Figure 1.--k |
|
The election of 1912 was one of the most interesting and significant elections in American history.
Roosevelt and Taft considered themselves friends. Taft never could have become president without Roosevelt's personal intervention. Roosevelt soon found himself missing the presidency after he left office. This personal feeling was amplified when progressives began to complain to him about President Taft. Gradually the personal relationship between the two men ruptured. Here Mrs. Taft was a factor. She did not like Roosevelt and this affected Taft's opinions. Roosevelt saw Taft as weak and abandoning his legacy to conservative party boses.
Roosevelt decicded to contest the Republican nomination. Still emensely popular, Roosevelt won state primary elections, including the important Ohio primary. The Republican machine politicans, however, succeeded in renominated Taft. A majority of Republicans favored Roosevelt and he did well in the states with primaries. But most delegated to the Republican Convention were chosen in state conventions dominated by the party bosses.
Taft came to see Roosevelt as a dangerous man and a threat to American democracy. He also considered the Roosevelt candidacy as a personal affront from a former friend. The Democrats at the Wilson was nominated for President at the 1912 Democratic Convention and campaigned on a program called the New Freedom, which stressed individualism and states' rights. Roosevelt who thought he had been trated unfairly, formed the Progressive Party which became known as the Bull Moose Party. The Progressives nominated Roosevelt and California govenor Hiram Johnson. Roosevelt was wrong in his depiction of the election as a grave national crisis. Even so it was certainly a critical election. There was massive and growing support for progressive policies. The still male electorate did not want to dismantle the Republican party, but they supported a range of progressive measures. The Democratic candidate, Governor Woodrow Wilson, sensing the national mood led the Democratic Party, which had a strong conservative wing, into the progressive camp. This was possible as long as Wilson did not challenge segregation in the South. And he did not. Wilson himself would be, in modern terms and for good reason, judged a racist. In fact, until the 1912 election the Democratic Party had been the more conservative of the two parties. This shift was begun during the energetic, but ultimately failed, Bryan Campaigns. This was the direction that would be later confirmed by Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal. The Roosevelt candidacy divided the Republican Party in all the states. Roosevelt in 28 states had a majority over Taft. The Republican split guaranteed Wilson's election. In the three-way election he received only 42 percent of the popular vote but an overwhelming electoral vote. The hapless Taft received only 8 electoral votes--the worst performance of any incumbent president. Wilson almost certainly would not have won the election had Rooselt's Bull Moose campaign not have divided the election. He must have realised this. No one has ever determined his calculation. We suspect that his desire to be president again and tretment by the Rpublican establisment seems to have clouded his political judgement. Many key progressive measures would be enacted into law during the Wilson presidency, a range of actions on child labor, workman's compensation, farm credit, fiscal reform (Federal Reserve Board), tariff reform, stronger anti-monopoly laws, and commercial legialation (Federal Trade Commission). [O'Toole] The election resulted in a major political shift. Not only was the progressive wing of the Democratic Party strengthened, but the progressive wing of the Republican Party strengthned. [Goodwin]
The election of 1912 was one of the most interesting and significant elections in American history.
Never before in American hirtory had two presidents contested an elecion. Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft considered themselves personal friends. Roosevelt virtually hand picked Taft to replace him. There are few examples in presidential history. Taft never could have become president without Roosevelt's personal intervention. President Roosevelt, however, liked being President. He traveled after leaving the presidency, but he missed being at the center of American political life. This personal feeling was amplified when progressives began to complain to him about President Taft. Gradually the personal relationship between the two men ruptured. Here Mrs. Taft was a factor. She did not like Roosevelt and this affected Taft's opinions. Roosevelt saw Taft as weak and abandoning his legacy to conservative party boses. Taft came to see Roosevelt as a dangerous man and a threat to American democracy.
Although he supported President Taft on the Canadian reciprocity measure and stood with him in the Lorimer scandal, Roosevelt became identified with the progressive section of the Republican Party. Taft increasingly alienated the progressives and sided with the conservative wing of the party. The progressives in 1912 induced Roosevelt, who needed little enducement, to become a candidate for the Republican nomination, despite his close relationship with Taft. This surprised many Republicans as they did not think that he would risk his standing in the party by running again. It is difficult to determine just why Roosevelt decided to run. Ceratinly he missed the office. And he did feel Taft was abandoning te presidency. Perhaps more than anyrhig else, he still wanted to be a great national hero and he looked on the 1912 election as a critical election. Here he was correct, it would later prove to be one of the pivotal elections in American history. [O'Toole]
Roosevelt deciced to contest the Republican nomination. Still emensely popular, Roosevelt won state primary election, including the Ohio primary. Only a few states in 1912 had primaries. It was the Party bosses who chose the candicate and Taft was their man. The Republican machine politicans, succeeded in renominated Taft. A majority of Republicans favored Roosevelt and he did well in the states with primaries. But most delegated to the Republican Convention were chosen in state conventions dominated by the party bosses.
Roosevelt was angered that he and his supporters were ignored by these Republican bosses. He thus bolted the party to lead the Progressives. The Party under Roosevelt became known as the Bull Moose Party. Taft considered the Roosevelt candidacy as a personal affront from a former friend.
The almost religious zealotry with which Roosevelt conducted his campaign caused some Republicans to believe that he was drinking heavily. Some even questioned his sanity. Taft with the bosses support won the nomination, where-upon Roosevelt who thought he had been trated unfairly, formed the Progressive Party which became known as the Bull Moose Party. The Progressives nominated Roosevelt and California govenor Hiram Johnson.
Academician and New Jersey Govenor Woodrow Wilson was nominated for President at the 1912 Democratic Convention, but it took 46 ballots to do so. That may seem like a large number, but at the time conventions seemed in no hurry to chose their candidates. So extended ballots were common, in part because the sucessful nominee needed two-thirds of the delegates. The Democratic candidate, Governor Woodrow Wilson, sensing the national mood led the Democratic Party, which had a strong conservative wing, into the progressive camp. This was possible as long as Wilson did not challenge segregation in the South. And he did not. Wilson himself would be, in modern terms and for good reason, judged a racist. In fact, until the 1912 election the Democratic Party had been the more conservative of the two parties. This shift was begun during the energetic, but ultimately failed, Bryan Campaigns. This was the direction that would be later confirmed by Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal.
The 1912 was unique in American history. For the first time since 1860 there were four notable candidates, three of them firmer or future presidents. Taft, Roosevelt, Wilson, and Debbs were an explosive combination.
The Republican Party since the Civil War had dominated the presidency. Charges that the Democrats were the Party of "Rum, Romamism, and Rebellion" resonated with many voters. The Republicans coulkd not have been defeated had they ran one candiusdate, but they ran two spliting the Psarty's vote. The Democrats had an opportunity for the first time since the Cleveland Administration to win the White House. Wilson campaigned on a program called the New Freedom, which stressed individualism and states' rights. President Taft ran a lackluster campasign. Roosevelkt on the other hand ran an energetic campaign, earning the tiutle 'bull moose'. Hec even delivered a speech after being shot. There was talk of Armageddon and a political showdown as the progrssives dominated the campaign.
The Republican split virtually guaranteed Wilson's election. In the three-way election he received only 42 percent of the popular vote but an overwhelming electoral vote. The Roosevelt candidacy divided the Republican Party in all the states. Roosevelt in 28 states had a majority over Taft. The successful Democratic candidate, Woodrow Wilson, received only a minority of the total popular vote--but won the election. The hapless Taft received only 8 electoral votes--the worst performance of any incumbent president.
President Wilson brought his New Freedom policies to Washington. It would be a time of progressive reforms, with the notable exception of civil rights. There cwould be a stteady stream of reform legislation, including the income tax and the Federal Reserve. The election resulted in a major political shift. Not only was the progressive wing of the Democratic Party strengthened, but the progressive wing of the Republican Party strengthned. [Goodwin] The election would not, however, permanetly shift voter identification. The Republicans would return forcefully and a more conservative outlook in the 1920s.
Goodwin, Doris Kearns. The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism (2014), 928p.
O'Toole, Patricia. When Trumpets Call: Theodore Roosevelt After the White House (Simon & Schuster), 494p.
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to the Main U.S. 20th century election page]
[Return to the Main U.S. election page]
[Return to the Main U.S. presidential page]
[Return to the Main U.S. political party page]
[Return to the Main U.S. history page]
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Biographies]
[Children]
[Chronology]
[Clothing styles]
[Countries]
[Essays]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[FAQs]
[Glossaries]
[Images]
[Links]
[Registration]
[Tools]
[ Boys' Clothing Home]