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As the Reconstruction period approached an end by the late 1890s, urbanization was rapidly expanding throughout the industrial regions in the United States. Despite the advantages of urbanization such as advanced technologies and a growing market, the disadvantages were also apparent in every part of the cities. These disadvantages include political corruption influenced by large monopolies and trusts, the uneven distribution of wealth among Americans and other minority groups, and the terrible working conditions among American industries. By 1900, the idea of progressivism was spread all over the country. Progressivism included the “legal, scientific, managerial, and institutional solutions to the ills of urbanization” (Corbett, et al., 2014, p. 629). Thus, the era of Progressivism began and continued until the emergence of World War I in 1914. From 1900 to 1914, three presidents were in office. The early years of the Progressive Era were sparked by Theodore Roosevelt, followed by William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson. These three presidents will contribute enormously to the reforms in American society during this period. Therefore, historians have given them the name “The Progressive Presidents.”
After William McKinley’s assassination in 1901, his successor Theodore Roosevelt assumed office. Unlike previous presidents, Roosevelt’s political agenda was very much against the norms of the time, which made him a progressive president in that it was full of reforms. His first actions were to remove the large monopolies and the trusts that were influential in governments. The Square Deal “attempted to confront the problems caused by economic consolidation by distinguishing between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ corporations” (Foner, 2016, p. 709). For example, under the regulation of the Sherman Antitrust Act, Roosevelt prosecuted J. P. Morgan’s Northern Securities Company, which controlled nearly all of the railroads in the West.
By breaking up trusts, ordinary people were allowed more access to wealth. Roosevelt then moved on to regulate food industries. He passed the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906, which “required labels on all food and drug products that clearly stated the materials in the product” (Corbett, et al., 2014, p. 621). It also included the Meat Inspection Act, sparked by Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle. These regulations improved work and health conditions among industrial workers, providing better and cleaner food to American citizens. The conservation movement was also initiated by Roosevelt’s executive orders to protect nature in the U.S. The first national park established was Yellowstone, Wyoming. The conservation movement allowed more Americans to appreciate nature and see it “more as a place for recreation and personal growth” (Foner, 2016, pg. 710). Thanks to Roosevelt, influential trusts were broken up, food industries were cleaned, and nature was better preserved.
After the end of Roosevelt’s second term as president, he chose William Howard Taft as his successor, and Taft became president in 1908. Taft hated trusts even more than Roosevelt, where he broke up trusts that Roosevelt saw as “good” trusts. This included the Standard Oil Company, which was established by John D. Rockefeller. In 1910, Taft signed the Mann-Elkins Act, which “extended the authority of the Interstate Commerce Commission over telephones and telegraphs” (Corbett, et al., 2014, p. 623). It allowed more governmental control over communication. Taft also supported the passage of the Sixteenth Amendment, which “authorized Congress to enact a graduated income tax” (Foner, 2016, pg. 712). It promoted a more balanced distribution of wealth among Americans by taxing more of the wealthy people. Unlike Roosevelt, Taft was reluctant at enforcing conservation laws. Even though Taft was Roosevelt’s successor, the two had some very different points of view. This caused outrage from Roosevelt.
However, Taft was still considered a progressive president because of his contribution to the antitrust movement and his actions to redistribute wealth among Americans. During the presidential election of 1912, it was a major competition between Theodore Roosevelt from the Progressive Party, William Howard Taft from the Republican Party, Woodrow Wilson from the Democratic Party, and Eugene Debs from the Socialist Party.
Theodore Roosevelt was not satisfied with Taft's legislation, which led to his departure from the Republican Party and the creation of the Progressive Party. This split the votes of the Republicans, which means the Democrats had an advantage over vote counts. In the end, Woodrow Wilson emerged victorious. The first thing he had in his political agenda was to lower tariffs on imported products such as steel, resulting in the Underwood Tariff in 1913. That same year, Wilson oversaw the creation of the Federal Reserve System, which was “designed to remove power over interest rates from the hands of private bankers” (Corbett, et al., 2014, p. 627). It prevented private banks from “swallowing” and gaining control of American citizens' money. Along with the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Trade Commission of 1914 was also created “to investigate and prohibit ‘unfair’ business activities such as price-fixing and monopolistic practices” (Foner, 2016, pg. 715). Other regulations controlled industries including the Clayton Act of 1914 and the Keating-Owen Act of 1916. The former prevented trusts and eliminated more monopolies, and the latter outlawed child labor in industries. Similar to the presidents before him, Wilson prevented further control from monopolies and resolved issues generated from industries, such as the unequal distribution of income and the terrible working conditions within factories.
In summary, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson were all progressive presidents because they have done reforms solving issues generated from industrialization and urbanization, such as the redistribution of wealth among Americans and the regulation of working conditions in industries. Their progressive ideas would continue into the modern days. For example, one of the U.S. representatives, Pramila Jayapal, recently promoted the progressive ideals of reform in January 2021. She outlined “progressive priorities, including a $15 minimum wage, ensuring immigrants have access to ‘all of the relief’ and a path to citizenship for essential workers” (Leonard, 2021, para. 3). As can be seen, progressive ideals will always exist and flourish in American societies. Thanks to the three progressive presidents, an era of reform has been written into the book of American history.
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