Theodore Roosevelt: The Success Of The Progressive Movement

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“A steam engine in trousers,” a contemporary once called him. The first president to ride in an automobile, fly in an airplane, and even be submerged in a submarine. Who was this man? His name was Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States of America. After the assassination of the 25th president, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, his vice president, rose to power to make many great achievements. One of those achievements was making the Progressive movement as successful as it was. There is no doubt that if Theodore Roosevelt had never been the president, then the Progressive Movement would not have been as successful. Theodore Roosevelt’s role as president impacted the success of the movement because it allowed him to …show more content…
Committed to establishing American control in the Western Hemisphere and opening new trade routes to Asia, Roosevelt oversaw the building of the Panama Canal and the addition of the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. By establishing the US as a major world power, other countries were less likely to interfere or challenge the United States. As that was the case, the Progressives did not have to worry about foreign issues and could concentrate on furthering their movement. Also, by making the US a world power, it made the federal government stronger, meaning that Roosevelt could now help the Progressive movement advance even more. So, if Roosevelt never ended up as president, he would have never made the United States a world power, and without that power the Progressives would not have gotten that far in their …show more content…
In his time as president, Roosevelt had done many things to help achieve the progressive goals, such as addressing the issue of corporate trusts, improving the conditions of labor and the environment, and making the US a major world power. Without him in that position of power, the Progressive movement definitely would not have been as successful. His success in office was so immense that it even made him a role model to his cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt. Inspired by his cousin’s example, Theodore Roosevelt influenced Franklin D. Roosevelt in many of his actions as president, such as the launch of the New Deal reform program and his response to the threat from Nazi Germany. If Theodore Roosevelt had never became president, America would not be the way it is

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