Republican President Theodore Roosevelt believed that government had a role in ensuring economic and social justice for all, and he was not hesitant to act as the chief executive in fulfilling that mandate. Actions would include regulating big business to protect the people and eliminating abuses and corruption, while also bringing industrial leaders and workers together in collective bargaining with a goal of both sides gaining. He had a clear perception of the importance of public lands and the benefits of federal management and conservation of the bounties of the land. Roosevelt understood the value of speaking directly to the American people via the media and responding to the public dangers exposed by the Muckrakers.
This Rough Rider was blazing new trails in a new century.
Roosevelt’s Square Deal — his name for his domestic policy plan — was designed to balance the interests of all major players: consumers, business, labor, management, developers, and conservationists. (It’s interesting that these same competing interests continue to dominate the news today.) Roosevelt’s assessment was that government had to tilt the scales a bit to protect the interests of the general public because, in his view, the general public had less power to balance the scales in their own direction.
From forcing management and labor to negotiate in good faith during the 1902 coal miners strike in Pennsylvania — which required him to threaten to take over the mines in the name of the federal government — to pushing for the protection of western lands by working with U.S. Forest Service Chief Gifford Pinchot and U.S. Reclamation Service Director Frederick Haynes Newell to reposition land management and control at the federal level amidst cries from state and local governments, Roosevelt tackled his Square Deal issues head-on. By the time he left office, management and labor understand that the federal government would get involved when the welfare of the people and/or national security was involved. At the same time, he had reorganized land management governance and used executive order powers to create over 150 national forests, five national parks, 18 national monuments, and 51 wildlife refuges.
But he was not through with changing policy for the “greater good.” After reading Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, he took action. (Groan softly if you remember those scenes of rat droppings and ground meats…) He campaigned for the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 and the Meat Inspection Act, believing that the government must assume responsibility for regulating products produced in its economic systems.
We often associate Roosevelt with two phrases: “Speak softly and carry a big stick” and “Bully pulpit.” Both are accurate assessments of his willingness to communicate clearly and frequently, whether with potential opponents or an interested general public. Roosevelt’s charm in speaking to citizens as friends won him an approval rating that was staggering, especially after a period of somewhat unapproachable chief executives. Most citizens felt “Teddy” was their friend and was championing their personal causes.
If there was an area where he did not project a clear path toward change, it was the field of civil rights. While he was the first president to invite a major black leader to dinner at the White House (Booker T. Washington), he did little to push the status quo by making significant appointments to federal positions or challenging the Jim Crow South and its dual society. He found himself conflicted and chose to act instead in areas where he had an understanding.
Presidential scholars often point to Roosevelt as the first modern president because he used his personal charisma and political prowess to shift the public’s focus from Congress to the presidency. A loose constructionist in theory, Roosevelt believed he could take any action unless it was strictly forbidden by the U.S. Constitution. In truth, even with that loose interpretation, many of his actions were in direct violation of the powers given to the House of Representatives and Senate by Article I. He simply challenged Congress, and Congress acquiesced to his popularity and vocal challenges to its own roles. He had put into play a fight that would reappear every few decades with the outcome often uncertain.
When his second term ended, Roosevelt tapped his friend, William Howard Taft, as his successor. Taft, however, would disappoint him, and Roosevelt would regret his choice, deciding to challenge Taft in the 1912 presidential election.
Some strong leaders do not go quietly…
