Roosevelt and Taft In Office Chapter 18 Section 2 & 3

Roosevelt’s Beliefs International Affairs Domestic beliefs Square Deal A Social Darwinist – the US was in competition w/ other nations of the world and only the fittest would survive Domestic beliefs A progressive – gov’t should actively balance the needs of competing groups in American society Square Deal Title of his reform programs during his 2nd term “I shall see to it that every man has a square deal, no less and no more.”

Coal Strike of 1902 The United Mine Workers union had called a strike of miners The workers were asking for A pay increase Reduction in work hours Recognition of their union Coal prices b/g to rise due to the strike

Roosevelt Reacts Roosevelt B/l it was his job to keep society operating efficiently Urged the union and the owners to accept arbitration Arbitration - a settlement imposed by an outside party The union agreed, mine owners did not Roosevelt threatened to order the army to run the mines Mine owners finally accepted arbitration

Consumer Problem Many companies were patenting and marketing potions they claimed would cure a variety of ills Many medicines were little more than alcohol, colored water, and sugar Other medicines contained caffeine, opium, cocaine, etc. Consumers had no way of knowing what they were taking or if it would work

Roosevelt’s Response 1906 – Pure Food and Drug Act Prohibited the manufacture, sale, or shipment of impure or falsely labeled food and drugs

Consumer Problem 1906 – Upton Sinclair published The Jungle It exposed what happened in the slaughterhouses of Chicago The public was angered and sickened

Roosevelt’s Response Meat Inspection Act Required federal inspection of meat sold through interstate commerce Set standards of cleanliness in meat packing plants

Roosevelt the Conservationist Newlands Reclamation Act Authorized the use of federal funds from public land sales to pay for irrigation and land development Appointed Gifford Pinchot as head of the US Forest Service Drew up regulations controlling lumbering on federal lands

Roosevelt’s Legacy Added 100 million acres to protected national forests Established 5 new national parks and 51 federal wildlife reserves President’s job to solve American problems... It is the governments job to solve the nation’s economic and social problems Dramatically increased the power of the executive branch of govt.

Roosevelt’s Successor William Howard Taft – hand picked by Roosevelt, but very different! Taft… Avoided conflict Disliked political maneuvering Responded slowly to issues Didn’t like politics, approached everything from a legalistic point of view Did not like the limelight

Helping Latin America Taft continued w/ the Roosevelt Corollary in Latin America, but… He placed less emphasis on military force and more on helping Latin American industry Dollar diplomacy – support Latin American and Asian development US increases trade US businesses increase profits Latin America and Asia would rise out of poverty and social disorder

Out with Taft Taft’s personality and approach to politics brought him into conflict with progressives Progressives wanted him out of the Presidency Roosevelt… B/g to publicly criticized Taft Was convinced by progressives to reenter politics and attempt to replace Taft as the Republican nominee for president in 1912