Was Theodore Roosevelt a great, average, or poor president in your judgment Explain. or - Assignment Example

Was Theodore Roosevelt a great, average, or poor president in your judgment? The tragic assassination of President McKinley marked the era under thepresidency of President Theodore Roosevelt; the 26th president of the United States. The term under President Roosevelt was that of progressive change. His energetic and robust personality allowed him to conquer the hearts and minds of the American people. The actions that made him one of the best American presidents are his economic reforms and his attempt to change the way Americans thought of the environment.

Economic Reforms: During the early 1900’s businesses had acquired a rapid growth rate. This led to a few large corporations establishing monopolies which meant these corporations were able to control entire industries. These corporations sold their merchandise at lower prices forcing small business owners into bankruptcy. In 1902, President Roosevelt instructed his attorney general to file a lawsuit against one such corporation; the Northern Securities. The government won the law suits which lead to the break-up of Northern Securities.

In his term President Roosevelt filed additional 45 lawsuits, in an attempt to break up the monopolies. Further, in 1903 the Bureau of Corporations was established. It was tasked to decide which corporations were ‘Good’ and which were ‘Bad’. President Roosevelt also worked to better the lives of workers by improving employee conditions. In 1902, some 140,000 coal mine workers went on strike. They were forced to live and work in inhuman conditions, in addition they were forced to live in company housing and shop at company stores.

The workers demanded 20 percent raise in their wages and a reduction from 10 hour shifts to 8 hour shifts. The workers and the companies had reached a stalemate, as neither workers nor companies were willing to make concessions. President Roosevelt was forced to intervene in order to resolve the crisis. He formed a commission and charged to resolve the crisis and threatened both companies and workers to accept the commission’s recommendations at risk of federal action. The matter was resolved; the workers received a 20 percent increase in wages and their shifts were reduced to 9 hours.

Conservation of Environment: President Roosevelt over his two terms repeatedly stressed on the importance of conservation. Americans believed that the earth’s natural resources were for use in industrial and agricultural applications only. President Roosevelt managed to change this train of thought. He led people to embrace conservation and led them to believe that animals and places had environmental value apart from their industrial worth. President Roosevelt organized the National Forest Service.

He set aside acres of land that were to be used for recreation and conservation purposes. President Roosevelt attempted to improve the lives of consumers, and was able to limit the power granted to corporations through his economic reforms. He managed to raise the living standards of the average American. He understood the need for conservation of the environment for future generations. President Roosevelt through his actions and his words was successfully able to change the hearts and minds of the American people, and these are the qualities that make him the greatest President in American history.

Works Cited: Freidal, Frank. Presidents of the United States of America. DIANE Publishing, 1994. Print. Rubenzer, Steven, Faschingbauer, Thomas. Personality, character, and leadership in the White House: Psychologists assess the presidents. Brassey’s, 2004. Print. Lansford, Tom. Theodore Roosevelt in perspective. Nova Publishers, 2005. Print. Kraft, Betsy. Theodore Roosevelt: champion of the American spirit. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2003. Print.