Taft and Wilson (and Roosevelt, too)!!

Progressivism and a New Freedom

Taft (the President with the large aft)

• Wins 1908 election– Cautiously progressive

• Accomplishments

• Payne-Aldrich Tariff (progressives angry)

• Public lands dispute– Ballinger and Pinchot

(Pinchot fired)

Taft’s Demise

• Taft supports Joseph

Cannon as House

Speaker (weakens

progressive programs)

• Progressives join Dems

• Roosevelt re-enters politics

Bull Moose Party

• Roosevelt loses 1912 nomination to Taft

• Progressives angry

• Form Bull Moose Party– More Voter Registration– Women’s suffrage– Labor legislation &

business control

1912 Election

• 4 Parties and Candidates• Taft (Rep.), Roosevelt

(Bull Moose), Debs (Socialist), and Woodrow Wilson (Dem.)

• Wilson wins on platform of New Freedom

• Progressive on labor, business, and banking

Woodrow Wilson and New Freedom

• Former Gov. of NJ, Pres. of Princeton

• Accomplishments (focus on tariffs, trusts)

• Clayton Antitrust Act stops companies buying stock to form monopoly

• Federal Trade Commission (FTC)—new “watchdog” agency- investigates regulatory violations- ends unfair business practices

Accomplishments, cont.• 16th Amendment (Federal Income Tax)• Federal Reserve System—private banking system

under federal control– Nation divided into 12 districts; central bank in each

district• Women’s Suffrage (19th Amendment)• Carrie Chapman Catt & NAWSA pressure Wilson

Accomplishments, cont.• Wilson and Civil Rights

– NAACP supports election

• Wilson opposes anti-lynching legislation

• Appoints white southerners to cabinet

• NAACP withdraws support• Wins re-election in 1916 on

slogan “He kept us out of War”• U.S. enters WWI in 1917• Reform efforts stall