The Big Stick and the Square Deal explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Political Reform and Anti-Corruption

  Roosevelt details his fight against corporate corruption and the need for government regulation to protect the public from the 'malefactors of great wealth.'

• Balance of Idealism and Practicality

  Roosevelt advocates for a pragmatic middle ground between destroying big business and leaving it unregulated, emphasizing control and supervision over outright prohibition.

• Nationalism and American Identity

  Roosevelt frames his policies as upholding American ideals of fairness and justice, contrasting his approach with the 'un-American' greed of monopolists.

Characters to notice

• Theodore Roosevelt

  As President, he articulates his philosophy of the 'Square Deal' and the need for federal regulation of corporations.

• Woodrow Wilson

  Mentioned critically in connection with the 'New Freedom' philosophy, which Roosevelt equates with outdated laissez-faire individualism.

• James R. Garfield

  Served as the first head of the Bureau of Corporations, praised as a capable public servant.

• Herbert Knox Smith

  Succeeded Garfield as head of the Bureau of Corporations, also praised as a capable public servant.

• Abraham Lincoln

  Invoked as a philosophical touchstone for Roosevelt's belief in a strong national government serving the people.

Key passages

• “Men who understand and practice the deep underlying philosophy of the Lincoln school of American political thought are necessarily Hamiltonian in their belief in a strong and efficient National Government and Jeffersonian in their belief in the people as the ultimate authority, and in the welfare of the people as the end of Government.”

  Roosevelt sees himself as blending Hamiltonian support for a powerful central government with Jeffersonian faith in popular sovereignty and the public good.

  This summarizes Roosevelt's political philosophy as a synthesis of two American traditions.

• “The true way of dealing with monopoly is to prevent it by administrative action before it grows so powerful that even when courts condemn it they shrink from destroying it.”

  Roosevelt argues that proactive government regulation is more effective than relying on courts to break up monopolies after they become entrenched.

  This captures Roosevelt's preference for administrative regulation over judicial remedies.

• “Such a Commission would have complete power to examine into every big corporation engaged or proposing to engage in business between the States. It would have the power to discriminate sharply between corporations that are doing well and those that are doing ill; and the distinction between those who do well and those who do ill would be defined in terms so clear and unmistakable that no one could misapprehend them.”

  Roosevelt envisions a federal commission that can investigate and differentiate between beneficial and harmful corporations based on clear standards.

  This outlines Roosevelt's proposed solution for corporate regulation.