Pros And Cons Of Theodore Roosevelt

When most people think of great U.S. presidents the first to come to mind is usually Theodore Roosevelt. He was remembered as knowledgeable, honest, strict, and unwavering in his policies. Most important in the minds of most people is the time when Roosevelt divided substantial monopolies into minor separate companies. Unfortunately, not everything that Roosevelt achieved reached its goal. The opposite can be said of Woodrow Wilson who has been seen as one of the worst presidents, especially by people like Ben Shapiro. Alas, like Roosevelt not everything that is remembered is truly accurate and even some of the supposedly worst presidents can still have wonderful policies and achievements despite their shortcomings. Thus, looking back at the

Roosevelt believed that the government had a responsibility to protect the welfare of its citizens, and he pushed for several important reforms during his time in office. Trust-busting, antitrust laws, the Meat Inspection and Pure Food and Drug Act, establishing national parks and forests, and the Regulation of railroads were some of the progressive reforms Roosevelt enforced. For example, in support of the creation of the Food and Drug Administration, the FDA helped to improve the safety and quality of the nation's food supply. Also, Theodore’s support of the creation of the National Park Service helped to preserve the nation's wilderness areas and natural resources. The second major pro of Roosevelt's presidency was his aggressive foreign policy. Roosevelt believed that the United States needed to assert itself on the world stage and he worked to expand the country's influence abroad. For example, he helped to negotiate the end of the Russo-Japanese War, which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906. He also oversaw the construction of the Panama Canal, which greatly improved the nation's ability to trade with Asia and

He is remembered for his progressive reforms and his leadership during World War I. However, as mentioned before, Wilson's legacy is not without controversy and debate. First, to examine the bright side of Wilson’s leadership it is necessary to remember his leadership during WW1 because regardless of Wilson’s reasons for getting into an unsettling bloody world war, his involvement won the allies the war. Wilson also passed the nineteenth amendment which gave women the right to vote, and he passed laws that prohibited child labor and that mandated an eight-hour workday for railroad workers. Gloomily there were some Negative aspects to Wilson’s Presidency. The first was the League of Nations which Wilson helped found but never got passed through Congress which severely hurt his reputation. Secondly, Wilson had no care for the German and Austrian economies for the future after the war, and when he came back to the States with a broken reputation and no peaceful solution to a future world war. Thirdly and most profoundly was racism which Wilson supported by segregation and the rollback of African American civil rights. He also presided over the re-segregation of the federal government and appointed segregationists to key government positions. Worst of all was Wilson’s own words on the subject during a conference with civil-rights leaders in 1914,