As president, Teddy wasted no time taking charge. Teddy, along with Taft and Wilson, viewed the presidency differently from previous and later presidents. They were progressives, as opposed to conservatives. A progressive president felt that he could do anything not specifically forbidden by the Constitution; a conservative felt they could do only what was called for in the Constitution. A conservative president, therefore, would see himself as very limited in what he could do. The progressive president would see himself as able to do almost anything. Teddy also believed in the "stewardship" theory. As the only nationally elected person responsible to all voters (he never counted the vice president in this or anything else for that matter) of the nation, he was the only person responsible to protect their interests as a nation. This is not merely a semantic exercise; this difference justified his energetic actions.
But most of his actions came from his active, energetic style. He simply had fun and loved being president. One of his cabinet members once said, " You must always remember that the President is about six [years old]." Always on the move, between cabinet meetings he would pillow fight with his boys, spar with heavy-weight champion John L. Sullivan, or go off hunting panthers in Colorado or bears in Mississippi. Reporters could always get a good story when Teddy was around.
He immediately began his "Square Deal" program protecting the people against the "criminal rich." He initiated a trust busting program that broke up the Northern Securities Company, and filed similar anti-trust suits again the beef, sugar, and coal industries. He also threatened to use troops to take over the nations coal mines to bring about a settlement between the mine owners and striking workers. He established the Department of Commerce and Labor and its Bureau of Corporations, and the Elkins Act strengthened the power of the Interstate Commerce Commission. He is also remembered for his conservation program, setting aside more than 150 million acres of land for national parks.
But it was in foreign policy where Teddy really had his fun. The US had just completed building a fleet of new, powerful battleships. Teddy ordered them painted white and wanted to send them on a good will tour around the world. This was part of Teddy's "Big Stick" policy; he wanted to show the world our awesome naval power. Congress, trying to assert its authority, refused to appropriate the extra funds needed for the tour. Teddy ordered the Great White Fleet, as it was called, from California to Hong Kong, using existing funding. He then told Congress they if they wanted their new, expensive ships back, they would have to appropriate more money to get them home. When they did, Teddy, as commander-in-chief, chose a route that covered the rest of the world, getting them home about two years after their initial departure.
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to John S. Cooper's American Presidents topic, please visit the Discussions page.