Taft, Roosevelt and Wilson essays

Taft, Roosevelt and Wilson essays Theodore Roosevelt is considered our first Progressive President. What Roosevelt was trying to do when he attempted to break up monopolies, was to show the public and the business world that the government was in charge. Roosevelt used the power of the office. In the Coal Strike of 1902, he threatened to take over the mines with Federal troops unless the two sides reached agreement. Roosevelt was sensitive to public opinion; he knew the people wanted coal as it was used as heat in their homes, and the coal strike started just before the onset of winter. Wilson was a more quiet, intellectual type of person. Wilson shifted his reforms more toward the reforms that Roosevelt had promoted, especially after the elections of 1914. Wilson and the Democrats knew they would have to curry favor with the progressive voters if they were going to win the election of 1916. Wilson did not like laws that favored special interests such as farmers or bankers, but he did agree to support social legislation. Wilson opposed a child labor law on constitutional grounds. He did support the Keating-Owen Act of 1916 that restricted the employment of children in most jobs. He also supported the eight-hour day and women's suffrage, even though he had been against giving women the right to vote. Wilson claimed that he pushed Progressive Reform further than his two predecessors. William H. Taft pursued a cautiously progressive agenda. His victories did not bolster his popularity. He lowered tariffs. One of his biggest mistakes was to defend the tariff. Later on he tried to repair the damage, but only made matters more difficult when he explained that he had dictated the speech hurriedly between two railroad stations without rereading it. I believe that these presidents were good for the country and changed a lot for the better. The Progressive Movements itself was seeking to return control of the government to the people, ...