Square Deal - The Domestic Policy of Theodore Roosevelt

Introduction

The Square Deal was President Theodore Roosevelt's domestic policy primarily aimed at reducing inequality among the citizens of the United States. Although Roosevelt was the Vice President to the late President William McKinleyhe did not share most of the president's pro-business and conservative policies. Instead, when he took over as president in September 1901, he primarily focused on aggressive political reforms that included strict regulation of businesses. Through the Sherman Antitrust Act, Roosevelt trained his guns against business monopolies and profoundly restricted their operations. His transformations extended to environmental, economic, and global affairs (Kelley & Cronkite, 2004). He was committed to serving everyone, particularly the neglected poor, and this was the essence of the Square Deal. The Square Deal was anchored on three C: corporations and labor control, conservation of natural resources, and consumer protection.

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Corporations and Labor Relations Control

Roosevelt did not approve of the idea that the American public service was dominated by monopolies that prevented the free flow of pricing mechanism. He thought that it was imperative for the government to employ its resources towards helping achieve social justice and economic freedom. His primary focus was to address the corporate and labor problems that were on the rise at the turn of the century. Contrary to what his predecessors did, the president unequivocally defended the right of labor movements to organize. He forbade the use of federal troops to curtail labor strikes. At some point, he led in arbitrating for the rights of workers. For instance, during the United Mine Workers Strike of 1902, the president succeeded in mediating for a binding agreement between the laborers and the management. As a result, the miners received an increase in their wages and a reduced workday.

Roosevelt also curtailed the enormous powers wielded by mega-corporations by breaking up their dominations and monopolies. In a rare case filed by his administration, a railroad holding firm, the Northern Securities Company was sued by the government attorneys for breaching the terms of the Sherman Antitrust Act (Roosevelt, Blum, Rice, & Wigglesworth, 2004). Apparently, since its inception in 1890, the Act had not been used against monopolies before. After successfully executing and winning the case, the government significantly relied on the Act to regulate corporations (Britton, 2010). Subsequently, the Northern Securities Company was ordered to be dissolved by the Supreme Court in 1904. This was followed by a series of suits touching on antitrust activities. Out of the numerous cases filed, 43 of them were made by Roosevelt's administration. After his 1904 re-election, Roosevelt continued with sporadic trust-bursting bursts in pursuit of regulations that were more permanent. In the year 1906, he fruitfully negotiated the Hepburn Act passage (Thayer, 2007). This Act gave powers to the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to inspect the financial records of railroads and set their maximum rates. ICC was previously a weak body. The ICC and the Sherman Antitrust Act were crucial elements in Roosevelt's Square Deal. They were principally considered to be pro-business.

Protecting Consumers

Both the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act were passed in 1906 in response to an expose by muckrakers of food plant's unsanitary conditions and the presence of dangerous ingredients in medicine and foods. Roosevelt endorsed the passage of these significant acts. The Pure Food and Drug Act put a stop to selling inaccurately labeled and adulterated drugs and foods while the Meat Inspection Act provided the framework of an inspection system by federal regulators for meatpackers (Thayer, 2007).

Conserving the Environment

There was an increasing concern for the environment during the early 20th century. Preservationists often collided with commercial and private developers who had enormous interests in wildlife exploitation for their business motives. Roosevelt, a preservationist himself was concerned with the protection and conservation of the sites for wildlife. However, as the president, he saw and appreciated the need to compromise. Through his program on conservation, he came up with new measures to regulate the wilderness of the country. As a result, more than 200 million acres were designated as national forests, potential sites for waterpower, and mineral resources (Kelley & Cronkite, 2004). Besides, the president added 18 national monuments and five national parks were added to the protected lands' list. He reinforced this by creating the National Conservation Commission in 1908 to inventory all the resources of the nation and effectively manage how they are used. Indeed, the hallmark of Roosevelt's presidency was conservationism (Sakany, 2006). By creating monuments and national parks, he helped to protect the land.

The Aggressive Foreign Policy

Roosevelt's Square Deal policy also extended to his aggressive approach on foreign policy, which became known as the "Big Stick" diplomacy. He advocated for soft talks but with firmness. He became President after his nation's victory in the Spanish-American War, and was, therefore, bolstered by the status of the US as a vital global power. The big stick diplomacy was an aggressive tactic that sought to maintain the status of America as an international power house. The building of the Panama Canal was the hallmark of his foreign policy. The canal connected the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. As a result, it drastically shortens the shipping routes leading to increased maritime and economic activities (Mulford, 2018). At first, the government of Colombia did not approve of the idea of leasing out their land to the US towards the $10 million canal project. Roosevelt reacted by sponsoring a revolution against the Colombian administration, which saw the entry of a new and friendly government in Panama. Consequently, the US was granted permanent possession of a 10-mile strip of land on similar financial terms.

Conclusion

The Square Deal policy pursued by President Theodore Roosevelt was intended to solve societal and business problems that were rampant at the turn of the century. The Square Deal's primary target group was the America's poor population who had been the main victims of unscrupulous business deals by the wealthy in America. Therefore, the Deal targeted particular areas that would stop exploitation of the poor and restoration of the country's future. The laws that were put in place to reinforce the Square Deal, by far, reduced the gap between the rich and the poor. For instance, the Pure Food and Drug Act ensured that consumers' health and well-being were protected because products were now labeled. The Corporations and Labor Controls gave American workers an opportunity to form unions and reach collective bargaining agreements with their employers without attracting brutalities from law enforcement agencies (Sakany, 2006). As a result, workers had their working conditions improved and wages increased as well.

References

Britton, T. L. (2010). Theodore Roosevelt. New York: ABDO Publishing Company.

Kelley, A., & Cronkite, W. (2004). Theodore Roosevelt. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers.

Mulford, H. B. (2018). The Square Deal, Or Flashes from the Business Searchlight: Humanity's Plea for Justice and Protection Against Oppression by the Great Financial and Commercial Powers Whose Marvelous Growth Is the Wonder of the Twentieth Century (Classic Reprint). London: Fb&c Limited.

Roosevelt, T., Blum, J. M., Rice, S., & Wigglesworth, H. W. (2004). The Square Deal, 1903-1905. Harvard University Press: New York.

Sakany, L. (2006). Progressive leaders: the platforms and policies of America's reform politicians. New York: Rosen Pub. Group.Thayer, W. R. (2007). Theodore Roosevelt: An Intimate Biography. New York: 1st World Publishing