosevelt initiated legal proceedings against Northern Securities and eventually Supreme Court ordered that the company should be dissolved. He also urged the Congress to create The Department of Commerce and Labor. This cabinet was meant for monitoring corporations and ensuring that they were engaged in fair business practices. The second element of Roosevelts square deal was consumer protection. In the early 1900s, there was little or no regulation of the food or drugs that were available to the population. Until in 1906 that Upton Sinclair published a book called the Jungle that described in full detail the Chicago Slaughterhouse industry. He exposed the condition of workers and the condition of the products made. Roosevelt pressured the Congress so that it agreed to pass the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906; it was an important step toward ensuring that Americans were buying safe and healthy products. Roosevelts final element of the