1. Some images,
text courtesy Ms.
Susan M. Pojer

3. TR said that
Taft, “had
the most
lovable
personality I
have ever
come in
contact with”
Handing off responsibility to Taft in 1909

4. “I very keenly share
your disappointment
in Taft, and in a way
perhaps feel it even
more deeply than you
do, because it was I
who made him
President” ~ T.R.
“Roosevelt was my
closest friend,” he
said brokenly. Then
he could restrain
himself no longer, and
he began to weep. ~
Taft

5. Roosevelt and
Taft brawl
while Uncle
Sam looks on
in the British
magazine
Punch

7. The
Republican
Party
&
President
William H.
Taft

8. Keep
the
Whistl
e
Blowi
ng
Taft was
determined to
defeat TR and preserve the conservative
heart of the Republican Party.

9. The
GOP
After
the
Circus
TR  The Republican
Party must stand for
the rights of
humanity, or else it must stand for special
privilege.

10. The
Progressive
Party
&
Former
President
Theodore
Roosevelt
People should rise
above their sectarian
interests to promote the general good.

11. Theodore Roosevelt at
Osawatomie, KS: New
Nationalism
Big business requires big government.

12. The
Anti-
Third-
Term
Principl
e

13. The
“Bull
Moose”
Party:
The Latest
Arrival
at the
Political We stand at Armageddon,
Zoo and we battle for the Lord!
ONWARD, CHRISTIAN
SOLDIERS!

14. The Socialist
Party
& Eugene V.
Debs
The issue is Socialism versus
Capitalism. I am for
Socialism because I am for
humanity.

15. Growth of the Socialist
Year
Socialist
Party
Vote Party Total
Socialist
Labor
1888
2,068 2,068
1890
13,704 13,704
1892
21,512 21,512
1894
30,020 30,020
1896
36,275 36,274
1898
82,204 82,204
1900 96,931 33,405 130,336
1902 223,494 53,763 277,257
1904 408,230 33,546 441,776
1906 331,043 20,265 351,308
1908 424,488 14,021 438,509
1910 607,674 34,115 641,789
1912 901,873

16. The Democratic Party &
Governor Woodrow
Wilson (NJ)
Liberal reformer,
trust-buster,
independent of
party bosses

17. The
Reform
Governo
r
of NJ:
It
Takes
Time

18. Both Reformers –
fought for votes in the
middle (Moderates) Conservative
Liberal
Eugene Woodrow Teddy Pres.
Debs Wilson Roosevelt William Taft
(Democrat) (Progressive/ (Republican
Socialist Bull Moose incumbent)
Party Party)

19. • Women’s Rights
• Civil Rights
• Child Labor/Workers’ Rights
• Protective Tariff
• Big Business/Trusts
Reform Party Platforms:
• New Nationalism – TR
• New Freedom – Wilson
** both called for a more active government role
in economics and social welfare issues

20. “dangerous
egotist!”
“FATHEAD!”
“guinea pig
brain!”

21. “Don’t interfere
when your enemy
is destroying
himself.”

22. In groups:
– Develop your Platform – What are your
views on the following big issues?
• Women’s suffrage, Race relations,
Trusts, Tariff, Labor
– Each person in the group should be able to
present ONE element of your platform to
the class
– Now…Let’s run your campaign and see if you’d win

24. An Actual 1912 Ballot

25. GOP Divided by Bull
Moose
Equals Democratic
Victory!
Wilson was the second of only
two Democrats to be elected
President between 1860 and
1932.

26. ¾ of Americans voted for
parties of CHANGE
– T.R. and Taft –
7 million
– Wilson - 6 million
– Debs - 1 million
Wilson didn’t have a majority,
BUT Republicans split the vote
– WILSON WINS!

27. • Cartoon depicting William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt lying exhausted after
the 1912 presidential campaign and saying, “Cheer up! I might have won.”
• Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

28. Election Results
By 1912, 100,000 fewer people had voted for
Wilson than had voted for Bryan in 1908.
The 1912 election marked the height of the
Socialist movement in America.

30. The nature of government was
debated
- The people WANTED the
government to be involved in
their lives!

31. As Big As a Balloon
Tariff Reform

32. Conserva
tion
Issue:
The
Ballinger
-
Pinchot

33. The Unanswerable
Argument for Suffrage

34. Never Again!
Taft Abandons Support for Women’s Suffrage

35. TR
&
Women
’s
Suffrag
e:
The
Militan

36. Woman Suffrage Before
1920

37. Songs of the Sunny
South

38. Lynchi
ng
& the
Race
Issue

39. Trying to Catch the
Colored Vote

40. Mr. Lewis Gets His
Share

41. Oh,
That
This
Too, Too
Solid
South
Would
Melt!

42. On Uncle Sam’s Farm
The Democratic party took control of the
Senate for the first time in 20 years.

43. The
GOP:
An
Extinct
Animal?

44. For Further Reading

45. The Industrial
Worker: I. W. W.
The first American labor group to open its
membership to all wage-earning workers, regardless
of skill, nationality, race, sex, or gender.

46. BIBLIOGRAPHY
“1912—Competing Visions for America.”
Ohio State University.
http://history.osu.edu/projects/1912/
HarpWeek/Elections. “Election of 1912.”
http://www.elections.harpweek.com/