Square Deal: 3 C's |
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Image: history.com
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Square Deal: 3 C's |
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Image: history.com
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Image: Shapell.org
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Control of CorporationsThe Square Deal brought about three major changes to the way businesses operate in the United States, the first is Control of Corporations. President Theodore Roosevelt's main goal through the Square Deal was to curb the power of large corporations. By doing this he aids consumers in receiving fair prices, and gives hope to small businesses in America trying to survive. The issue lied in the fact that, "By 1904, some 318 companies controlled nearly 40 percent of the nation's manufacturing output. A single firm produced over half the output in 78 industries," (Digital History). Controlling corporations through regulating "trusts" aids the action to prevent monopolies. The Hepburn Act, signed into law in 1906, embodies this theory, “the bill sought to prevent the creation of monopolies—a major concern during the ‘Trust-Busting’ progressive era of the early twentieth century—by prohibiting railroads from transporting commodities in which the companies had vested financial interest," (Hepburn Act).
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Image: Blogspot.com
Image: United States Forest Service
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Consumer ProtectionThe second change brought about through the Square Deal was Consumer Protection. Consumer Protection works hand in hand with Controlling Corporations. Through controlling corporations, consumers are protected, by receiving fair prices, and having multiple resources for goods. President Roosevelt was dealing with this on many fronts, one specific example is, "...the AMERICAN SUGAR REFINING COMPANY controlled 98 percent of the sugar industry," (The Trust Buster). In this scenario, the AMERICAN SUGAR REFINING COMPANY is dictating the economy, instead of the people, through supply and demand, and other factors contributing to pricing and need for the item. President Roosevelt intended to level the playing field for businesses which would as a result, allow for a better market for consumers.
ConservationPresident Theodore Roosevelt's final point of the Square Deal was conservation of natural resources. President Roosevelt is often thought of as the United States' first ever president concerned with conservation. Roosevelt was a strong advocate for the Newlands Reclamation Act of 1902, a bill that orchestrated the federal construction of dams, giving the federal government more land. President Roosevelt also created the United States Forest Service. President Roosevelt placed 230 million acres under federal guard, adding National Reserves, monuments, and forests.
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