Teddy Roosevelt’s Square Deal Chapter 17 Section 3

D. Railroad Regulation Interstate Commerce Act aimed to end RR collusion Interstate Commerce Commission had no power to enforce this Elkins Act= illegal for RR officials and shippers to give or receive rebates & RR can’t change their rates w/o 1st informing public Hepburn Act= allowed ICC to set max rates BOOSTED GOV’TS POWER TO REGULATE RRs

III Protecting Citizens and the Environment Roosevelt aimed to protect from unsafe food and protect environment Benefited public health & environment

A. Protecting Health Jungle by Upton Sinclair described unsanitary conditions of slaughter houses Meat Inspection Act= dictated strict cleanliness requirements for meatpackers & created federal meat inspection SUPPORTS PROGRESSIVE PRINCIPLE OF GOV’t REGULATION

Drawbacks of Meat Inspection Act Gov’t paid for inspection Co. did not have to provide labels w/ date of processing info Co. can appeal neg. decision in ct.

B. Pure Food and Drug Act Pure Food and Drug Act= stopped sale of contaminated foods and medicines & called for truth in labeling Falsely advertised products accomplished curing ailments (balding & cancer) Children's medicines also contained opium/cocaine TRUTHFUL LABELS REFLECTED PROGRESSIVE BELIEF THAT PPL WOULD ACT WISELEY IF GIVEN ACCURATE INFO

C. Conservation & Natural Resources Farmers leveled forests, cattle overgrazed, & coal dumped on land Roosevelt attacked these environmental problems Set aside acres of land for conservation

D. Gifford Pinchot Roosevelt hired Pinchot as head of US Forest Service Advised pres. to conserve by keeping federal land not for public sale Conservation=some wilderness areas would be preserved while others will be developed for common good Nat’l Reclamation Act(Newlands Act)=$$ from sale of public lands in the west funded irrigation projects such as Roosevelt Dam

NEWLANDS ESTABLISHED PRECEDENT THAT PRECIOUS WATER RESOURCES IN THE WEST Care for land WAS NOT matched in area of civil rights

IV Roosevelt & Civil Rights Roosevelt, like most other progressives, was not supporter of civil rights Fired regiment of Af. Amer. soldiers accused of rioting Dubois advocated immediate social and econ. equality

NAACP formed at Niagara Falls Aimed for full equality among races Little support within the progressive movement which focused on middle class whites 2 presidents followed Roosevelt who did little for Af. American rights