progressivism, individualism, and the public ... - Telmarc Group

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PROGRESSIVISM, INDIVIDUALISM, AND THE PUBLIC
INTELLECTUAL
attack and conquer as he did in Cuba. The most significant of targets were the Trusts and
he now had a big stick in the Sherman Act. TR was the truly first President to set the role
of the Federal Government as that of regulator of daily economic life. As he moved
through his presidency he became more attuned to the Progressive ways. He tried to get
the Republican Party to follow with little luck. When he left the office of President in
1908 all thought that it would be the end of TR. In 1910 however he gave his famous
speech on The New Nationalism. This was his platform for Progressives in the upcoming
1912 election. He was to run against Wilson, yet known to him at the time of the speech.
Yet Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson would come together in the 1912 election,
the high water mark for the Progressive movement., and this coming together as foes for
the Presidency, would in effect define Progressives and set the path and establish a
framework for the neo-progressives of the current day. Roosevelt had been migrating
from his initial Republican roots into the actual Progressive candidate in that election. In
contrast Wilson was coming to the race as the southern Democrat, albeit the machine's
Governor in New Jersey, but as one who was on record condemning the structure of the
US Government and wishing for an English Parliamentary form. Wilson in many ways
would be formed by Roosevelt's new awakening.
4.4.1 The 1912 Election
Teddy Roosevelt was in many ways a very strange person. He has been lionized by many
but when looked upon in the cold light of day he becomes a unique character. Clearly an
Anglo Saxon racist, one need look at some of his writings to see this, he looked upon non
Anglo Saxons as the less competent of humanity, this emboldened his attempts to gain
world dominance for the United States. It also defined his political actions on the
international front, one case being the manipulation of the Japanese at the resolution of
the Sino-Russian War for which he ironically was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The
fact was that his actions in many ways set the framework for the events leading to World
War II.
The recent book by Milkis on Teddy Roosevelt focuses specifically on the 1912 election.
This election is in many ways a tale of the present and a demonstration of Teddy
Roosevelt as both President and, more importantly, as a Public Intellectual of the
Progressive movement in that time. The 1912 election was a turning point for American
politics. It brought in Wilson and sent Teddy packing, but in many ways left the baggage
that Teddy brought with him around for what seems a permanent stay.
Milkis tells a wonderful tale based on extensive research about this election. It is a
historically well written piece albeit filled with consecutive facts but lacking in the
interpretation and historical glue to make it a superb work, it is masterful
notwithstanding.
The path of the book works back and forth on the New Freedoms of Wilson and the New
Nationalism of TR. Milkis discusses these in Chapter 1 and the discussion is a somewhat
back and forth discussion of the principles and the time which evoked them. The New
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