Chapter 9: Theodore Roosevelt: The Conservative as Progressive
Theodore Roosevelt believed in heroes. During his time, politics were frowned upon because the rich ran the government corruptly. Roosevelt was determined to join politics to fight the corruption. An ardent fighter, Roosevelt was aggressive. He loved being around aggressive people; furthermore, he loved wars, having been a hero in the Spanish-American War. In politics, though, Roosevelt believed in fair treatment for all. He was especially against terrible labor conditions. As a New York governor, Roosevelt worked hard for the rights of laborers.
When Roosevelt became president in 1901, he continued to strive for the rights of laborers. He was not purposefully bashing the wealthy; he only wanted to ensure happiness for as many people as possible. Roosevelt continued to have very strong progressive values until the progressive movement became unstable.
Even though joining political groups was frowned upon,
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His motives had positive intentions, believing in capitalism and individualism. Hoover supported capitalism and individualism during the roaring twenties. Unfortunately, the Great Depression happened when Hoover was president; accordingly, Hoover received negative criticism for not dealing with it in a helpful way. However, Hoover should have realized that the Great Depression had started in North America. If he had accepted that the Great Depression was caused in the United States, he probably would have been able to help ease the Depression significantly more than he did; consequently, he would have received a much more positive opinion from the public. Hoover should not have claimed that the government was not responsible for giving relief to the poor. If the government did not grant relief, then the government would not have granted the poor the pursuit of happiness, one of the principles stated in the United States