Presidential Politics of Progressivism The Election of 1912

The Election of and the Presidential Politics of Progressivism 2

The Election of 1912 and the Presidential Politics of Progressivism

According to Woodrow Wilson’s “The New Freedom” (1912) excerpt, Wilson carried out a national presidential campaign as a progressive democrat. He claimed that aggressive and new government policies had to be implemented for economic situations to change. He then termed his political platform “the New Freedom”– to preserve traditional American liberties. Wilson also promised to adopt the government’s power on behalf of social justice for every American (Locke & Wright, 2019). Accordingly, to realize human freedom, there have to be adjustments in human energies, interests, and activities, just like various machine parts adjust to one another to move freely.

On the other hand, in his speech in 1910 at Kansas, Roosevelt made a case for “the New Nationalism.” The central theme he mentioned was protecting property and human welfare by the government. However, he also claimed that human interest was more critical than property rights. According to him, economic regulation and equal justice could only be delivered by a powerful federal government.

Also, only when the president assumes the protection of human welfare as the highest priority he would be able to make his economic plan successfully (Locke & Wright, 2019). According to Roosevelt, industrial concentration was a prominent part of the economy, and only the executive agents ought to regulate businesses. Finally, the federal government should protect children, women, and laboring men from exploitation.

The authors of the American Yawp were Joseph L. Locke, who was the assistant professor of history at the University of Houston-Victoria, together with Ben Wright, who was also an associate professor of historical studies at the University of Texas at Dallas.

The American Yawp discusses American history long after and long before the Whiteman. It also discusses conflict inherent and dynamism in the United State’s history while considering usual threads that assist in making sense of the past. The American Yawp also considers transnational ideas minus losing sight of power and politics. It also restores the narrative of resistance, integrates dynamic voices, and explores the process of cultural creation.

The chapter looks like a work in progress, with this chapter appearing unfinished. However, there are also some fantastic sections within the chapters (Locke & Wright, 2019). Notably, there are also some apparent omissions within the chapter; for instance, there is a discussion on black men versus white women’s rights; however, it fails to look into gender and race concerning white men.

Moreover, even though the chapter provides more coverage of the progressive era, it looks like a rough draft. The poor organization starts from a lack of clear connections among the events described. Further, there is an inaccurate description of the black men and selective service, like the argument that women willingly participated in the war. Again, this chapter has focused on damn thing after the other without a specific organizing principle.