President Theodore Roosevelt VP Theodore Roosevelt became president after the assassination of William McKinley in 1901 TR was a different kind of president – He thought the gov’t ought to take responsibility for the welfare of the American people – His agenda of progressive reform was called the “Square Deal”

Theodore Roosevelt: A “Modern” President TR was committed to a series of reforms: – Breaking up harmful monopolies (called “trustbusting”) – Regulating businesses such as railroads & the meat industry – Conservation of natural resources

Trustbusting During the Gilded Age, Congress passed a series of laws designed to keep big business in check: – The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was formed in 1886 to regulate railroads – The Sherman Anti-Trust Act in 1890 made it illegal for companies to restrict trade But neither of these laws were strict enough to control monopolies

Trustbusting Roosevelt saw the benefit of efficient monopolies, but wanted to control bad trusts: – In 1902, the gov’t ordered the Northern Securities Company (a giant railroad monopoly) broken up because it violated the Sherman Anti-Trust Act – The Roosevelt administration “busted” 25 trusts in 7 years

Conservation of the Environment During the Gilded Age, corporations clear-cut forests & viewed America’s natural resources as endless Roosevelt began the 1 st national environmental conservation program – The gov’t protected 195 million acres as off limits to businesses – The Reclamation Service to place natural resources (oil, trees, coal) under federal protection

National Parks and Forests

The Legacy of Theodore Roosevelt In 1908, Roosevelt decided not to run for re-election as president TR’s presidency was important because for the first time, the national government: – Regulated big business – Protected the environment – Assumed responsibility for the welfare of workers & consumers

The Legacy of Theodore Roosevelt In 1908, Roosevelt decided not to run for re- election as president TR’s presidency was important because for the first time, the national government: – Regulated big business – Protected the environment – Assumed responsibility for the welfare of workers & consumers

When Roosevelt decided not to run for re-election in 1908, his successor to the presidency was Republican William Howard Taft William Howard Taft

The Presidency of Taft Like TR, Taft believed that the U.S. needed progressive reform: – In his 4 years as president, Taft helped break up twice as many monopolies as Roosevelt – Created the Children’s Bureau & pushed for child labor laws – Helped create safety codes for coal miners & railroad workers

The Presidency of Taft But, Taft did not always trust the gov’t to solve problems & often sided with conservative Republicans – He angered progressives when he supported a high tariff which helped monopolies – He allowed a cabinet secretary to sell 1 million acres of conservation land to businesses Progressive politicians hoped that TR would run for president again

Progressives (& Roosevelt) began to view Taft as having made a mess of TR’s reforms

The Election of 1912 TR decided to run for president in 1912 but the Republican Party picked Taft as their candidate – TR created the Progressive (“Bull Moose”) Party – Taft was the Republican nominee & the Democrats ran a reform governor, Woodrow Wilson Republican voters were divided in whom to support: Roosevelt or Taft

U.S. Imperialism: PUERTO RICO Puerto Rice is still a U.S. territory; Lots of poverty & unemployment

U.S. Imperialism: PHILIPPINES When the Philippines were annexed by the USA & not granted independence after the Spanish-American War, the Filipino-American War began in 1898 The Filipino-American War lasted 3 years & cost more in money & American lives than the Spanish-American War

U.S. Imperialism: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC When Theodore Roosevelt became president, he used “Big Stick Diplomacy”: Develop an active U.S. foreign policy with a strong navy to accomplish goals

TR added the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, giving the United States “police powers” to protect Latin America from European imperialism

U.S. Imperialism: PANAMA TR used “Big Stick Diplomacy” to build the Panama Canal by encouraging a Panamanians to rebel from Colombia

U.S. Imperialism: MEXICO The USA tried to intervene in Mexican affairs when Huerta overthrew Diaz & again when Carranza overthrew Huerta Mexico & the USA almost went to war when Mexican rebel Pancho Villa killed 33 Americans

The U.S. Becomes a World Power By the 20 th century, the USA was a world power: – Built the world’s 3 rd largest navy – Annexed Hawaii, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, many Pacific islands – Asserted itself in Latin America (Spanish-American War, Panama Canal, & Roosevelt Corollary – Influenced Asia (Open Door Policy)