The Progressive Era | A Bruising Fight | 4

American History Tellers

Wondery

Society & Culture, Kids & Family, History, Education For Kids

4.7 • 18.3K Ratings

🗓️ 28 May 2025

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 1909, William Howard Taft entered the White House, pledging to preserve and expand the Progressive policies of his predecessor Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt, in turn, promised to stay out of politics. But over the next year, a controversy at the Department of the Interior convinced Roosevelt that his legacy was under threat. Soon, he would reenter the political arena, sparking a bitter struggle for control of the Republican party.

Roosevelt stirred the public with a bold agenda known as the “New Nationalism.” But Taft wasn’t his only adversary. As the 1912 election got underway, New Jersey Democrat Woodrow Wilson entered the fray with an alternative vision of Progressive reform.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Picture this. You're transported back in time, witnessing history unfold right before your eyes, without any modern day interruptions.
0:07.3	That's the magic of Wondery Plus.
0:09.2	Immerse yourself in the stories that shaped our nation with ad-free episodes, early access to new seasons, and exclusive bonus content.
0:16.1	Join Wondry Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts and experience American history like never before.
0:35.6	Imagine it's January 1910 in the Belgian Congo.
0:39.7	The heat of the midday sun bears down on you as you sprint through your safari camp.
0:44.3	You're the secretary to former President Theodore Roosevelt,
0:47.2	and you've just come from the telegraph office in the nearest town.
0:50.7	You come to a stop outside Roosevelt's canvas tent, panting.
0:54.7	He sits on a low stool meticulously oiling his rifle in advance of tomorrow's white rhino hunt.
1:00.5	He looks up at you as you gasp for air, holding up a crumpled telegram in your hand.
1:06.3	Sir, it's President Taff. He's dumped your Chief Forster Gifford Pinchot.
1:11.7	Roosevelt carefully sets down his rifle and stares at you in shock.
1:15.6	When did this happen? Ten days ago, apparently.
1:19.2	Roosevelt rises abruptly, knocking over the stool.
1:22.7	He begins pacing, back and forth, his boots kicking up small clouds of dust.
1:27.2	Pincho was like his son to me,
1:28.9	and we accomplished so much together. More than 200 million acres preserved, land that would have been
1:33.7	stolen by the coal barons, stripped bare by loggers. It's a legacy to be proud of, for sure, sir.
1:39.2	What was Taff thinking? Does he think I wouldn't hear about this? Do you think I wouldn't care? I'm not sure,
1:44.6	Mr. President, but I'm told Taftsie's pin show as a zealot acting beyond his official duties.
1:49.9	Well, is Taft seeking corporate kickbacks? Sweetheart deals with the railroads? Mining interests?
	...

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