Teddy’s Struggle

The progressive movement was based on the idea of progress in society. They believed that America could improve but in order to do so the government had to take more action, i.e. the people needed to get more involved. Their ideas centered on actions taken only upon scientific facts and solutions provided by academic and professional experts. The progressives were people that believed in the Social Gospel, do what Jesus did. More so, that the ideas of Social Darw

Since Roosevelt effectively ran a presidency that appeased all the members of the Republican Party, he easily defeated the conservative Democrat Alton B. Parker in 1904. Not fearing another campaign, Roosevelt made it clear that he was going to try to offer everyone in the nation a “square deal.” This deal said whenever a company abused its powers; the government would intervene to protect the people. “We insist that without just laws… the high standard of character of the average American will not suffice to get all that as a Nation we are entitled to.” For example, Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle exposed the horrible conditions of the meatpacking industry. Roosevelt had the Drug and Meat Inspection Act passed in 1906 and spoiled food was no longer passed as good. Although Roosevelt did pass legislature, he was not able to pass everything that he desired: worker’s compensation, an eight-hour day, regulation of the stock market, etc.

The difficulty was that his platform was too radical for the America population. Thus, he split the Republican vote and gave the election to Woodrow Wilson, Democratic progressive, who should not have had a chance. Fortunately Wilson, like Roosevelt, thought the hold that large corporation’s had on society was unjust. In 1915, Wilson helped pass Roosevelt’s child labor law. This meant that even though Roosevelt never was able to pass every reform he dreamt; there were others that followed his progressive ideals. Roosevelt had successfully left an impact and saw the start of social justice. “As far as we are concerned, the battle is just begun, and we shall go on with it to the end.”

Meanwhile, Roosevelt had been on a long hunting safari in Africa. When he returned from his trip, he saw what little Taft had done. He decided to pursue the Republican nomination at their convention in Chicago. The problem

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