Theodore Roosevelt was thrust into the presidency after William McKinley was assassinated on 6 September 1901 while attending the Pan-America Exposition. Roosevelt assured McKinley supporters that he would adhere to his policies, as well as keep the current cabinet. Nonetheless, Roosevelt sought to position himself as the country’s undisputed leader, wanting to bolster the role of the president and ready himself for the upcoming election. Sometime later in his first term as president, Roosevelt set a lofty goal; create a canal in Panama. The series of events that followed are what gained Roosevelt some of the most criticism in his career. He began relatively moderately, he convinced Congress to approve what was called the Panamanian alternative, …show more content…
Although it was in a time of war, it does not change the fact that Lincoln overextended his powers beyond what is stated in the Constitution. The suspension of habeas corpus is a power delegated to Congress in times of rebellion, it is true that the country was in a time of rebellion, however the president does not have the authority to suspend habeas corpus. In addition, the Emancipation Proclamation was also unconstitutional. The Constitution does not give the president or any federal branch the power to free slaves in any states. This changed with the 13th amendment, but Lincoln went beyond what the Constitution allows when he declared that all slaves in states of rebellion will be free. This is furthered by Lincoln not consulting Congress when enacting the proclamation. He claimed it as an act to assist with war, which should therefore have been approved by Congress before its declaration. Lincoln was forced to use unusual methods due to the complicated situation he was in, and although he violated the Constitution, in the long term he helped keep America whole. Theodore Roosevelt is the most egregious violator of the Constitution however. Roosevelt interfered heavily with the events that unfolded in Panama without Congressional consent including the sending in of troops, which is in direct violation of the Congressional consent needed for military actions. Roosevelt continued his overstepping of the Constitution as he participated in multiple negotiations with the Panama Canal Company without consulting the Senate or Congress. Roosevelt also displayed his disregard of the Constitution when dealing with the Coal Strike of 1902. Roosevelt took executive action although he was informed frequently about his lack of authority. Roosevelt took control of negotiations and although it ended with a compromise that benefited both parties involved while still overstepping his
McKinley might not have been able to make it through his second term before his untimely death but during his time in office he still made decisions that had a long term effect on our nation 's’ economy, foreign policy, and presidency itself. During McKinley’s first campaign the decision to keep the gold standard of backing our nation 's currency was a big deal. However, this only lasted until 1933 when our country switched to a fiat money system where the dollars value isn’t linked to an asset. According to a Mental Floss article “Most economists now agree 90 percent of the reason why the U.S. got out of the Great Depression was the break with gold,”. Therefore, it is arguable that McKinley’s decision to keep the gold standard ended up
Abraham's time as president was a very controversial time where Abraham had to make many hard decisions. One of Abraham's hardest decisions to make was the decision to suspend the writ of habeas corpus. Abraham suspending habeas corpus was a good idea, mainly because the rebellions in the south would have gotten worse if he hadn't made this suspension. The writ of habeas corpus is a law in the constitution that allows a person under arrest to be brought before a judge or court to secure a person's release. Abraham did not want to suspend this law, but he was pretty much forced too.
He wrote several books and had a career in Republican politics. Becoming president at the age of 42 he was the youngest person to assume the presidency. He became president of the United States when the former president, McKinley, died after being shot in an event. Theodore served as the overseer of the people. He dealt with problems by mediating the conflict between the organization and the people.
Even though it was most likely not legal to ignore the constitution, he still bluffed to end the coal miner’s strike. The method Roosevelt used was not the most effective, but it got the two sides to come to an agreement where the strikers got higher wages, fewer work hours, and no UMW recognition. “He warned that he would send 10,000 federal troops to take over coal production in the mines if the two sides did not reach an arrangement, a move of “dubious legality,” which prompted Roosevelt to snap, “To hell with the Constitution when the people want coal!” TR’s bluster finally produced concessions, with both sides agreeing to an arbitration
Theodore Roosevelt is one of the American presidents who are remembered for the changes that they brought or made in this nation. He was the 26th president of the United States and he is remembered for his transformations and important quotes which are useful today. Theodore Roosevelt was the most youthful president in the historical background of America amid that opportunity to be in office. He had not yet turned forty three years, the required age, when he got to be a president. He played a major role in transforming the federal government and the transformations made are still in effect today (viewpoint article; Beale).
Roosevelt handled challenges faced towards him by responding quickly to them. Instead of going through the long process of Congress, Roosevelt used his powers of the Presidency to speed up the way the United States handles a situation. For example, the Coal Strike of 1902 posed a great danger to the United States because the United States was so dependent on coal for heating citizens. Roosevelt saw how the strike could be dangerous to Americans, so he quickly put an end to it by taking government control over the coal mines. Roosevelt ending the Coal Strike expanded the powers of the president because instead of going through the slow process of Congress, the President could now use his powers to handle challenges in a swift
After the Emancipation Proclamation, in 1861 Lincoln decided to issue yet another executive order, suspension of Habeas Corpus. Habeas Corpus is a legal guarantee, which gives the individual the right to know why he or she is being arrested and to be entitled to a trial. It is important to notice that Abraham Lincoln has suspended Habeas Corpus on numerous occasion during the Civil War (Foner, p.98-99). The reason I choose to focus on the executive order form March 3rd, 1983, is because at that time Lincoln suspended Habeas Corpus throughout the whole North. We must also acknowledge that Abraham Lincoln was much more careful inn suspending civil liberties during a war, than other American presidents in U.S history.
After that happened he later then got a Nobel Prize, sense he was the only president to ever accomplish that. Roosevelt also was able to have the Panama Canal Built. An additional thing Theodore Roosevelt had done while being President, that he was a idealistic conservationist that had set many things aside massive tracts of land, he used the land for conservation and had established the U.S Forest Service Via the American Antiquities in 1906 which he had allowed. I feel like the “American Giant” is suitable description for Theodore Roosevelt because he was the most biggest and important influential President of the United
As Commander in Chief, Abraham Lincoln made numerous decisions that impacted the outcome of the war. He used a broad interpretation of his Oath of Office to justify nearly any action he took. Many of these actions overstepped the bounds of the Constitution, but all were made with the greater good of the country in mind. Despite having the best intentions, Lincoln did make mistakes throughout his presidency, such as how he handled the military.
During the Civil War, Lincoln suspends the writ of Habeas Corpus. He arrests thousands of people from Washington DC to New York, and holds them without charges. When questioned, he claims that he is protecting public safety in a time of rebellion. He believes he has the authority to take any measure to subdue the South (Mattocks). Lincoln justifies his actions by saying that he must disregard the Constitution to save the nation and therefore save the Constitution
During Teddy Roosevelt’s first presidency, he attempted to tie with other governments, making this a political impact on the U.S. Therefore, when he noticed a problem or issue in another country, he traveled over there to stop it before it got too out of hand. He did this in order to preserve America and its people. Roosevelt saw the negotiations about the Panama Canal and intervened so it would help out Americans by connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean instead of
2. Theodore Roosevelt was considered to be the “First Modern President because he had a strong- firm personality, and showed aggressive actions towards others. Roosevelt believed that the President had the right to use all power unless they were denied to him. Also, that he has a responsibility to the people, and so challenged himself to avoid notions of limited government and individualism; the government he controlled should maintain as an agent who should give the people what they want. Roosevelt’s presidency opened up creativity of progressive movement, lending the prestige of the White House to welfare legislation, government regulation, and the conservation movement.
He convinced the Panamanians to rebel against their rulers, and build the
Roosevelt actually faced a large amount of resistance when trying to pass his new deals. During one of his terms, Roosevelt announced a controversial plan to expand the supreme court. He was quickly criticized of trying to "Pack" the courts in order to neutralize hostile opinions towards his new deals ("Roosevelt announces 'court-packing' plan", 2010). Later in his presidency Roosevelt had to manage the daunting task that was World War II. Before America even enter the war, Roosevelt was working to provide
Roosevelt’s policy was shown in the Nicaragua affair. Secretary of State John Hay pressed the Nicaraguan Government for approval of a canal in 1901. The deal was that Nicaragua would receive $1.5 million in ratification,