Theodore Roosevelt was a professional historian, learned naturalist, explorer, hunter, woodsman, author of thirty five books and numerous essays, a member of the board of police commissioners in New York City, Governor of the State of New York, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, the 25^th Vice President of the United States, and after the assassination of William McKinley, he became the youngest President in US history. Born into a family of wealth and privilege, Theodore set out on a journey of self discovery and constant tests of his man-hood, honor, and his capabilities. In addition to the many accomplishments listed above, Roosevelt was also a rancher in the Badlands of North Dakota, a deputy sheriff, and a Colonel in the U.S. Army. Above all though, he was a pragmatist with politics and a champion for the little guy. He was easily one of America’s first modern presidents, wielding “the bully pulpit” with a force of energy, some would say, unmatched since his death. It was Theodore’s progressive politics that interested me in exploring his political and public service career.

Progressivism, in the United States, was largely a response to the vast changes that industrialization brought on: the completed national rail system, mechanization of agriculture, the factory systems, and the rapidly growing cities (“Progressivism” par. 1). These changes led to corrupt business practices, price fixing, the sale of unsafe foods and goods, and the growing disparity between the rich and the poor. It is at this point in which Theodore Roosevelt started to change both the presidential power and political landscape of modern America.

One of his largest and most enduring actions were the limits he placed on big business and the practice of combinations. Although he originally agreed to continue McKinley’s program of dealing with trusts within reasonable limits, when Congress would not act, he did. Roosevelt issued forty-five lawsuits against major corporations and received the title of being a “trust-buster” (“Timeline of Theodore Roosevelt’s Life”). Among those lawsuits was the order to dissolve the Northern Securities Company in 1902, a company that contained many railroad lines in the US. Roosevelt believed that the combination of these companies, who used their power to set rates and control the transport of goods, was hurting both the economy and the disenfranchised poor. In a landmark decision of 5-4, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favor of Roosevelt, setting one of them of the most important precedents on regulation of trusts in U.S. history ("Northern Securities Company v. United States"). Roosevelt went on to state in his “Fourth Annual Message to Congress” that “The Government must in increasing degree supervise and regulate the workings of the railways engaged in interstate commerce” (Roosevelt), a compromise, in his mind, between the present evils of corporations out of control and the more radical socialist ideas of the time. One such source of his fear were the sentiments expressed on January 4^th, 1906, at a White House Reception. He stated that a “profound reconstitution [had] taken place in modern industrial society” and that unless capital had consented to some redistribution of profits “the radical elements in society” would turn violent (Morris 431).

Another equally important reform Roosevelt enacted while in office was the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. Until this point in American history, the safety and purity of food was a non-issue. The majority of American’s would purchase from local farmers and butchers, knowing the quality and safety of these food stuffs. It was not until the rise of railroads, and the connections across hundreds of miles it allowed, did the concept of canned meat become popular. It really did not get full steam until Upton Sinclair’s novel The Jungle was published. It fictionalized the truth of the package meat industry, causing public outcry for regulation and safety controls. Roosevelt had already shown a propensity, at this point, to enact controls on corporations and fight for social welfare reformation; it was no surprise at the time that he began his fight against the food industry. Sinclair’s novel spoke of the horrors in living conditions that meatpackers experienced, as well as the lack of cleanliness involved in the production of their meat products. In one fictional account a worker falls into a rendering tank, being ground up, along with all the animal parts. The public outcry, and the meatpacker’s own request for government stamps of approval on its products, led to the passage of the Pure Food Act. Roosevelt, being Roosevelt, did not simply fall to demands of the industry, and decided to broaden the scope and power of the government. It included provisions for the proper labeling of foods and drugs, the inspection of livestock, and required a level of sanitary practices that were unheard of in the industry up until this point. Once again Theodore Roosevelt snuffed out the corruption of industry practices and fought for the safety of the common man.

A final, and perhaps telling example of Roosevelt’s importance within the modern presidency was his creation and lasing success of the Progressive Party. Known by its affectionate title, the Bull Moose Party, it was created in 1912 as a reaction to William Taft’s seeking of a second term in office. Although he was Roosevelt’s handpicked successor four years prior, Theodore felt that Taft had become corrupted by big business and did not adequately continue the progressive policies of his administration. In addition, Taft had filled his cabinet with corporate lawyers and began to undermine Roosevelt’s conservation movement. After a split in the Republican Party Convention of 1912, Roosevelt took his supporters and Republican delegates and walked out on the establishment. In a few short weeks he had created the Progressive Movement, which included a wide swath of Americans – “teachers and lawyers, farmers and small-town folk, urban reformers of every ilk, crusaders for peace and women’s suffrage, champions of the little guy” (O'Toole par.6). It was in essence a catch all party for reformers, who were displeased with Party Bosses and business as usual, but were not radical enough to join the various Socialist movements active at the time. The Progressive Platform states that the government had been overtaken with politicians beholden to corporate interests and that the party must “destroy this invisible government, [and] dissolve the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt [politicians]” (O'Toole par. 6). The platform included women’s suffrage, social welfare legislation, workers compensation, farm relief, health insurance for all, new inheritance and income taxes on the wealthy, as well as the beginnings of social security and minimum wages, which ironically enough were eventually placed into action by Theodore’s cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. This was Roosevelt’s swan song; he no longer needed the Republican Party for future elections, so he was in a position where leaving would not hurt his chances at any future success. He had already served almost two terms as president, along with the variety of his other honorable accomplishments. He was clearly acting out of an interest to the future of America and its people, and most likely, he had the foresight of knowing these reforms would build a solid foundation for future generations.

It is somewhat unbelievable that Theodore Roosevelt was a Republican. From his creation of national parks and monuments, to his regulatory reforms on the expansion of corporate America, it seems that he left more of a legacy to modern day Liberals and Democrats than to the Grand Old Party. His consistent passion for nature and conservation is just one of the many principles he bequeathed to America. The lineage from Theodore to Franklin Roosevelt is as strong and pointed as a perfectly level and straight line. It was not until the 1980’s, during Ronald Reagan’s administration, did we begin to see the dismantling of the very social reforms and welfare espoused by the Roosevelt cousins. It is clear that Roosevelt has had an impact on some of today’s self proclaimed progressives, including current President Barack Obama, who has periodically invoked the rhetoric of Roosevelt reforms, including the Progressive Platform’s stance on universal health care of 1912. His website (www.BarackObama.com) has even gone so far as to quote from Roosevelt’s autobiography, saying that the following words were ones he intends to live by:

“No man can lead a public career really worth leading,
no man can act with rugged independence in serious crises,
nor strike at great abuses,
nor afford to make powerful and unscrupulous foes,
if he is himself vulnerable in his private character.” (Jenkinson par. 5)

Roosevelt believed that he did not represent public opinion, but instead represented the public. It was his duty to fight for the real interests of the society as a whole and not on the whims of excited public opinion (Morris 434). His unflinching sense of honor and character were the very pillars of his success. It was not until reading Theodore Rex, a novel by Edmund Morris, in which I began to understand the absolute weight his policies and legacies have left on the American ideals of liberty, safety, and happiness. It is entirely possible that without his reforms America’s great natural resources and the welfare of its citizens may have easily been compromised well into the twentieth century.

Morris, Edmund. Theodore Rex. New York: Random House, Inc, 2001. 431-35.

"Northern Securities Company v. United States." American History Online. Facts On    File, Inc. http://envoy.lcc.edu:2085/activelink2.asp? ItemID=WE52&iPin=E12070&SingleRecord=True (accessed April 26, 2009).

Roosevelt, Theodore. "Fourth Annual Message to Congress." The American Presidency Project. 1904. UC Santa Barbera. 9 Apr. 2009 <http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29545>.

Jenkinson, Clay S. "Where is TR Now that We Need Him?." "Stoxen Library" Theodore Roosevelt Center. 2007. Dickinson State University. 20 Apr. 2009 <http://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.com/Essay.asp?ID=5>.

O'Toole, Patricia. "The War of 1912." Time Magazine. 2006. Time Magazine. 26 Apr. 2009 <http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1207731,00.html>.

“Progressivism." Bartleby Online. 2001. The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Edition. 26                                    Apr. 2009 <http://www.bartleby.com/65/pr/progrsvsm.htm>.

"Timeline of Theodore Roosevelt's Life." Timeline of Theodore Roosevelt's Life. Theodore Roosevelt Association. 8 Apr. 2009 <http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/timeline.htm>.