Who Was the Better Progressive Theodore Roosevelt or Woodrow Wilson?

Progressivism

Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson on Progressivism and Reform in 20th century America

As the United States entered the 20th century, American society had witnessed significant changes in the implementation of regulations and reforms in the business and government sectors. Legislation regulating business companies and corporations' activities have been formulated and implemented in the period more popularly known as the period of progressivism. Progressivism is a program introduced by the government which sanctions and attempts to formulate solutions that aim to prevent the detrimental effects of urbanization and industrialization in American society. During this period, two American presidents became known for their active participation in inducing progressivism and reform in the country: Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the reforms imposed by Roosevelt and Wilson during the period of progressivism. This paper argues that between Roosevelt and Wilson, it is the former which have produced significant reforms that affected American society more than Wilson's policies and regulations imposed upon the business sector. This is because of the focus that Roosevelt had given not only to the business sector, but to health and environment sectors as well, areas that needed more attention because of their fast deterioration upon the onset of industrialization in the country.

Theodore Roosevelt, who became the U.S. president as it entered the 20th century, introduced stringent measures on businesses in the country by proposing reforms in the area of business, health and food, and environment sectors. In the business sector, Roosevelt was known for his active participation in implementing regulations and sanctions that limit the rates of fees imposed by railroad companies by the consumers. These high fees were the result of corruption, where railroad companies often bribe political officials in order to allow them to charge railroad fees to the people at exorbitant rates. What made Roosevelt take action against this practice was not only because the companies charged more than what people can actually afford, but also the deterioration of services as fees were circulated only from the companies, converted later to become bribe money. Thus, the Hepburn Act of 2906 was imposed to regulate the charges set by railroad companies, giving the government control over corruption and deterioration of infrastructure servicing for the civil society.

Apart from regulating companies and businesses, Roosevelt had also proposed to conduct an investigation that looks into the unsanitary conditions used in processing food products. This posed danger to the health of the consumers, which becomes inevitable when food products are produced and packaged under unsanitary conditions and with lack of quality control inspections. Because of the incident, the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed, a legislation that imposes quality control inspections that prevent the production and distribution of unsafe food products. Lastly, Roosevelt was also a staunch supporter of environmental conservation, which involves the reclamation of lands by the government to protect them from environmental exploitation. This is a complex issue that directly deals with the adverse effects of industrialization, and the Reclamation Act of 1902 helped support American society and the government to preserve these lands.

Also a president under the Progressivism period, Woodrow Wilson helped promote reforms concerning industrialization and urbanization between the years 1910-1920, which focused on the formulation of legislation that curbs the excessive charges that companies impose upon customers as a result of traditions of bribery and corruption between the business and government sectors. Under his term, Wilson imposed the lowering of tariff rates on imported goods in order to lower the prices of these products when they enter the domestic market. He also made sure that a stable banking system be maintained in the country through the creation or establishment of Federal Reserve System in 1914, which regulates all banks in the country, issues the national currency, and formulates monetary policy/ies. Lastly, the president also became a strong supporter of anti-trust laws, which is the government's response to the rampant abuse of the business sector, particularly the monopoly companies, to the country's domestic market and American consumers. Through these anti-trust laws, Wilson ensured that no one company can gain control or power over a particular industry or business in the country.