Progressive Presidents Essays Example

The end of the 19th Century as well as the early years of the 20th Century saw the rise of the progressive era in the United States of America. The progressive era was mainly characterized by the need for change in different sectors of the American way of life. There was the need to change the education system, reduce monopolies through the formation of the anti-trust laws as well as the general reduction in corruption among many other activities. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William Taft and Woodrow Wilson were seen as the main campaigners of the progressive era.
Theodore Roosevelt enacted different pieces of legislation during his time in office. He is remembered for the environmental acts that saw the formation of national parks and reserves. He also oversaw the creation of dams used for irrigation purposes (Richards 25). He also called for the ‘Square Deal’ between the laborers, the consumers as well as the business owners.
President William Taft is remembered for continuing the progressive ideas of President Roosevelt such as the busting of 90 trusts during his tenure. The trust-busting exercise ensured that the power of the competition was restored and that the activities of different business corporations were regulated and checked. President Wilson term is differentiated by the signing of the Clayton Anti-Trust Act (Richards 56). He also formed the Federal Trade Commission that was responsible of investigations on claims related to violations of the trade rules set aside by the federal government.
These acts are significant in that the three presidents were keen on reducing the cases of monopolies and ensured that the competition within the different markets was restored. The financial freedom brought about by the different acts gave the people freedom to exercise their different financial skills.
Roosevelt also brought about new rules for food and drug inspection. The inspection ensured that the people received quality food that was well inspected. Roosevelt saw that the people of America needed to change their ways of living so as to appear as different improved Americans. Taft was keen on busting trusts while Woodrow was interested in forming better banking systems to enable financial stability in the country.