TEDDY ROOSEVELT'S FIRST TERM

 Upon the death of William McKinley by an assassin’s bullet in 1901, Theodore Roosevelt, referred to as “that damned cowboy” by Ohio Senator Mark Hanna, became President of the United States. Roosevelt saw the presidency very differently from his immediate predecessors. Roosevelt believe in presidential prerogative power, the ability to do anything not specifically prohibited by the Constitution or by any statue. Roosevelt changed the view of the presidency and in the process exercised leadership challenging Senate stalwarts but accomplishing significant results.

 

Theodore Roosevelt’s First Term

 

Roosevelt’s perception of the president was rejected by the powerful leaders in the Senate and it would not be until his 1904 electoral victory that the Congress supported the initiatives of his “Square Deal.” However, Roosevelt set the tone and some important reform legislation was passed.

 

Referring to the “bad trusts” and their operators as the “malefactors of great wealth,” Roosevelt instructed his Attorney General to use the 1890 Sherman Anti-Trust Act to break up the Northern Securities Company, a conglomerate that worked to restrict trade. In Northern Securities v. United States, the government prevailed, marking the first time the Sherman Act was effectively used to “tame” the trusts.

 

The Elkins Act of 1903 further strengthened railroad regulation by monitoring unfair discrimination and imposing fines. The Newlands Act of 1902 provided government assistance for western irrigation projects and in early 1903 the Nelson Amendment established the Department of Commerce and Labor as well as giving the president the right to publicize corporate wrong doing. Roosevelt used the opportunity to appoint Oscar Strauss as the first Jew to serve in a presidential Cabinet.

 

The Pennsylvania Coal Strike

 

In 1902 a strike by anthracite coal miners threatened to cripple the nation. Led by John Mitchell, strikers refused to negotiate, demanding a 9 hour workday and a 10% increase in wages. Public sentiment supported the workers at a time newspapers were highlighting atrocious working conditions throughout many American industries, most notably the rampant use of child labor.

 

Senator Mark Hanna’s offer to mediate the strike was rejected. Senator Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts wrote the president stating that the lack of coal shipped to New England in the face of winter was creating serious concerns. He also reminded Roosevelt that the mid-term elections were rapidly approaching.

 

Roosevelt summoned Mitchell, the mine owners, and J. P. Morgan to the White House where he mediated an end to the strike. Out of the negations came a commission that would hold hearings on labor disputes with liberal attorney Clarence Darrow representing the rights of workers. Roosevelt’s mediation illustrated his view of the presidency as a type of stewardship.

 

Foreign Affairs

 

Although risking a serious confrontation with Imperial Germany in 1902 over Venezuela’s debt default, the nation remained at peace. In 1903, Roosevelt began efforts to build a Central American canal, fulfilling part of Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan’s blueprint for U.S. world power in his book, The Influence of Sea Power on History.

 

When the Colombian Senate rejected an American offer to build the canal in Panama for $10 million with an annual contribution of $250,000, Roosevelt supported a coup in Panama, led by Philippe Varilla. U.S. warships blocked Colombian naval vessels as the Republic of Panama was established and immediately recognized by the U.S. It was part of Roosevelt’s “big stick” mentality.

 

Teddy Roosevelt’s first administration represented significant achievements and forever changed the role of the President. Americans loved Roosevelt, chuckled at his antics, and supported his efforts to earn respect throughout the world.

 

Sources:

 

H. W. Brands, T.R. The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997).

Edmund Morris, Theodore Rex (Random House, 2001).

James Ford Rhodes, The McKinley and Roosevelt Administrations 1897-1909 (The Macmillan Company, 1922).

Page Smith, America Enters the War: A People’s History of the Progressive Era and World War I  Vol. 7, (McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1985).