Progressivism, the desire to “rid politics of corruption, tame the power of the “trusts”, and in the process, inject more liberty into American life.” (Murrin, 704) There were many issues that Progressives fought against. Some of these included drinking, prostitution, gambling, corruption, and other forms of immoral behavior. Two notable Presidents during the emergence of this movement are Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, each having their own set of politics, philosophies, and programs. Professor Wilson emerged as the victor against the war hero, President Roosevelt, in the election of 1912, but as we will examine, President Roosevelt had an ever-lasting impact on the way Woodrow Wilson’s Presidency would shape up. There were some stark …show more content…
He was famous for his bravado, and his personality caused him to develop an “uncommon” affection for the people (Murrin, 729). He was a big game hunter, and was apparently once shot during a speech but kept going on, regardless. Roosevelt, one that was not unfamiliar with hardship, growing up nearsighted, sickly, and asthmatic, grew up to be a “voracious” reader and accomplished writer that craved high-risk adventure (Murrin, 729). Roosevelt was notable by the fact that he was the one who led the charge as commander into the Spanish-American …show more content…
Although progressives as a whole did not organize to promote equal rights, there were some things done by individuals in order to do so. For example, during President Roosevelt’s time as Governor of New York, he ended school segregation. He also invited Booker T. Washington, a black civil rights activist, to the White House (Murrin, 731). He even appointed some progressive judges in the South, but eventually, lacked the political will to have meaningful change when faced with blowback and resistance. However, the same cannot be said for President Wilson, who supported efforts by white southerners in his cabinet to segregate their governmental departments. He also ignored please from the NAACP to involve federal government in a campaign against lynching (Murrin,