Term Paper on "Theodore Roosevelt's Presidency"

Term Paper 6 pages (2263 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Theodore Roosevelt's Presidency

The assassination of President McKinley saw the installation of Theodore Roosevelt as the youngest President of the United States of America, when he was hardly forty three. He thus became the twenty sixth president of the United States of America in 1901. He brought with him fresh excitement and power to the Office of the President of the United States of America. He led both the Congress and the American public on a path that led to progressive reforms and a vigorous foreign policy. (Theodore Roosevelt: The White House)

Theodore Roosevelt was the child of an old and prosperous Dutch family that lived in New York City. He was born on October, 27 1858. Theodore Roosevelt graduated from Harvard in 1880 and in the same year he married Alice H. Lee. She passed away on the same day as his mother in 1884. Within three years Theodore Roosevelt was married again to Edith Kermit Carow. From the 1880's onwards Theodore Roosevelt spent his life in politics and writing. Theodore Roosevelt served three years as an independent Republican in the New York Assembly. In 1886 Theodore Roosevelt ran unsuccessfully for the post of mayor of New York. Winning of the West a well-researched work written by Theodore Roosevelt was published in 1889. The next ten years saw the blossoming of the political career of Theodore Roosevelt. He became a civil-service commissioner under President Benjamin Harrison in 1889. Theodore Roosevelt relinquished this office to become the president of the New York City's Board of Police Commissioners in 1895. In 1898 during the Spanish-American War Theodore Roosevelt saw considerable action with the Rough Riders who he had helped to organize. This rise in fame and reputation saw him win the election for the Office of the Governor of New York in 1898. The one year he served as governor of New York made his preparation for higher offices in Washington. In 1900 he was nominated as the vice-presidential running mate of President McKinley and this combination on the Republican ticket made him to easily win the elections. (Roosevelt, Theodore)

Though Theodore Roosevelt was elected to the White House as a result of unfortunate circumstances, but he made exceedingly fortunate use of this opportunity and proved to be one of the most energetic chief executives that the country had ever seen. Theodore Roosevelt acted with boldness and decisively, while many of his predecessors awaited the outcomes of debates in the Congress to make their moves. This shining aspect of his personality along with the tremendous ego of Theodore Roosevelt made politicians often dislike him, but he was held in high esteem by the public. In 1904 Theodore Roosevelt was elected by his own right to the Office of the President of the United States with such ease that he had secured the greatest popular majority seen till then. In the seven years he was President of the United States of America. The interpretation of Theodore Roosevelt on the duties of his Office was very broad. Though there were worries on the part of the conservatives of this interpretation on the part of Theodore Roosevelt, there was no desire on his part to abuse his Office. Some of his actions may be considered as unconstitutional by some, but the decisive and bold actions taken by Theodore Roosevelt was a great advantage to America such that it became a more equalized and progressive place to live in. (Theodore Roosevelt's Broad Powers)

In comparison with President John Adams, Theodore Roosevelt did not use the government to shield him from the opinion of people and unlike President Andrew Jackson he held the people of the United States of America in high esteem and therefore respected them. Even though he was a vehement critic of the legislative branch, he chose not to ignore the systems of checks and balance that were a critical aspect of the government of the United States. Theodore Roosevelt believed that the President of the United States had to run the show and that he was not subservient to the Congress. In his view he was a steward of the people and hence was required to act affirmatively to do all that was possible for the people. Hence he did not permit the vigorous course of his actions be delayed by debates in the Congress. One of his progressive actions as the President of the United States was in the attempt to curb the practice of consolidation by companies to form monopolies of industries. Though the Sherman anti-trust law of 1890 was meant to act as a constraint on companies in this aspect, it was largely ineffective. Wit the Supreme Court also not too favorable to place curbs on industry it was left to Theodore Roosevelt to enforce the necessary changes. The administration of Theodore Roosevelt initiated action against the companies that were on the top of the list for actions that were responsible for consolidation to form monopolies and came out successful. These cases set the guidelines for later antitrust proceedings. Though Theodore Roosevelt disliked being called "trust-buster," it was the first time the United States government had regulated business in an effective manner. (Theodore Roosevelt's Broad Powers)

This action of Theodore Roosevelt was because of his concern for equal treatment of all and was thus opposed to monopolies as they prevented competition from having an even playing field. A further example of the decisive nature of Theodore Roosevelt is seen in the 1902 Anthracite Coal strike. Fifty thousand miners struck work in May 1902 with several demands. The strike continued despite the union expressing willingness to negotiate, while the owners refused to budge. When Coal started getting scarce and faced with a threatening situation Theodore Roosevelt called a meeting of the union and coal operators. The meeting did not become successful because of the adamant stance of the coal operators. The coal operators had asked for Federal troops to be provided for security from the union workers. Theodore Roosevelt put it across to his advisors that he was considering sending the Federal troops in, but not for security. Rather he was contemplating the confiscation of the mines and getting the Federal troops to produce coal for the country. This brought the scared coal operators back for negotiations and a temporary solution was worked out and the production of coal started again.

This was the first time that a President of the United States had threatened to seize and function a major industry. Such powers were not a part of the Constitution of the United States and Theodore Roosevelt may not have been able to enforce his threat; yet in the Anthracite Coal issue Theodore Roosevelt set a couple of precedents that were significant in the event of a future crisis. This was the first time that labor and capital had been called to the White House on an equal footing. The Government had also used its influence to bring about a settlement for the first time. No previous President had set up an arbitral board to bring about a settlement to labor issues. Theodore Roosevelt may have stepped out what may be considered legal, but the end result was that he could bring about a settlement that was the need of the hour. Theodore Roosevelt showed that in every crisis that he faced he attempted to find solutions with all his vigor and according to his sensibilities in such a manner as to achieve fairness for all the concerned parties. Theodore Roosevelt was not a wild-eyed unionist and anti-business and there were occasions when he used his powers against the unions too. (Theodore Roosevelt's Broad Powers)

The record of Theodore Roosevelt along with the firm control he had established over the Republican Party got him his second nomination and thereby a second stint as President of the United States of America. His second term in Office saw a greater emphasis on the pace of the progress movement. The Congress enacted the moderate reformist legislation in 1906, the Hepburn Act which provided for added strength and authority to the Interstate Commerce Commission over railroads and also the Meat Inspection and the Pure Food and Drug bills that enabled the federal inspection of packing plants and banned the interstate transportation of drugs that were adulterated or mislabeled foods. During his remaining period at the White House Theodore Roosevelt combined attacks on what he considered malefactors of wealth with the presentation of reform plans to the congress that included the provision for federal supervision of all interstate business. The Banker's Panic of 1907 was thrown at his doors by his detractors. The mounting right wing opposition caused his relations with Congress to sour and many an initiative of his in his last year as the President of the United States were frustrated by this. (Roosevelt, Theodore)

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