Theodore Rosevelt became president in 1901, after the assassination of William McKinley. His policy, both foreign and domestic, were regarded as progressive at the time and are a good review for the period.
One of his most well known domestic policies was the Sherman Anti-trust Act. This act prevented people like J.P. Morgan from building trusts too large for a fair economy. This gave Rosevelt the nickname "trust buster" yet this may not have been his greatest contribution to America.
Rosevelt was an avid conservationist, and throughout his presidency, he reserved around 200 million acres of land for national parks that could never be touched. He created five national parks and even added more land for Yosemite National Park. One of his strategies was to declare a portion of land a national monument, which was easier to achieve than a park. This let him achieve in creating 18 national monuments including the Grand Canyon and Mount Olympus.
In foreign policy, Rosevelt was a very strong leader. He won a Nobel Peace Prize for his mediations on the Russo-Japanese War and even began the dealings to create the Panama Canal. He continued on the spirit of the Monroe Doctrine and ensured that America would police the Hemisphere, intervening when European countries demanding their debts be paid from South American countries.
Unfortunately, Rosevelt ran for a third term and lost to William Howard Taft, who was a tad different from Rosevelt. However, Rosevelt's legacy and policy still remain impactful today, especially with his setting up of national parks.
Great Post. Teddy is one of my favorite presidents. He did a lot to shape the America that we know today. I really liked his strong Foreign Policy. Also know as "Speak softly and carry a big stick." As you mentioned, Roosevelt was a staunch conservationists. He helped to shape and create many of the public lands that we all know today. In fact, he conserved over 230 million acres and helped to not only create many new National Parks but in fact created the National Forest System and the National Wildlife Refuge System.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nps.gov/thro/learn/historyculture/theodore-roosevelt-and-conservation.htm
Drew, I really liked how you provided detailed information about Theodore Roosevelt as many people might have forgotten some of his accomplishments as President. I noticed how you wrote that Roosevelt was able to win a Noble Peace Prize by settling conflicts in the Russo-Japanese War. In addition to this, Roosevelt also settled some conflicts domestically. One case of this would be the Coal Strike of 1902. Coal miners were upset due to low wage and difficult working conditions, and they decided to strike. Instead of sending the army in to suppress the strike as in previous strikes such as the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, Roosevelt decided to intervene and make negotiations with the workers. He offered to make a long-term investigation over the working conditions, and in return, the coal miners would return back to work. As a result, the workers gained a ten percent increase in wages and one hour decrease in working hours. This mediation by Roosevelt helped settle a large conflict in the country, made the coal miners significantly more satisfied, and improved his status as President.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.americanhistoryusa.com/teddy-roosevelt-coal-strike-of-1902/
To add onto your final comments regarding President Taft, Roosevelt saw Taft to be siding with the conservatives instead of the progressives. Roosevelt was unsettled by this and, in response, Roosevelt formed Bull Moose/Progressive party. I think it's interesting, as you discussed in your first paragraph, to see what Roosevelt has done and how his actions can be considered to be progressive actions.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.britannica.com/topic/Bull-Moose-Party