Presidential Legacies: The Progressives (1901-1909)

William McKinley’s death ended the Gilded Age. A younger generation took over. No one represented that generation more than Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt was young, vigorous, and progressive. The Progressives spent years in the Wilderness. The two major parties finally noticed them in 1892 when James Weaver polled well in the presidential election. In 1896, the Democrats under William Jennings Bryan co-opted the Progressives. Bryan was creamed in 1896 and 1900 and he scared voters into McKinley’s camp. By the mid 1910s, each party had Progressive and Conservative wings. By the 1920s, Progressivism was dead. People despised Progressive President Woodrow Wilson and the Progressives were blamed for World War I, the Palmer Raids, and reforms people did not necessarily want.

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909): Roosevelt was a reformer and a progressive. Despite his own party’s protestations (and Glen Beck for that matter), he was no radical. With the exception of Conservation, Roosevelt steered a middle course between do-nothing conservatives and liberal overreaction. As a result, it can be argued TR was a moderate as president.

When Upton Sinclair published The Jungle, people demanded action against the meat packing industry. While socialists wanted a government takeover, and more conservative elements thought the government had no right regulating business, Roosevelt passed the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act. The government would regulate, but not run these industries. Roosevelt protected the consumer while angering the right and the left.

Likewise, he steered a middle course during the Anthracite Coal Strike. Roosevelt forced a settlement on the owners. However, he steered a middle course during the negotiations. Government had always sided with business, so neutrality was a departure. TR made sure people had coal for the winter. That was his concern.

Roosevelt departed from his middle path with the environment. He believed in conservation. This should not be confused with modern environmentalism. TR wanted to preserve nature for future generations while today’s environmentalists believe that the Earth’s resources are finite and need protecting. Roosevelt did not believe this.

Roosevelt’s legacy consists of more than Consumerism and Conservation. Roosevelt oversaw a burgeoning world power. The Spanish American War made America an imperial power. Roosevelt decided that power brought responsibility. So, he pursued policies some consider controversial. When Japan decimated Russia in a war, Roosevelt mediated the peace. The Treaty of Portsmouth was a middle path agreement ending the war. Both Japan and Russia left New Hampshire unhappy. Roosevelt got the Noble Prize. Shortly thereafter, Roosevelt sent the American fleet to the Far East to intimidate Japan. The Japanese were an expansionist power with their eyes on the Philippines. The Great White Fleet was sent to remind Japan of American Power. Additionally, he issued the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, better known as The Big Stick Policy, designed to keep Germany out of the New World. However, it allowed American intervention in Latin and South America. Lastly, Roosevelt built the Panama Canal. He overthrew the Panamanian government to get it built. American national interest overrode all other concerns.

Theodore Roosevelt ushered in the Progressive Era. While TR was a reformer, he was not the wide eyed Progressive portrayed by some. Instead, he steered a middle course designed to help Americans. He remained neutral in labor matters and sided with consumers as opposed to big business. When it came to conservation, Roosevelt did not take the middle course. He set aside more land for future generations than any other president. Additionally, his foreign policy was similar to Ronald Reagan’s. National security overwhelmed all other concerns. After leaving the White House, TR ran for president again in 1912. During that campaign, he took a hard left turn.
Whether that left turn was real or an effort to differentiate himself from Taft and Wilson will never be known.