U.S. History / Unit 6: The Progressive Era and World War I
6.2 The Progressive Presidents
Notes
Three presidents used federal power to carry out Progressive goals.
- Theodore Roosevelt (1901 to 1909): the Square Deal for business, labor and consumers.
- Known as a trustbuster: sued the Northern Securities railroad trust. He distinguished "good" trusts from "bad" ones.
- Settled the 1902 coal strike by bringing both sides to negotiate.
- Conservation: protected about 230 million acres, including national forests and parks.
- William Howard Taft (1909 to 1913) brought even more antitrust suits but split with Roosevelt. In 1912 Roosevelt ran for the Progressive ("Bull Moose") Party.
- Woodrow Wilson (1913 to 1921): the New Freedom.
- Federal Reserve Act (1913) created a central banking system.
- Clayton Antitrust Act (1914) strengthened antitrust law and protected unions. The Federal Trade Commission policed unfair business practices.
- The 16th Amendment (1913) allowed a federal income tax.
Practice
Theodore Roosevelt's Square Deal promised:
Roosevelt saw government as a fair referee among competing interests.
Which Progressive reform created a central banking system to manage the nation's money supply?
The Federal Reserve was created in 1913 under Wilson.
President Roosevelt sets aside millions of acres of forest land so they cannot be sold to private companies. This policy is called:
Roosevelt protected land and resources for public use and future generations.
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