Compare and Contrast the Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson during the Progressive Reform. Who was the better President?

At the turn of the 19th century a new political party rose and that whole era was named the Progressive Era. This party based its decision on what is right for the people and not big businesses in the economic world. Two major leaders and Presidents of the United States, of this time were Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. Though both men contributed so much while in office, which one had the greater impact? Even though their achievements are equal in most areas, Wilson took the cake with his actions to exempt unions from being prosecuted as trusts.

Roosevelt entered office because the current President, McKinley, got assassinated. His personal idea of what a president should do in office is that he should lead the executive department AND set the legislative agenda for Congress. The thing that people remember Roosevelt most by is his Square Deal. The deal favored neither business nor labor.

President Woodrow Wilson asking Congress to declar...

English: President Woodrow Wilson addresses the Un...

English: Woodrow Wilson.

He applied this rule to a coal strike where the coal miners went on strike in 1902. Since, winter was around the corner Roosevelt was worried for the public's safety of heat so he called the mines owners and union leaders to the white house. At the meeting the owners would not give into the demands until the President threatened he would take the mines over with federal troops. The owners agreed to the conditions set by the union leader, but still did not recognize unions. Roosevelt's next big act was his Trust - Busting. He was one of the first Presidents to really enforce the Sherman Antitrust Act. He applied the act to the Railroad monopoly called the Northern Securities Company. Even though federal courts said that the company was fine, they reversed their decisions because of Roosevelt's actions. The courts broke the monopoly and a...