Robert La Follette
Robert La Follette once said, “‘Men must be aggressive for what is right if government is to be saved from men who are aggressive for what is wrong.’” Robert La Follette didn’t just say these words of wisdom, he lived them out. La Follette spent much of his life fighting for what he believed in, especially in politics. He used his position in society to shed light on many pressing issues. He fought for conservation, lower tariffs, and better conditions for American sailors, among many others. La Follette should be remembered for his childhood, education, political career, and role in uncovering the Teapot Dome Scandal. (Legacy??) Robert La Follette’s childhood had a great impact on the rest of his life. In 1858, at only …show more content…
During his campaign, La Follette delivered 208 speeches in 61 different countries, sometimes 10 or 15 per day. His main focus was on “promoting the direct primary as a means of democratizing the policy making process” (Honeywell) but also endlessly bashed the railroads, machine politics, and other powerful interests. The Milwaukee Journal, which was a Democratic paper, rarely supported his campaigns, but still respected his enthusiasm. In an article about one of La Follette’s county fair speeches, a correspondent for the paper observed: “Disgust, hope, honor, avarice, despair, love, anger, all the passions of man, he paints in strong words and still stronger gestures” (qtd. in Honeywell). La Follette went on to win the office for governor in 1902 and 1904. He “left the governorship in 1906 to take the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Stalwart Joseph Quarles” (Honeywell). Not long after, he began leaving his mark in the Senate (Honeywell). There, he “advocated strict railroad regulation, lower tariffs, conservation, and better conditions for American sailors” (Thelen). He opposed the idea of the U.S. entering World War I or joining the League of Nations (Honeywell). La Follette fought for his progressive beliefs and promoted progressivism with the help of William Allen White, Ray Stannard Baker, and Lincoln Steffens, who were all muckraking journalists. Progressivism was becoming “a national movement” (Honeywell). In 1909, La Follette put into motion what was to “become the mouthpiece of progressivism - La Follette's Magazine” (Honeywell). Fifteen years later, La Follette broke away from the Republican party when “Calvin Coolidge was nominated for president”
Robert La Follette once said, “‘Men must be aggressive for what is right if government is to be saved from men who are aggressive for what is wrong.’” Robert La Follette didn’t just say these words of wisdom, he lived them out. La Follette spent much of his life fighting for what he believed in, especially in politics. He used his position in society to shed light on many pressing issues. He fought for conservation, lower tariffs, and better conditions for American sailors, among many others. La Follette should be remembered for his childhood, education, political career, and role in uncovering the Teapot Dome Scandal. (Legacy??) Robert La Follette’s childhood had a great impact on the rest of his life. In 1858, at only …show more content…
During his campaign, La Follette delivered 208 speeches in 61 different countries, sometimes 10 or 15 per day. His main focus was on “promoting the direct primary as a means of democratizing the policy making process” (Honeywell) but also endlessly bashed the railroads, machine politics, and other powerful interests. The Milwaukee Journal, which was a Democratic paper, rarely supported his campaigns, but still respected his enthusiasm. In an article about one of La Follette’s county fair speeches, a correspondent for the paper observed: “Disgust, hope, honor, avarice, despair, love, anger, all the passions of man, he paints in strong words and still stronger gestures” (qtd. in Honeywell). La Follette went on to win the office for governor in 1902 and 1904. He “left the governorship in 1906 to take the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Stalwart Joseph Quarles” (Honeywell). Not long after, he began leaving his mark in the Senate (Honeywell). There, he “advocated strict railroad regulation, lower tariffs, conservation, and better conditions for American sailors” (Thelen). He opposed the idea of the U.S. entering World War I or joining the League of Nations (Honeywell). La Follette fought for his progressive beliefs and promoted progressivism with the help of William Allen White, Ray Stannard Baker, and Lincoln Steffens, who were all muckraking journalists. Progressivism was becoming “a national movement” (Honeywell). In 1909, La Follette put into motion what was to “become the mouthpiece of progressivism - La Follette's Magazine” (Honeywell). Fifteen years later, La Follette broke away from the Republican party when “Calvin Coolidge was nominated for president”