The Progressive Movement Of 1901 To 1971 Was A Triumph Of Conservatism

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“The Progressive movement of 1901 to 1971 was a triumph of conservatism rather than a victory for liberalism,” is a false statement implying that the Progressive movement was not liberal win when it very much was. The progressive movement allowed for all types of government reforms and policies that are all very liberal in a sense. With the Progressives, the laissez-faire government that allowed for many businesses to run free will no longer exist and regulations of all kinds of business will be put into place. The three presidents to reside in the White House during this era, Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft, and Woodrow Wilson, all shared at least one point of view with liberals. The progressive era is the era of the liberals. There …show more content…

Theodore Roosevelt was first affiliated with the Republican party but in some areas was clearly progressive or Democratic. Roosevelt’s platform, the Square Deal, promised government intervention to those who needed it and he sought through to it. He was the first president to take the side of the labor worker during a dispute between employee and employer. Roosevelt also became known as a trustbuster even though the amount of trust he busted paled in comparison to the amount Woodrow Wilson busted. The FDA was also created during Roosevelt’s presidency as the first regulation of the food industry in U.S. history. After Roosevelt’s two terms, William H. Taft came as his successor. Roosevelt had put his trust into Taft that he would carry on with all the policies Roosevelt had yet been able to put into action before his time was up, but Taft had done exactly the opposite. Taft reversed many of Roosevelt’s policies which could be called a battle won on the conservatives end, but soon after Taft began to try and lower tariffs. Taft ended up splitting the Republican party up which helped the Democratic party greatly in the election of 1912 when Woodrow Wilson won the presidency. Wilson was a great asset to the progressive cause, fighting against the four privileges: wealth, banks, tariffs, and trusts. Wilson took down trust left and right and passed the Underwood Tariff which lowered taxes for the first time since the Civil War. He helped pass the 19th amendment which allowed for women to vote and created the FCC, federal trade commission, and the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914. All three of these presidents help immensely with the Progressive