Roosevelt's Stewardship Theory

In the first two decades of the twentieth century the national political scene reflected a growing American belief in the ideas of the Progressive movement. This movement was concerned with fundamental social and economic reforms and gained in popularity under two presidents. Yet Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson espoused two different approaches to progressive reform. And each one was able to prevail upon congress to pass legislation in keeping with his own version of the progressive dream. These two people, although they had different principles in mind, had one goal: to make changes to the nation for the better of the people and the country. Setting out to reach this goal, Roosevelt came to be a president of the common man while

Lincoln described the problem of ending slavery during the Civil war as “slippery” because the only time you can seize property from other nations is at war. Abolitionists wanted to take slaves—which were property—to the North so they could be free. However, Northerners had no authority to take slaves from the South because it wasn’t a nation. The federal government had no say in what state laws said unless an Amendment was passed, changing the Constitution, therefore nullifying state laws. Lincoln wanted to pass the 13th Amendment during the war because courts could decide that freed slaves would have to go back to slavery after it, making the Emancipation Proclamation have no

In his article “Why FDR was America’s Worst President,” Andrew Doris explains why Franklin Roosevelt was America’s worst president and why America would be better off today if he were to have never been elected. According to Doris, Roosevelt not only failed in ending the Great Depression, but when he introduced his New Deal policies, he also introduced the idea that the president could overstep the boundaries set for him in the constitution. During his presidency, Roosevelt failed to “faithfully execute the rulings of the other branches” and “respect the system of checks and balances” (Doris). Doris proves these statements throughout his article. He states that when Roosevelt came into office, he was hungry for more power than the constitution

In the article, “Unilateral Action and Presidential Power: A Theory,” Terry M. Moe and William G. Howell, two political science instructors from Stanford University, investigate a source of presidential power, which is the president’s capability to act individually and make his own law, that has been unacknowledged yet essential to presidential leadership that it defines how the modern presidency is distinctively modern. The authors’ purpose in the article is to outline a theory of this feature of presidential power by arguing that the president’s powers of unilateral action, which is developed from the ambiguity of the contract, are strengths in American politics since they are not mentioned in the constitution. They also claim that presidents push the ambiguity of the contract to make their powers grow and that Congress and the courts would not be able to stop them (Moe and Howell, 1999, p. 1-3).

When presenting the question of who deserves the title of best President of the United States, one would not be surprised to find Lincoln, Jefferson, Washington, and FDR as the frontrunners. While each of these presidents was undisputedly successful and groundbreaking in their own right, all fall short to America’s first modern president- Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt, assuming office at the turn of the century, redefined and reimagined the role of the president and the executive officialdom. By expanding the powers of the presidency, Roosevelt was able to move the country forward in both the international arena and on the home front. Roosevelt’s vast success can greatly be attributed to his charisma, character, and persuasion skills. He understood that the art of governing was truly the power to persuade, and he mastered the trade. Roosevelt not only improved life domestically as he fought against inequality and corrupt business practices, but he also achieved his goal of gaining influence abroad, thus earning the United States a powerful platform on the global stage. Roosevelt’s natural leadership, charm, bravery, and compassion combined with his thorough understanding of the country’s needs, both for the individual and for the long-term well being of the country, made him the most successful president in United States history.

In the period of time following the Reconstruction Era the Progressive era came about, presented with abundant opportunity but also hindered by significant economic, political, and social issues. America was pining for a leader who could provide solutions to all of these issues, caused by rapid industrialization. In 1901, Theodore Roosevelt emerged as a leader for the progressivism movement, which focused on reforming the major issues that society faced at that time such as fear of immigrants and corporate greed. Roosevelt was recognized as a friend to the common people as well as a trustbuster, and this furthered his reputation as being the savior of the issues of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s because he pushed to reform as many obstacles presented to him as he could. Even though he gained his presidential spot due to the assassination of President McKinley he still proved to be the most effective president in dealing with the issues of the late 1800s and the early 1900s.

Theodore Roosevelt saw the presidential position as a “steward of the people”, he thought that the president should be able to take actions the benefit the public. He believed that the government should be a mediator between the economic issues and the people. He wanted to guarantee justice for the people and favor none. He was known as a trustbuster because he dispensed antitrust suits against big trusts. He also during his Presidency had the Panama Canal constructed to help the relationship between Pan-America.

He believed it was his responsibility as President to apply the laws that would keep the states in the Union even against their will as expressed by democratic conventions and state congress. His policy is ironic and even hypocritical because this position causes serious problems with Lincoln’s own doctrine of the right of revolution that he expressed in Congress on January 12, 1848 during the Mexican War. If there was no war , the Northern abolitionists could have seeked ways to help the slaves in the South, and most likely the Fugitive Slave Law would not have been applied. If all the slave states seceded, then the slaves could have ran away to the Northern states.

Recovering from the Gilded Age and the abundance of corruption, the Progressive era Presidents had to satisfy American whose feelings toward government were bitter. In order to separate themselves from the past presidents, Roosevelt, Taft and Wilson enacted many reforms in the areas of economics, politics, and most importantly social interaction that produced more successes that out weighed the limitations present at the time. The reforms created by the Progressive Era changed America into a more regulated and fair business environment. Prior to the 1900’s, America was run by “robber barons” or wealthy capitalist that used the law to knock out competitions. Many big companies used laws such as the Sherman Anti- Trust Act to take down labor

During the progressive era in the late 19th century, many changes were made that have impacted humans’ still today. Such as new reforms that helped and improved the country’s health, safety, and happiness. Not only did the changes help society, it advanced the country to become well developed, strong, and indpendent. Because of Teddy Roosevelt, as president of America, the United States was able to grow exponetially in improving all aspects of life including; socially, politically, and economically.

During the Progressive Era from 1890-1920, America saw three new presidents: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson. This period of time is known as the Progressive Era due to the political and social changes made to move away from a laissez-faire government to a more active government by the administrations of these presidents. Prior to this period, Americans had to suffer through poor working conditions, low wages, social and class inequality and become victims to large corporations that took advantage of the people. In particular, the administrations of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson established the key principles and ideas of economic reform and social reform, which would end up returning the power from the manipulative corporations back to the government, establishing a model for a more active role for the federal government, and improve the lives of Americans. However, even though Roosevelt and Wilson had similar intentions of reforming America, they both had different means of achieving it.

Lincoln held firm to the idea that the United States’ defining quality was its uniquely democratic government. The Constitution was cherished by Lincoln, and it was for the preservation of this document that Lincoln was willing to carry out whatever task necessary. However, Lincoln’s interpretation of the Constitution legitimized the ownership of slaves, and he was not willing to sidestep the constitution unless it became absolutely necessary to do so (as a war measure). Only after the United States had been immutably split and hundreds of thousands of lives had been lost did Lincoln finally take decisive action.

Historians and scholars have often debated the success and failures of Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency since 1945. A number of scholars argue that he created jobs, boosted the economy, and helped America get back onto the road of becoming a great nation. On the other hand, it can be argued that his plans and ideas to create jobs only lasted for the short term and his acts created long-term problems. This paper will discuss Roosevelt’s life, his reforms, and both the positive or negative outcome those actions had on America. However, it must be stated, for the struggles America was going through, and the perseverance they held to triumph over their trials, was in part due to Roosevelt’s boundless leadership as president. Franklin Delano

The "Conservation Movement" was one of the change developments in America that emerge during the Progressive period from 1890 - 1920. Roosevelt was a pioneer in the "Conservation Movement" battling to end the misuse of natural resources and preservation was a foundation of his residential strategy during his administration. The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation. Conservation is a noteworthy issue far and wide with the effects that people have on regular environments through exercises from mining, constructing new urban communities and a global warming. There are numerous conservation gatherings and endeavors that hall for the protection of specific species (for instance, the polar bear, tigers, and rhino) while others

The end of the nineteenth century documented the beginning of significant change and reform within the United States during a time of rapid development. The time during the 1890’s to the 1920’s marked a period of political and social innovation in America, known as the Progressive era. Progressivism was compiled by many different responses to the economic and political issues produced by industrial expansion, immigration, and corruption within the government. During such time of tremendous growth, progressive leadership within the federal government was bound to implement new strategies regarding reoccurring problems such as racial equality, the role of women in society, and labor rights. The Presidents of the time impacted the people and the economy in more ways than one. Concepts in Theodore Roosevelt’s “Square Deal” and Woodrow Wilson’s “New Freedom,” both involved many acts of progressive reform. However, Theodore Roosevelt’s strong oversight in the Square Deal was his committed concentration on the protection of the people and the environment, which made Roosevelt’s domestic program more effective with concerns to all aspects of leading progressivism.