The Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt
Election of 1900• Imperialism central
issue
• McKinley selects TR as VP (gov of NY)
• Recent victory in Spanish-American War and TR help McKinley to re-election
Election of 1900• McKinley campaigned
on prosperity/War
• Democrats countered the war wasn’t over – Philippine resistance
• McKinley cruises to
comfortable re-election
McKinley’s Assassination• September 6, 1901
• McKinley attending Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, N.Y.
• U.S. Secret Service formed to combat counterfeiting was providing informal security
• McKinley shook hands in a line after speech
Leon Czolgosz (Cholgosh) • Unemployed factory work
• Anarchist
• Carried pistol wrapped in white handkerchief
• Shot McKinley twice as he reached to shake his hand
Assassination
• “Don’t let them hurt him!” – McKinley
• Doctors unable to locate bullet
• Dies from infection and gangrene on September 14
TR sworn in as 26th President
Teddy Roosevelt
• Assumed presidency at 42 (youngest ever)
• Icon of Progressive Era
• Promised to continue McKinley’s policies
• Asked Congress to curb powers of giant corporations
• “trust busting”
Progressivism
• Wanted “Square Deal” b/w business and labour
• Spokesman for Progressivism – broad social reform movement in response to changes brought on by industrialization
• TR hated corruption
• Brought moralistic tone to politics
Trust Busting
• Public feared trusts were cheating consumers and crushing small independent companies
• 1904 – 318 trusts controlled 40% of U.S. manufacturing
• Elkins Act (1903) – fined railroads/shippers who offered/accepted rebates
• Hepburn Act (1906) – regulated railroad rates and eliminated free passes to shippers
• Under TR orders AG brought 44 suits against trusts
Ida Tarbell
• Wrote The History of Standard Oil (1904)
• Father was bankrupted by Rockefeller
• Exposed Rockefeller’s ruthless tactics
• “muckraker” – investigative reporters who exposed societal issues conditions
Standard Oil
• U.S. Dep’t of Justice used Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890) to sue Standard Oil for sustaining a monopoly and restraining inter-state commerce
• Standard Oil controlled 91% of market in 1904
• Argued Standard Oil had engaged in price cutting, espionage, est. bogus companies, secret railroad rates
Standard Oil Co. of N.J. v. United States (1911)
• Supreme Court found Standard Oil conspired to restrict trade and monopolize commerce in oil industry
• Had violated Sherman Anti-Trust Act
• Ordered Standard to break up into 34 different companies w/different ownership
• Decision inadvertently made Rockefeller richest man in history
Coal Strike of 1902• Anthracite coal strike threatened winter heating
supplies
• TR forced end to strike when threatened to use U.S. Army to mine coal and seize mines
• Lasted 163 days • TR helps find compromise • First example of federal government intervening
as neutral arbitrator
Regulation
• The Jungle – Upton Sinclair (1906)
• TR pushes Congress to pass Meat Inspection Act (1906) – inspect livestock
• Food and Drug Act (1906) – labeling of food and drugs
Foreign Policy
• Believed U.S. would be eventually be drawn into war w/ Japan
• Dramatically increased size of Navy -- Great White Fleet - circumvented globe b/w 1907-09
• Demonstrate America’s growing military power
Roosevelt Corollary
• Addition to Monroe Doctrine
• U.S. would intervene in finances of unstable Caribbean/Central American countries if they defaulted on debts to European creditors
• By guaranteeing their debts, made it unnecessary for European powers to intervene to collect
Russo-Japanese War (1904-05)• Helped negotiate end
of War
• Helped mediate Treaty of Portsmouth at naval yards in N.H.
• Earned Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for efforts
The Panama Canal
Panama Canal
• 1901- U.S. and U.K. sign a treaty granting rights to create and control canal across Central America that linked Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
• All nations would be free to use canal
• Would shorten route for freighters from S.F to N.Y. by
8 000 miles
Panama Independence
• 1881 – attempted by French – 21 900 works die from yellow fever/malaria
• U.S. Paid $40 million to complete French work
• Panama - province of Columbia
• Columbian Senate demanded U.S. pay an additional $10 million
• TR says no
Panama Independence
• 1903 – TR supports Panamanian Independence
• Deploys troops and naval forces to keep Columbia from suppressing rebellion
• Republic of Panama created w/ constitution written by U.S.
• U.S. signs protection treaty w/ Panama
Panama Canal
• Chief Engineer John Frank Stevens rebuilt Panama’s infrastructure – rebuilt Panama Railway, proper housing, sanitation,
• Mosquitoes control programs to combat yellow fever and malaria
• Built b/w 1904-1914 – finished 2 years ahead of schedule
• 5609 workers died
The Panama Canal
Odd Facts
• First president to travel abroad – Panama
• First president to ride in car
• Teddy Bear – toy originated from drawing of TR refusing to shoot bear
Post-Presidency
• Sec of War. William Howard Taft wins 1908 election
• Swore on election night 1904 he would not seek third term
• African Safari 1909 for Smithsonian
• Killed/captured 12 000 animals
Republican Split
• Taft was TR’s protégé• Policies alienated
antitrust reformers progressives, big business, and TR
• Democrats sweep midterm elections in 1910 and gain control of Congress
• Taft’s re-election in doubt
The Election of 1912
• TR seeks Republican nomination
• Taft had worked hard to sign up most party leaders before TR announced
• TR fails to get nomination and creates own party – Progressive Party
The Progressive Party
• TR pulled his delegates from convention to create party
• “Bull Moose Party” • Platform – “To destroy this
invisible Government, to dissolve the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day.”
• Democrats countered w/ Woodrow Wilson
The Election of 1912
• Campaign stop Milwaukee, October 14, a saloon keeper named John Schrank shot TR
• Bullet lodged in chest after passing through speech and steel eye-glass case
• Delivered speech
Assassination Attempt
• “Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot; but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose.” - TR
The Election of 1912
• TR won 4.1 million votes to Taft's 3.7 million• Failed to generate support in Republican Party• Splitting Republican vote proved fatal to the GOP• Wilson wins w/ 42% of the vote and 488 electoral votes
The Election of 1912
Legacy of TR• Changed governments
relationship w/ big business
• Shifted emphasis from Congress and parties to Presidency
• One of greatest presidents
• Died in his sleep 1919• “Death had to take him
sleeping, for if he had been awake, there would have been a fight.”