Talk:Political positions of Theodore Roosevelt

Comments and Discussion

This is a good start and an admirable undertaking. That said, it is severely limited in scope and content. Roosevelt wrote over 30 books, countless articles, speeches, several hundred thousand letters and an estimated 8 MILLION words so this is hardly a definitive discussion and certainly needs to be expanded. So let's add more content and more quotes! Keith Simon (SimonATL (talk) 02:23, 27 January 2010 (UTC)), Roosevelt historian. SimonATL (talk) 02:23, 27 January 2010 (UTC)

Square Deal, incorrect dates?

This states that Roosevelt coined the term "square deal" only after he'd left the presidency, but the main TR article suggests it was coined during his campaign for his second term. Roosevelt's April 5, 1905 speech made in Dallas (http://www.theodore-roosevelt.com/images/research/speeches/trsquaredealspeech.pdf) defines "square deal" in a way that suggests it had already become part of the rhetoric surrounding his policies. I'm having trouble finding the first cited use of the phrase, so I don't want to edit this to say that it was the 1905 speech, but it was definitely not as late as 1910. Anyone have a good citation? 65.96.173.25 (talk) 17:04, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Notable Achievements and Recommendations

The book Theodore Roosevelt's Confession of Faith Before the Progressive National Convention[1] lists the following 33 past achievements and 8 recommendations from Roosevelt himself:

1 Extension of Forest Reserve

2 National Irrigation Act

3 Improvement of waterways and reservation of water power

4 Hepburn Rate Act

5 Employers Liability Act

6 Safety Appliance Act

7 Regulation of railroad employees hours of labor

8 Establishment of Department of Commerce and Labor

9 Pure Food and Drugs Act

10 Federal meat inspection

11 Inspection of packing houses

12 Navy nearly doubled in tonnage and greatly increased in efficiency

13 Battle ship fleet sent around the world

14 State militia brought into co ordination with army

15 Canal Zone acquired and work of excavation pushed with increased energy

16 Development of civil self government in insular possessions

17 Second intervention in Cuba Cuba restored to the Cubans

18 Finances of Santo Domingo straightened out

19 Alaska boundary dispute settled

20 Reorganization of the Consular Service

21 Settlement of the coal strike of 1902

22 The Government upheld in Northern Securities decision

23 Conviction of post office grafters and public land thieves

24 Directed investigation of the Sugar Trust custom frauds and the resultant prosecutions

25 Directed prosecution of railroads and other corporations for violation of Sherman Anti Trust Law (the Harriman, Tobacco, and Standard Oil suits)

26 Keeping the door of China open to American commerce

27 Bringing about the settlement of the Russo Japanese war by the Treaty of Portsmouth

28 Called a conference on the welfare of dependent children

29 Negotiating twenty four treaties of general arbitration

30 Reduction of interest bearing debt by more than 90 000 000

31 Paving the way for tariff revision

32 Inauguration of movement for conservation of natural resources

33 Inauguration of movement for improvement of conditions of country life

1 Reform of the financial system

2 Inheritance tax

3 Income tax

4 Passage of a new employers liability act to meet objections raised by the Supreme Court

5 Parcels post

6 Revision of the Sherman Anti Trust Act

7 Legislation to prevent over capitalization stock watering etc of common carriers

8 Legislation compelling incorporation under Federal laws of corporations engaged in interstate commerce Progressingamerica (talk) 23:36, 24 June 2020 (UTC)

Ideology

Who were the liberals with Woodrow Wilson, because Theodore Roosevelt aligned himself with part of the radical liberal movement.

Regarding radicalism and liberalism, Roosevelt wrote to a British friend in 1911:

"It is fundamentally the radical liberal with whom I am in sympathy. At least he is working toward the end for which I believe we should all strive; and when he adds sanity in moderation to courage and enthusiasm for high ideals, he becomes the type of statesman whom only I can wholeheartedly support."
Theodore Roosevelt

«Index R - Theodore Roosevelt Association». web.archive.org. 6 de diciembre de 2016. Consultado el 3 de mayo de 2024

Why his foreign policy is considered conservative, It didn’t affect his views, he was more a moderate radical liberal than a conservative.

…always believed that wise progressivism and wise conservatism go hand in hand

I doubt this phrase is real.

The book argues that Taft was a progressive conservative, but not Roosevelt.

Johnymin (talk) 23:16, 21 January 2025 (UTC)

Andrew Jackson had an aggressive foreign policy with the natives, and he is not considered conservative. Johnymin (talk) 23:18, 21 January 2025 (UTC)

who were the liberals with Wilson? William Jennings Bryan: Wilson's Secretary of State; Louis Brandeis A key adviser to Wilson; created Wilson's "New Freedom" platform; appointed by Wilson to the Supreme Court; Franklin D. Roosevelt--key leader of Navy in WWI, VP nominee in 1920; William Gibbs McAdoo his Secretary of the Treasury (and son in law); Newton D. Baker Secty of War; etc etc.. Rjensen (talk) 05:13, 22 January 2025 (UTC)

But Jennings Bryan was a radical or populist Johnymin (talk) 17:06, 22 January 2025 (UTC)

McAdoo was the son of a confederate Johnymin (talk) 17:10, 22 January 2025 (UTC)

Not opposing racial segregation was conservative Johnymin (talk) 17:11, 22 January 2025 (UTC)

Bradeis supported racial segregation Johnymin (talk) 17:15, 22 January 2025 (UTC)

McAdoo was of confederate origin Johnymin (talk) 17:18, 22 January 2025 (UTC)

Baker was of partially confederate origin Johnymin (talk) 17:20, 22 January 2025 (UTC)

McAdoo told reporter Oswald Garrison Villard that racial segregation was needed in the Treasury to prevent friction Johnymin (talk) 17:56, 22 January 2025 (UTC)

Gilbert became involved with socialist politics, that's in wikipedia Johnymin (talk) 18:17, 22 January 2025 (UTC)

Reliable sources consider them liberals--read Woodrow Wilson by John Milton Cooper (2009) for good coverage . Bryan was the Dem candidate for president twice after Populist Party was defunct and was leader in most liberal reforms. McAdoo was a baby during the Confederacy--his career was in New York business where his liberalism was conspicuous. Brandeis was the legal leader of liberalism for decades and famous for promoting what he insisted should be "political and civil equality irrespective of race, sex, or faith" As for racial segregation in early 20c, it was very widespread in all white groups right, center and left. Rjensen (talk) 18:22, 22 January 2025 (UTC)

A good study is The Party of Reform: Democrats in the Progressive Era (1989) by David Sarasohn. Here's part of a review by Eugene Tobin in Journal of American History (1990 p 335): "Sarasohn's Democrats are an issue-oriented party (tariff and child labor reform, trust regulation, federal income tax, direct election of senators) and an emerging national coalition (southerners, western Progressives, blue-collar ethnic voters, and liberal intellectuals), most of whom shared a grudging but genuine admiration for their titular leader, William Jennings Bryan. Indeed, it is the Commoner {Bryan] whose spirit, vision, and yes, political sagacity, pervades the narrative. " Anyone can read the Sarasohn book online here Rjensen (talk) 18:48, 22 January 2025 (UTC)

But Theodore Roosevelt was a liberal also, he believed in a progressive state, but limited, was the first president candidate to call for women suffrage, advocated for labor reforms, and protected the environment, and Wilson did not advocate for African Americans, he had various conservative positions beginning with that. Johnymin (talk) 21:21, 6 April 2025 (UTC)

But Jenning Bryan was a blue-collar advocate, or a populist, not a liberal. Johnymin (talk) 21:23, 6 April 2025 (UTC)

Social liberalism didn´t exist by that time Johnymin (talk) 21:23, 6 April 2025 (UTC)

I Would say that Teddy was a moderate radical or moderate progressive, but not a conservative, he didn´t use that label, that was used by authors in the 80sor 70s. Both Wilson and Roosevelt were liberal and conservative in different positions Johnymin (talk) 21:25, 6 April 2025 (UTC)

Some have criticized Brandeis for evading issues related to African-Americans, as he did not author a single opinion on any cases about race during his twenty-three year tenure, and he consistently voted with the Supreme Court majority including in support of racial segregation. That´s in wikipedia Johnymin (talk) 21:35, 6 April 2025 (UTC)

"political and civil equality irrespective of race, sex, or faith", where did you found that. Well he could say something but in the practice do the opposite or something different. Johnymin (talk) 21:37, 6 April 2025 (UTC)

But being a reformer doesn´t mean that you are a liberal, or were in reality. Bryan was something close to a populist, bimentalist, or even a radical, but not a liberal. Wilson and Bradeis could be liberals at some points, but had conservative positions on other issues. Johnymin (talk) 21:42, 6 April 2025 (UTC)

The usa wasn´t like the Uk were you had a conservative party and a liberal party. In the USA both parties were big tent, and until Wilson if you want, or the 20s, the GOP was in general more liberal than the Democratic Party Johnymin (talk) 21:44, 6 April 2025 (UTC)

Ideology

He was te first candidate that supported women's suffrage in 1912 elections, and also being nationalist doesn't mean conservatism. The Jeffersonians were nationalists. 2800:2331:5400:98:573B:FEC9:AE30:BCD5 (talk) 00:06, 22 January 2025 (UTC)