| In the first two decades of the twentieth century the national political
scene reflected a growing American belief in the ideas of the Progressive
movement. This movement was concerned with fundamental social and economic
reforms and gained in popularity under two presidents. Yet
Theodore Roosevelt
and Woodrow Wilson espoused two different approaches to progressive reform. And
each one was able to prevail upon congress to pass legislation in keeping with
his own version of the progressive dream. These two people, although they had
different principles in mind, had one goal: to make changes to the nation for
the better of the people and the country. Setting out to reach this goal,
Roosevelt came to be a president of the common man while Wilson became the
“better” progressive president.
Even though they were both progressives, the
two presidents had different paths in mind for the future of the United States.
Their different perspective and priorities were evident in their speeches: New
Nationalism by Roosevelt and New Freedom by Wilson. Wilson's New Freedom looked
to the destruction of all trusts to promote economic competition and permit
small businesses once again to flourish. While the federal government was to use
its power on a one-time basis to bust all trusts, the federal government was to
have no role in regulating business. Any regulation would have to be done by
state governments. This contrasted markedly with Roosevelt's New Nationalism,
which called for an even stronger role for the president and the federal
government in regulating the economy and curbing the abuses of corporate power.
New Freedom and New Nationalism differed primarily, then, in their views of
federal governmental power. Roosevelt wanted to use it while Wilson did not.
Roosevelt became the president of the common man, gaining immense popularity
and appeal from the citizens. This was because many of the actions that he has
taken toward progressivism were for the common people, which included factory
workers, laborers, children, and women. Under his presidency, He passed laws to
ensure the safety of food and drugs sold in the American marketplace. He placed
millions of acres of land under federal protection, preserving America's natural
resources. He regulated interstate commerce and helped laborers to get a fair
chance at the negotiating table. In his New Nationalism platform, he called for
women's suffrage, an end to child labor, pensions for the elderly, unemployment
insurance, and increased regulation of the trusts. However, Wilson was less of a
people’s man because he was a strong proponent of states' rights and felt that
such issues as women's suffrage and child labor laws were issues for the state.
Wilson rejected a stronger role of government in human affairs.
Wilson’s
approach to progressivism was aimed more at commerce rather than with the
people. As soon as he became president, he set to tackle the “triple wall of
privilege”: bank, tariff, and the trusts. He demanded that all trusts must be
broken up in order for small businesses to succeed and competition to be
restored. When it came to trusts, he showed no mercy, believing that
entrepeurship and competition was the key to a healthy economy. Wilson pushed
for creation of a Federal Trade Commission, a federal agency which would
regulate trade on a continuous basis. He also secured passage of the
Federal
Reserve Act which created a federal agency to serve as economic watch dog and
regulator of the banking industry. He also helped pass the Underwood Tariff
Bill, which significantly lowered the tariff, and the Clayton Anti-Trust Act,
which declared certain businesses illegal (interlocking directorates, trusts,
horizontal mergers) but ruled strikes and boycotts legal. In this way, he was
swift and aggressive, effectively reaching his progressive goals. Wilson also
pushed for creation of a Federal Trade Commission, a federal agency which would
regulate trade on a continuous basis. He also secured passage of the Federal
Reserve Act which created a federal agency to serve as economic watch dog and
regulator of the banking industry.
These two presidents produced the
culmination of the Progressive movent of the early twentieth century. Roosevelt
and Wilson both made changes that drastically had to be made for the better of
the people and the country. Each set out to reach their goals and by doing so
Roosevelt became the president of the common people, and Wilson the “better”
progressive president.
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