Theodore Roosevelt

Interesting Teddy Facts-! Became President after McKinley was assassinated in 1901 One of two Presidents to win a Nobel Peace Prize, The “Teddy Bear” was named after him after Teddy spared a bear cub while on a hunting trip Was originally a Republican, but eventually ran for President as a candidate of the Progressive Party, AKA the Bull-Moose Party. He loved sports, particularly boxing, during his time as President he would hold sparing matches. One of his matches left him with a detached retina and led to him being blind! While campaigning for the Presidency in 1912, he was shot in an assassination attempt. He decided that it was not that serious and still made the speech!

The Modern President His personality and adventures helped him to win support for Progressive reforms. He believed that it was the government’s responsibility to care for the people

The Square Deal The Square Deal is the Progressive reforms passed during TR’s presidency. He wanted to make sure that common people were treated fairly by the government and businesses.

Trustbusting A trust is created when small companies give their stocks to one company to run it like a monopoly. The Sherman Anti-Trust Act isn’t enforced because of the vague language TR begins to file anti-trust court cases to break them up. This is called trustbusting.

1902 Coal Strike- Pennsylvania 140,000 coal miners went on strike. After the country began to run low on coal, TR stepped in- sets standard for gov. to step in when strike threatens public. The two sides settled the strike. The workers received a 10% pay increase and a 9 hour workday, but they could not keep non-union workers from working in the mines.

Meat Inspection Act Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle bringing attention to the meat industry. Meat Inspection Act states cleanliness requirements for meat factories and establishes federal meat inspections “There would be meat that had tumbled out on the floor, in the dirt and sawdust, where the workers had tramped and spit uncounted billions of tuberculosis germs. There would be meat stored in great piles in rooms;…and thousands of rats would race about on it…A man could run his hand over these piles of meat and sweep off handfuls of the fried dung of rats. These rats were nuisances, and the packers would put poisoned bread out for them; they would die, and then rats, bread, and meat would go into the hoppers together.” The Jungle, Upton Sinclair

Pure Food and Drug Act Products were being incorrectly labeled and some foods included poisonous chemicals without labeling. The Pure Food and Drug Act stopped the sale of contaminated foods and medicines and required honest labeling on products.

Conservation Roosevelt creates national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. Conservation: some wilderness is preserved and some land is developed for the common good He names Gifford Pinchot the first chief of the United States Forest Service

Roosevelt and John Muir John Muir is also a conservationist like Pinchot, but quite different. He is much more radical in his beliefs Pinchot: believes in use of Natural resources for common good Muir: Believed Wilderness was sacred land, did not believe natural resources should be used up to make money.

Civil Rights Booker T. Washington is the first African American to be invited to dinner at the White House Roosevelt appointed African Americans to government positions. In 1906, however, he dismissed African American soldiers accused of protecting a murderer. The Progressive movement never fully supported the NAACP and its goal of racial equality.

Review Questions Why was TR considered the first modern President? What were all the reforms of TR collectively known as? What did TR do to break up businesses acting as monopolies? Who wrote The Jungle and what industry did it help clean up? What was the main difference between Pinchot and Muir in their opinions about Conservation? Who was the first African American to be invited to the White House?