When he wasn’t running around Europe or big-game hunting in Africa, Theodore Roosevelt took his jobs in politics very seriously. He had a strong moral conscience and was always very enthusiastic. A Republican, he made himself known as a reformer early on in his career. After serving as President from 1901 to 1909, Roosevelt helped his ally William Taft secure the position. However, their opposing ideas on the Progressive Movement and loyalties led them to run against each other in the election of 1912 (SparkNotes Editors). Roosevelt had a very distinct political style. He was very unpredictable and single-minded. He was a fan of the Progressive Movement going on at the time and was known for improving the way things were run, not only in the …show more content…
Debates were heated as Roosevelt and Taft were both aiming to be the Republicans’ nominee. The two candidates had become definite enemies, verbally attacking each other. Roosevelt called Taft disloyal and a fraud. Taft retaliated by calling the former president unethical and egotistical. When Taft was chosen as the Republican candidate, Roosevelt and his supporters left and promptly started the Progressive Party. Of course, Roosevelt was their candidate for President. Although both had given the election their all, neither won the presidency without the full support of the Republican Party (SparkNotes Editors). Presidents Roosevelt and Taft had very different perspectives on how to run a government. They had started out as friends and allies, but Taft’s ideas had drifted from Roosevelt’s own Progressive stance to serve the people. Their personal differences had driven a wedge in their Party and allowed neither to serve as president after the 1912 election. Perhaps, had someone found a way to bridge the two opposing viewpoints, Republicans would have stayed in control of the presidency and made more impacts on the