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Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. Born: October 27, 1858 Died: January 6, 1919 Political Party: Republican Terms of Office: September 14, 1901- March 3, 1909 Vice President: Charles Warren Fairbanks (1905-1909)

Theodore Roosevelt took the role as the United States 26th President after McKinley’s assassination. The election and campaign of 1904 was based mostly on personality. After winning the election with both the popular and electoral, Roosevelt was able to address the issues. Over the course of his presidency, Roosevelt rightly deserves an “A” due to his persistence for the Panama Canal, the Roosevelt Corollary, his Square Deal policies, and his ability to overcome obstacles that came in his way such as the Anthracite Coal Strike, and the Panic of 1907.

During Roosevelt’s campaign, he stood behind the gold standard, the rights of labors and consumers, and he condemned monopolies. Most of these issues were addressed through his Square Deal policy. This policy embraced the three C’s, which were: control of corporations, consumer protection, and conservation of natural resources. By trust busting, he showed that it was the government, not the big private businesses that ruled this country. He did not want to rid them of their wealth, just have them under regulation. He also addressed consumer protection through the passing of the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act. These were designed to prevent the tarnishing and mislabeling of foods and pharmaceuticals. Lastly, he addressed the goal of conserving natural resources by passing the Reclamation Act which contributed to the creation of great dams and the irrigation of dry lands in the West. Along with this, Roosevelt also reserved numerous amounts of land and established the first wildlife refuge located in Florida. So most, if not all of Roosevelt’s goals were accomplished during his presidency.

During his terms, the Republicans held the majority in Congress. They worked fairly well together seeing as Roosevelt vetoed relatively less than the presidents preceding him. Together, the Roosevelt Administration passed various amounts of legislation. Some of them include, the Elkin and Hepburn Acts which helped with the regulation of railroads, the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act which were created to ensure consumer protection as well as the Desert Land Act, which, among various others, was created to help the conservation movement. Also, the Administration started the push for the Panama Canal. With Roosevelt’s Big –Stick policies, the canal’s construction began and eventually was finished in 1914. Roosevelt also addressed congress about the enforcement of the Monroe Doctrine. With the Roosevelt Corollary, America was going to intervene in Latin America to maintain stability. Overall, Roosevelt had a fairly good relationship with Congress seeing as most of his goals were addressed through different legislation being passed.

The most positive action that was taken during Roosevelt’s presidency was probably his Square Deal policies. By passing the legislation that was associated with this deal, the nation headed in a more progressive direction. The movement helped the citizens by protecting them from monopolistic corporations by government regulation. It also protected the consumers from products that would not be safe to buy or use. Lastly, it helped the nation as a whole and the future generations with the legislation that would be passed for conserving natural resources. Some negative actions that occurred during Roosevelt’s include the Panic of 1907. After announcing that he would not be running for a third term, Roosevelt found himself being blamed for a financial panic. During this crisis banks were failing and stocks were plunging. A year later, Congress passed the Aldrich-Vreeland Act which gave national banks emergency currency backed by security. This paved the way for future economic legislation. A long term crisis was averted. Another negative of Roosevelt’s presidency occurred with the Anthracite Coal Strike. Pennsylvanian coal workers went on strike hoping for union recognition, higher pay and shorter hours. Roosevelt responded to this with executive power, threatening to seize the mines. Roosevelt was able to deal with a crisis by showing his presidential power. So although Roosevelt, like all presidents, had a few unhelpful things occur during his presidency, he was able to overcome these difficulties.

Theodore Roosevelt definitely had an impact on all future presidents, along with the prosperity of the nation’s future. Roosevelt is mainly known for his conservation movement. During his presidency he reserved 125 million acres in national forests, 68 million in acres in coal, and 2,500 water power sites. Roosevelt believed that using up the nation’s resources would leave nothing for future generations. By setting up national parks, he was able to preserve the country’s wilderness. He also created large-scale programs devoted to long-term use of natural resources. This was Roosevelt most long lasting material achievement.

Overall, Roosevelt rightfully deserves an “A” for his presidency. Although he encountered some difficulties with the Panic of 1907, he was able to get the nation back on track within a year’s time. Roosevelt was the face of the progressive movement and paved the way for future presidents to follow in his lead. With his Square Deal policies, he was able to achieve all the goals he had as president and help the citizens by protecting them from private businesses and consumption of unhealthy products. All of these accomplishments and contributions outweigh any minor mistakes that he could have made during his presidency, leaving America in a better state than it was before Roosevelt became president.

Work Cited: DeGregorio, William A.. "Theodore Roosevelt." //The complete book of U.S. presidents //. 6th ed. Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books, 2005. 373-391. Print.

"Party Division in the Senate, 1789-present." //United States Senate //. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 April. 2011. .

Kennedy, David, Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas Bailey. "Progressivism and the Republican Roosevelt." //The American Pageant//. Twelfth ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002. 672-681. Print.