Compare and contrast the domestic policy approaches of Theodore Roosev

Compare and contrast the domestic policy approaches of Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson. How did all three presidents act towards issues that were important to the progressive movement?

Answer:

ANSWER
An ideal answer will:
1. Discuss how each president approached trusts. Roosevelt earned the nickname “trustbuster” after his Justice Department successfully went after the creation of the Northern Securities Company Limited, through an enforcement of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890. Roosevelt also sought and secured a Department of Commerce with investigative authority, a ban on secret deals between railroads and other companies and funds for the Department of Justice to expedite anti-trust cases. Taft was the true “trustbuster” as he brought more suits in his term in office than Roosevelt and was responsible for the break-up of Standard Oil. Wilson allowed his Attorney General to go after the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, United States Steel, and the New Haven Railroad. The Clayton Anti-Trust Act of 1914 outlawed interlocking directorates (same people on boards of competing companies) and defined unfair trade practices and further exempted labor unions and farmers from the definition of a combination in restraint of trade. Separate legislation also created the Federal Trade Commission that provided regulatory oversight of business activity.
2. Discuss how each president approached conservation. Roosevelt set aside millions of acres for protection in the U.S. forest service and he appointed Gifford Pinchot, a staunch conservationist, to head the Forest Service. Roosevelt also set aside thousands of acres to create new national monuments and, eventually, parks, such as Muir Woods, Grand Canyon, Natural Bridges, and Pinnacle in California. He also approved 21 new forest reserves before signing a bill that no new forests would be created. Taft replaced the Secretary of the Interior with someone who was not a staunch conservationist and eventually fired Pinchot from the Forest Service. Wilson called for conservation efforts and pushed for the National Park Service.
3. Discuss how presidents approached racial issues. Roosevelt met with Booker T. Washington at the White House (first African-American invited to a dinner at White House) and spoke out against lynching in a speech (which is more than his predecessors), but he also undertook no major actions. Wilson welcomed black voter support, but he allowed the federal government to install segregation practices at post offices, Treasury, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in offices, restrooms, and lunch areas. Wilson also endorsed the film Birth of a Nation, which glorified the Ku Klux Klan. Although Wilson met with some black leaders, he got into heated exchanges with William Trotter and did little to advance the cause of black Americans.
4. Discuss how the presidents dealt with the economy outside of trusts. Taft ignored the wishes of the progressive wing of the party and allowed for a tariff increase and vetoed tariff reductions on products such as steel, wool, cotton, and iron. Taft also advocated for an 8-hour workday for federal employees and supported the Sixteenth Amendment (income tax). Wilson created the Federal Reserve System for banking in America, signed the Underwood-Simmons tariff that reduced the rate to 10 percent across the board (lower on other goods) and included an income tax on those who made more than $4,000 a year.
5. Write a concise and effective conclusion that compares and contrasts the domestic initiatives of Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson, with an eye on progressive measures.