Why Is Theodore Roosevelt Considered The Progressive Era

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In the early 20th century our country went through a time that was considered the progressive era. Through out this era there were three presidents that tried to promote the ideas of this time. Of the three presidents Theodore Roosevelt was the most successful at promoting the progressive ideas and reforms of that time with the, Hepburn ACT, the making of national forest and parks, irrigation works, and reservoirs, and the Meat inspection ACT/Pure Food and drug ACT. During the Progressive era there was a high need for the railroads. At this time people and companies were using the railroad like it was a lifeline. People used the railroad to get around and go from place to place and to travel. Companies used the railroad to get their products …show more content…

The Hepburn Act was mostly made to strengthen the Elkins Act of 1903. The Elkins Act of 1903 was made to stop the railroads from making low shipping rates for big companies. The Act was unsuccessful because the railroads and big companies were able to undermine the act. That’s why Roosevelt passed the Hepburn Act. The Hepburn Act was made to give the Interstate Commence Commission the power to regulate the shipping rates of the railroads. While some senators opposed this and tried to fight to make the ICC (Interstate Commence Commission) powerless. Roosevelt was able to pass the bill by promoting Economic equality. He promoted the Economic equality by taking the issue straight to the people. He took the issue to the people because he wanted the people to have a say and not go to the rich senators and representatives who most likely wouldn’t even be effected by the passing of the Act or the veto of the act. This wasn’t the only thing that made Theodore Roosevelt the best progressive …show more content…

He was the first conservationist president to take office in the United States. He worked with the head of the Forestry Bureau Gifford Pinchot, and the head of Reclamation Service, Frederick Newell. Together they worked to revolutionize this area of the United States government. In the year of 1902 Theodore Roosevelt signed the Newlands Reclamation Bill, which used money from federal land sales to build reservoirs and irrigation works to promote agriculture in the arid West of America. When Theodore Roosevelt won reelection in 1904, he felt more empowered to make environmental changes to this domain. He moved the Forest Service from the Department of Interior to the Department of Agriculture with the help of Pinchot. When Forest Services moved into the Department of Agriculture with Pinchot as the head it gave Forest Services more power to acquire their goals of conservation While Theodore Roosevelt and Pinchot worked together they were able to reduce the role the local and state have in the management of natural resources. As President Roosevelt used his power to order the making of 150 new national forests, he also increased the amount of protected land from 42 million acres to 172 million acres. The president also created five national parks, eighteen national monuments, and 51 wildlife

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