Captain Regulator
Theodore Roosevelt
As big as a Moose and as fierce as a Bull, he'll trample them all.
-Creator and Leader of the Bull Moose Party-
Arch Nemesis: Count Corrupt
The corrupt ways of the government was Roosevelt's arch nemesis. Some of these problems include:
- Exploitation of child labor
- Corruption in city governments
- The horror of lynching
- Ruthless business practices employed by businessmen, like John D. Rockefeller
- On-going struggle of women for full equality
Corrupt-o-Kid
David Phillips is Roosevelt's sidekick. He was born October 31, 1867 and died January 24, 1911. He is known for being a Novelist and a Journalist. He produced one of the most important investigations that exposed details of the corruption by the big businesses of the setup. Phillips helped lead the passage of the 17th Amendment and attacked Nelson W. Aldrich and Arthur Pue Gorman in his publication of "The Treason of the Senate", and "The Great God Success".
What did Captain Regulator do?
President Roosevelt settled strikes, broke up powerful trusts, built the Panama Canal, desegregated Japanese schoolchildren in California, fought to preserve the independence of South American countries from Europe and worked to conserve the American outdoors by commissioning numerous state parks. He also invited Booker T. Washington to come to the White House, marking the first time a black man had ever eaten dinner as an official guest at the White House.
How did he do it?
- The "Square Deal" - Reforms - Increase in Federal Power, ended Laissez Faire. (Result of Roosevelt's belief in "Noblesse Oblige.")
- Sherman Anti trust Act (Felt trusts should be judged on actions)
- Elkins Act (1903)
- Hepburn Act (1906)
- Pure Food and Drug Act - Passed in 1906 and amended in 1911 to include a prohibition on misleading labeling.
- Meat Inspection Act (1906)
- He took on the captains of industry and argued for greater government control over the economy, pursuing a two-pronged strategy of antitrust prosecutions and regulatory control.
- He pushed through legislation that gave the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) new powers to set railroad rates, laying the foundation for the modern administrative state.
- Casting himself as steward of the nation’s natural resources, he presided over the birth of the conservation movement.
- Convinced that a strong defense was the best guarantee of peace, he built up the Navy and sent it around the world.
HIS LAST WORDS: "James, will you please put out the light?"
Sources:
"TIME Magazine Cover: The Making of America - Theodore Roosevelt - July 3, 2006 - Making of America - U.S.
"Theodore Roosevelt Quotes- BrainyQuote." Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2013. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/t/theodore_roosevelt.html>.
"Badass of the Week: Theodore Roosevelt." My Stupid Website. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2013. <http://www.amazingben.com/arf0103.html>.
"Roosevelt The Progressive." Learn Social Studies and American History. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. <http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/lesson_67_notes.htm>.
Yarbrough, Jean M.. " Theodore Roosevelt: Progressive Crusader."Conservative Policy Research and Analysis. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. <http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/09/theodore-roosevelt-progressive-crusader>.