The candidates of the upcoming 1912 election are Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Eugene Debs. Of these candidates, the one I am going to vote for is Theodore Roosevelt, as I feel that he best represents my beliefs and the needs of the American people. To support my choice I will analyze the positions of the candidates on the important issues we are facing and demonstrate why Roosevelt is the correct choice. The first major issue which solidifies my support of Roosevelt is the issue of women’s suffrage. Roosevelt was the first presidential candidate to come out in support of women’s suffrage and garnered support from women’s rights groups such as the National American Woman Suffrage Association. In fact women’s …show more content…
Roosevelt was in favor of tariffs as he believed that they helped to protect wages. In contrast Wilson was completely against tariffs as he viewed them as a method for big business to exert more control over the economy. Debs, based upon his party platform, appears to hold no position on tariffs, as there is no information given on the subject. Taft and the rest of the Republican Party hold a very positive position on tariffs. Taft supported tariffs as he viewed them as a means of protecting the U.S economy against foreign competition allowing for increased consumption of American goods. Roosevelt and Taft both hold solid views on tariffs that I personally agree with and think will benefit the American people the most. I disagree with Wilson’s position as in my opinion tariffs are useful in a productive economy, and I can’t speak on Debs position as I could find no information regarding his position on tariffs. Taft and Roosevelt hold the better position on this issue as tariffs raise the prices of foreign goods raising the demand for domestically made goods, and in raising the demand American businesses will hire more workers to produce more products, stimulating the American economy. This will benefit the American people as a whole helping to raise living standards and diversifying the economy to create more internal competition and …show more content…
On all of the issues discussed previously, Roosevelt holds the most positive positions. He is a smart man who clearly understands economics and social policy, while also having several other positive positions on subjects we have not yet discussed. When making the decision to vote for Roosevelt I also based my decision upon his previous track record as president. Following the assassination of President McKinley Roosevelt became president and had the opportunity to demonstrate his skill as a leader. Roosevelt, during his time in office, pushed for a form of environmental activism known as Conservationism. This philosophy was supported by Roosevelt due to his past as an avid outdoorsman. In an effort to protect nature for the enjoyment of our future generations, Roosevelt created the United States Forest Service and established over 150 million acres of forest as nature reserves. Roosevelt never ceases to surprise me with his strength of body and character; he even survived an assassination attempt after getting shot in the chest. This strength is the kind of strength that we as the American people need in our leaders and none of the other candidates come anywhere close to matching him in policy substance or in character. This is why I am voting for
All in all, Roosevelt and Wilson’s domestic policy made an improvement on the progressive movement and America. However, they both ignored did hurt the aspect of civil rights. Their policies immensely changed the role of the government for future presidents.. The government’s role in big businesses, labor conditions, civil rights, consumerism, and conservation were distinctly influenced by Roosevelt and Wilson. Some of the new progressive ideas used by these presidents are still used today such as the income tax, the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Reserve Bank, and preserving national parks. While other policies led to more efficient modern policies, such as the Pure Food and Drug Act becoming the FDA. Without the help of these two progressive presidents, the U.S. wouldn’t have made it far in reforming America.
Roosevelt was pro-suffrage, however he did believe that women did not truly need it. He states this in his letter to Mary Ella Lyon Swift. "I am rather in favor of the suffrage, but very tepidly. Women do not really need the suffrage although I do not think they would do any harm with it." (pg. 95). He believed that the needs and duties of men and women were entirely different. Roosevelt wrote to Florence Kelley saying " All that is necessary to make me the most ferociously intense believer in woman suffrage... is to convince me that women will take an effective stance against sexual viciousness..." (pg. 96). These statements show that he was for suffrage, but it is unclear whether this is only because of the election. Taft, on the other hand, did not have a clear stance on the suffrage of women. It would appear, though, that he was for suffrage according to his at Nashua, New Hampshire. This is shown by his saying "at least I believe you have not yet extended suffrage to the women... who do the
Socially, America was gaining strength, with women such as Jane Addams, a women's rights activist, entering the progressive fight. According to a study, the percent of eligible voters who cast ballots in Presidential elections were at a somewhat steady rate from 1904 to 1916, ranging from 59-65%, but in the 1920 election, only 49% of eligible voters actually cast ballots. (Document J) Although some may argue that the percent decrease was due to most Americans not liking any of the elected Presidential candidates, and therefore not voting, this is untrue because this was the first election in which women could vote, which threw of the ratio of voters and non-voters. In addition, all four candidates running for the title of President, Debs, Roosevelt, Wilson, and Taft, were all progressives, and wanted to reduce the number of trusts. This gave all voters, men or women, no incentive to vote. In the end of the election, Woodrow Wilson won, with 435 electoral votes, while Roosevelt had 88, and Taft received a mere e...
Teddy, with a prominent military background and a strong love of big game hunting, than Wilson with a strong intellect background, a very organized and “to the books” personality. Some similarities between the two presidents are that they both decreased the exposure of big businesses. Roosevelt with his famous policy that broke up major railroad, oil, and steel conglomerates, later leading to the Federal Trade Commission. Now with Wilson, The Wilson Administration banned child labors and instituted maximum hours legislation for railroad workers.Teddy was always a hands on president, very active and boisterous. Wilson was more of a reclusive and composed president. Many people debate which president was better, but nothing can deny that both presidents left a legacy on the United
Still, Roosevelt's historical reputation is deservedly high. In attacking the Great Depression he did much to develop a partial welfare state in the United States and to make the federal government an agent of social and economic reform. His administration indirectly encouraged the rise of organized labor and greatly invigorated the Democratic party. His foreign policies, while occasionally devious, were shrewd enough to sustain domestic unity and the allied coalition in World War II. Roosevelt was a president of stature.
In 1901 Vice President Theodore Roosevelt took over as President after William McKinley was assassinated. The country had many opportunities ahead but was in need of some changes that the American people were all too ready for. Roosevelt was brought up in a well to do family and had was Harvard educated. But he was known to be a down to earth man that understood the needs of the people. His first priority as president was to give the people a “square deal” which encompassed his plan for the era. He wanted to reduce control the big businesses had over the U.S. economy and the workers, create more protection for the consumer, and create a plan to conserve our natural resources.
These two candidates believed strongly that rising power should come with the presidency, economic improvement, opposition of monopolistic businesses, and they both advocated steering away from the isolationism that the country once upheld. The campaigns of the two men spoke of New Nationalism and New Freedom, and the two campaigns had some commonality between the two of them. Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson both expressed their concerns about the wrongs of corruption and what roles could be served by increased government control and regulation over businesses. This was apparent with Wilson’s platform of New Freedom, which called for “tariff reform, creation of the federal reserve, and antitrust laws” (Bowles).
Both envisioned gradually reforming the international system, both to safeguard America from predatory Old World politics and to put in place laws. Roosevelt was a Republican/Bull Moose Progressive and his progressive agenda was mostly based on a philosophy of a strong Federal government. Thus his initiatives helped to grow the Federal government and increase its authority/power. For example he pushed for more government regulations of business, the food industry, established national parks and forests. He was aggressive with foreign policy, and was willing to use military power/influence in American foreign policy to get his way on certain initiatives such as building the Panama Canal and saying we should "Speak softly and carry a big stick".
Theodore Roosevelt’s legacy as a great president, lives on today through his policies. The Panama Canal now saves ships thousands of miles, and National Parks inspire people to conserve the resources of this earth. His social justice policies keep businesses honest and force them to be fair. But like all humans he had flaws. One of his major weaknesses was he thought anyone who did not agree with him was un-American, and during World War One was suspicious of German Americans. While on state Legislature, he tried to fire a judge based on corruption because he reached a verdict Roosevelt did not agree with. But Roosevelt’s great intelligence, strength, and curiosity outweighed his flaws, and it is not surprise he is considered as one of America’s greatest presidents.
President Franklin Roosevelt was one of the greatest presidents in the history of the United States. He created economic stability when the United States was suffering through the Great Depression. In his first three months of office, known as the Hundred Days, Roosevelt took immediate action to help the struggling nation.1 "In a period of massive unemployment, a collapsed stock market, thousands of banks closing for lack of liquidity, and agricultural prices fallen below the cost of production," Roosevelt passed a series of relief measures.2 These relief measures, known as the New Deal, provided help for individuals and businesses to prevent bankruptcy. Also, the New Deal is responsible for social security, welfare, and national parks. A further reason why Roosevelt is considered a great president is because he was a good role model for being determined in his...
The last reason why Teddy Roosevelt was the coolest and best president would have to be because As the first conservationist president, he spearheaded the creation of the United States Forest Service, and established 5 new national parks. He was responsible for the start of the Wildlife Refuge system. During his administration, 42 million acres were set aside as national forests, wildlife refuges, and areas of special interest.
Roosevelt tended to become more involved with foreign events. On the other hand, Wilson favored remaining impartial in foreign affairs. Wilson didn’t want to become entangled in World War 1 until the United States was directly stricken. During the progressive era, both Roosevelt and Wilson put in great effort to defend smaller businesses. Theodore Roosevelt’s policy of prosecuting monopolies, or “trusts,” that violated federal antitrust laws was known as “Trust-Busting.”
On August 31, 1910, former President Theodore Roosevelt visited Osawatomie, Kansas to give a speech and participate in a memorial dedication. (Hennessy, 1910). Roosevelt had declined to run for re-election to the presidency in 1908, deciding to exit politics and go on a yearlong African safari (Ellis, 2001, p. 284). Frustrated with President Taft’s actions, Roosevelt reentered political life in 1910 (Mowry, 1939). In the Osawatomie address, Roosevelt introduced his idea for a New Nationalism. Many of the speech’s components became the bedrock of the Bull Moose campaign used by the Progressive Party in the 1912 election (Spring, 1970). In the address, Roosevelt compares the struggle for economic equality to the one for abolition of slavery fought in the Civil War. He presents a plea for government and citizens to put nation before self to address economic injustice.
In Christine Lunardini and Thomas Knock’s article, a new look is put over the passing of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution (Women’s Suffrage) during Woodrow Wilson’s Presidency. Most people view the passing of the 19th amendment in terms of women protesting to the point where Congress gave in, but the authors feel there is much more than meets the eye to this subject than most assume. They use this premise to formulate a thesis pertaining to how Wilson’s ideologies changed during this period as well as how important a President can be to the passage of an Amendment. The authors state on the second page of the article, “By 1915, awareness of the ways in which the presidency could be used convinced all suffragists that is was necessary to
Newspapers printed stories about the women’s treatment in jail, garnering public sympathy and support for the cause. By 1918, President Wilson publicly announced his support for suffrage. Thus, victory for women suffrage happened in 1920. After looking closely at all four documents, the Progressive Era ended child labor, improved working conditions, and brought victory to women suffrage. Goals of the movement and the people who took part in it have also been highlighted.