"The Trust Buster": Theodore Roosevelt's Square Deal

 

Target: I can explain Theodore Roosevelt's domestic policy by comparing his views on "Good vs. Bad Trusts" to a political cartoon about railroad monopolies.

Key Vocabulary

• The Square Deal: Theodore Roosevelt’s domestic program. He promised that everyone (farmers, consumers, workers, and owners) should have the same fair chance to succeed—no "crookedness" allowed.

• Trust (Monopoly): When one huge company controls an entire industry (like oil or railroads), eliminating competition and raising prices.

• Sherman Antitrust Act: A law used by Roosevelt to break up "bad trusts" that hurt the public.

• Regulation: When the government makes rules for businesses to follow (e.g., safety rules, price limits) to protect the public.

Part 1: Do Now (5 minutes)

Directions: Read the prompt below and write a 5-8 sentence response.

Prompt: Imagine you open a small lemonade stand. Suddenly, a giant soda company sets up a stand right next to you. They sell their lemonade for free just to make you go out of business. Once you close down, they raise their price to $10 a cup because they are the only ones left. Is this fair competition? Should the government (the "referee") stop the big company from doing this? Why or why not?

Sentence Starter: I think this (is/is not) fair because... The government (should/should not) stop them because...

Part 2: Analyzing the Sources

Directions: Analyze the two documents below and then answer the questions that follow.

Source 1: Theodore Roosevelt, Speech at the State Fair (1903)

Context: Many people wanted Roosevelt to destroy ALL big corporations. Here, he explains that he only wants to stop the "bad" ones.

Original Text

Simplified Text

"We do not wish to destroy corporations, but we do wish to make them subserve the public good. All we wish to do is to control them... We draw the line against misconduct, not against wealth. The capitalist who, alone or in conjunction with his fellows, performs some great industrial feat by which he wins money is a welldoer, not a wrongdoer, provided only he works in proper and legitimate lines."

"We do not want to destroy big companies, but we do want to make sure they help the public good. We just want to control them... We are against bad behavior, not against wealth. A business owner who makes a lot of money is doing a good thing, not a bad thing, as long as he follows the rules and acts fairly."

Source 2: Political Cartoon - "The Lion Tamer" (1904)

Context: This cartoon shows Theodore Roosevelt (the Tamer) in a cage with lions labeled "Trusts" (like the Beef Trust and Railroad Trust).

Description: Theodore Roosevelt is dressed as a circus lion tamer. He is looking confident and holding a whip. He is standing in a cage with several large, scary lions. The lions are labeled "Beef Trust," "Oil Trust," and "Railroad Trust." Instead of killing the lions, he is staring them down and making them obey him.

Analysis Questions

Directions: Answer the writing questions and the two Multiple Choice questions.

1. According to Source 1, does Theodore Roosevelt believe that ALL rich business owners are bad? Explain.

Sentence Starter: No, Roosevelt says that a business owner is a "welldoer" (good person) as long as he... He only wants to stop...

2. Look at Source 2. Why is Roosevelt drawn as a "Lion Tamer" instead of a "Lion Hunter"? (Hint: What does a tamer do to animals vs. what a hunter does?)

Sentence Starter: He is drawn as a tamer because a hunter kills animals, but a tamer... This shows that Roosevelt wanted to (control/destroy) the trusts.

Regents-Style Multiple Choice

3. Theodore Roosevelt’s actions against the Northern Securities Company (a railroad monopoly) and his support for the Meat Inspection Act are examples of his belief that:

(1) The government should own and operate all major industries

(2) The Federal Government must regulate business to protect the public interest

(3) Labor unions should be illegal

(4) The U.S. should return to a policy of isolationism

4. Based on Source 1 and Source 2, which statement best describes Theodore Roosevelt’s policy toward monopolies?

(1) He believed all monopolies were evil and should be destroyed immediately.

(2) He believed in "laissez-faire" (hands-off) and let businesses do whatever they wanted.

(3) He distinguished between "good trusts" that served the public and "bad trusts" that needed to be broken up.

(4) He believed that only state governments, not the President, should handle business issues.

Part 3: Exit Ticket (5 minutes)

Directions: Answer the following prompt in a complete paragraph (5-8 sentences).

Prompt: Using evidence from both sources, explain Theodore Roosevelt's "Square Deal" policy toward big business. Did he want to kill the "lions" (Source 2) or just tame them?

Sentence Starter: Theodore Roosevelt's policy was to regulate, not destroy. In Source 1, he stated that he did not wish to... but only to... This is shown in the cartoon (Source 2), where he is acting as a... This proves that he believed the government had the right to step in when businesses were...