Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson were considered the Progressive Presidents. Roosevelt was placed into office after the assassination of McKinley in 1901, Taft was elected in 1908, and Wilson was elected in 1912. Wilson was only the second Democratic president to be elected in 50 years. Roosevelt was young, energetic, and a bit impulsive; this was in sharp contrast to the easy going, stand back approach of Taft. Wilson was very intelligent and gave much thought and consideration to each step he made. Roosevelt and Wilson tackled their primary concerns head on. Each president passed some very important pieces of legislation during their presidencies. Many of which still affect us today. Roosevelt’s ideas became …show more content…
He also helped to pass the Elkins Act and the Hepburn Act that strengthened the Interstate Commerce Commission that regulated the railroad companies. During that time, Congress also passed the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act. These two pieces of legislation allowed a “federal agency to police the quality and labeling of food and drugs”1. Roosevelt was also concerned with the environment and conservation. He convinced Congress to pass the Newlands Act of 1902 that ultimately led to the construction of many dams in the Arizona dessert. Along with these things he also dedicated millions of acres of forests as federal reserves. Taft did not always agree with Roosevelt’s progressive policies. Taft tended to fall on the more conservative side. He supported the sixteenth amendment that implemented the graduated income tax. The beginning of the struggle for control of the Republican Party began when Taft signed the Payne-Aldrich Tariff of 1909 that lowered taxes on imported goods. Taft was also a conservationist and also helped preserve many natural resources. There was a lot of outcry in the Republican Party after Taft fired