Briefly compare and contrast the Progressivism of T. Rooseve
The Progressive movement was fortunate to receive support from the President of the United States consecutively for three different Presidents. Theodore Roosevelt was the first president of the United States to support progressivism, although he considered himself a devote member of the Republican Party. The following two presidents, William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson, continued to address the same problems that the Progressives saw as the most significant. Each of these three presidents succeeded in aiding the Progressive Movement in different areas and through different methods. It is clear Roosevelt was the first to deal with the problems the Progressive Movement hoped to solve; however, his achievements may not be as impressive on paper as those of Taft or Wilson but Roosevelt is recognized as the President who initiated the Progressive Reform Movement in America. "Theodore Roosevelt adopted a cautious version of progressive reform. He cultivated party leaders in Congress, and he steered away from such political thickets as the tariff and banking issues." (Tindall & Shi 1084) Although Roosevelt was weary of certain problems, Taft and Wilson were uninhibited in their pursuit of issues Roosevelt purposefully avoided.
Dealing with tariffs was another way to level the economic playing field and that was a problem Taft and Wilson did not hesitate to approach, even though Roosevelt avoided the tariff problem during his presidency. " (Tindall & Shi 1087) Roosevelt's accomplishments in the trust problem are recognized as crucial to starting the crack-down on trusts. United States (1905), a decision against the "beef trust" through which most of the meat packers had avoided competitive bidding in the purchase of livestock. "The agreement enhanced Roosevelt's prestige, although it produced only a partial victory for the miners. Wilson and Roosevelt can claim small victories when referring to the achievement of this goal, Taft had done virtually nothing. "The Progressives had three basic goals; open the government to more people; correct societal abuses; and level the economic playing field. The societal abuse problem of the Progressive Movement was unfortunately ignored for the most part by all three presidents. Wilson was also a firm supporter of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, which he ultimately revised. Roosevelt was clearly the spark which ignited the fire of Progressive Reform, without his support the Progressive Movement may never have advanced beyond its earliest and most vulnerable stages. Roosevelt was very successful in beginning to delve into the trust problem; he strongly enforced the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and continued to use his "big stick" to fight against oppressive trusts. "Not until the second anniversary of his inauguration (March 4, 1915) did Wilson sign an important piece of societal-justice legislation, the La Follette Seamen's Act. "Altogether his administration initiated about twenty-five anti-trust suits; the most notable victory came in Swift and Company v. Both Taft and Wilson were successful in making crucial progress in lowering tariffs. Overall the difference in methods and styles of all three presidents in approaching and working out the problems of the Progressive Movement was essential to the success of sustaining Progressive Reform in America. His methods were unlike Taft's or Wilson, Roosevelt did not rely on legislation to realize his goals, he used the raw power of his executive position.
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Acceptance Essays
