1. Progressive Presidents

2. Teddy Roosevelt
Square Deal to determine bad from good corporations and regulate as needed under the Sherman Antitrust Act
Helped protect nature through the conservation movement

3. William Howard Taft
Chosen by Roosevelt as his successor he won the presidency
Was even more of a trust-buster than Roosevelt had been
Supported the 16th amendment that which enacted a graduated income tax

4. Fall out with Progressives
Taft didn’t appoint any progressives to his cabinet
Taft signed the Payne-Aldrich Tariff which lowered tariffs but not as much as the progressives wanted

5. Fall out with Roosevelt
Finally, the new secretary of the interior, Richard Ballinger returned some of the forest reserves to public domain allowing mining and lumber companies to use it
Pinchot accused Ballinger of making deals with businesses and undoing the goals of Roosevelt
Taft fired Pinchot as head of Bureau of Forestry

6. Election of 1912
Roosevelt, furious with Taft, returned from his African Safari to run against Taft in the election of 1912
Roosevelt split the Republican party when he created his Bull Moose Party
Taft and Roosevelt ran against each other as well as Democrat Woodrow Wilson, and Socialist Eugene V. Debs

7. Election of 1912

8. Woodrow Wilson Wilson was able to very easily win the election
Wilson’s program, The New Freedom, tried to both limit the power of the federal government while also limiting the power of big businesses

9. Wilson as a Progressive
Wilson implemented the Underwood Tariff which lowered taxes on imported goods and also imposed a graduated income tax on the wealthiest 5% of the population
Wilson also strengthened the Unions through the Clayton Act and outlawed child labor and established an 8 hours work day through the Keating-Owen Act and the Adamson Act

10. Role of Government
Under Wilson the Federal Reserve System was created. It was overseen by a board appointed by the president and controlled interest rates, issued currency, and helped prevent them from failing
The Federal Trade Commission was also created during this time intended to investigate and prevent monopolies and unfair business practices