Comparing and Contrasting Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt's Progressivism (Essay Sample)

Author’s Name:
Instructor’s Name:
Institutional Affiliation:
Course Details:
Date of Submission:
Comparing and Contrasting Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt’s Progressivism
Introduction
Theodore Roosevelt formed the Progressive party after he was overlooked for the presidential spot in the Republican Party. Some of the objectives of the progressive party included fulfilling the expectations of the women’s suffrage movement, ensuring the direct election of state senators, implementing various social reforms and enacting the reduction of tariffs. The Progressive party was also deeply interested in the preservation of the nation’s natural resources. Even though policies such as the formation of a nationalized health care system brought a lot of support for the party, its aim to allow monopolies to function under definite regulations went against public opinion.
Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson’s different versions of Progressivism
Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt were both affiliated with the Progressive party, but had different views about fulfilling its main objectives. Woodrow Wilson's progressivism, under the ‘New Freedom’ theme, sought to do away with all trusts in order to advance economic competition. Wilson also believed that the federal government did not need to regulate businesses. According to him, this was a power that fell under the jurisdiction of state governments.
In his ‘New Freedom’ speeches which he made in 1912, Wilson stated that progressivism stipulated that the nation’s laws had to keep up with the constant economic shifts being experienced in the country (Wilson, 1913). Wilson was in support of the ‘modern idea’ of changing carefully to accommodate new reforms in various public sectors. This version of Wilson's progressivism challenged the structure of the American Constitution itself. Wilson perceived the Constitution as being ‘mechanical’ in an era in which American citizens had more wealth and opportunities than were available in the time of the Founding Fathers (Wertheim, 2011).
Conversely, Theodore Roosevelt's version of Progressivism, known as ‘New Nationalism’, supported the call for more empowerment of the position of the President (Roosevelt, 2011). Roosevelt also believed that the federal government should also be given additional powers so that it could successfully check the abuse of power in corporate circles. The central issue, according to Roosevelt, was to ensure that the government was enabled to be the main protector of property rights as well as human welfare. In regards to the issue of monopolies, Roosevelt felt that if industries respected the existing regulations, they would actually benefit the nation. He did not feel that the courts should be allowed to regulate business, but that executive agencies were more likely to undertake that responsibility efficiently. The ‘New Nationalism’ was also supportive of the enactment of minimum wage regulations for women and child labor laws. Roosevelt’s ‘New Nationalism’ and Wilson’s ‘New Freedom’ mainly differed in the use of the powers of federal governmental power. While Wilson was against using federal power, Roosevelt was for it.
Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson’s Presidential; Performances
Theodore Roosevelt accomplished many things in office. For instance, apart from assisting with the construction of the Panama Canal, he also fortified the Monroe Doctrine which addresses the involvement of America in foreign matters. In regards to his ‘New Nationalism’ version of progressivism, Roosevelt was able to increase the powers of the President, while also implementing a two-pronged strategy of regulatory control and antitrust prosecutions in order to give the government more power over the national economy. In a new legislation, he empowered the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to determine railroad rates. He was also able to realize conservation objectives. During his tenure, Roosevelt created 5 National Parks, 150 National Forests, 4 National Game Preserves, 18 National Monuments, 51 Federal Bird Reservations, and 21 Reclamation Projects (Roosevelt, 2011).
Woodrow Wilson’s ‘New Freedom’ progressivism was aimed at crafting practical government responses to economic and social concerns of the day. During his presidency, Woodrow Wilson fulfilled this progressive agenda. In regards to tariff reform, he pushed for the the Underwood-Simmons Act, which then resulted in the most noteworthy reductions in rates in the past four decades. In the Federal Reserve Act which was ratified in 1913, twelve regional reserve banks were established (Wilson, 1913). These institutions would be controlled by a new fe...