Progressive Characters

                                                                Theodore Roosevelt

   Theodore 'Teddy' Roosevelt was born in New York City; he was a sickly child, and was bedridden for most of his childhood. When he was older, and gained more strength, he participated in as many recreational activities as he could, wanting to take in as much exercise and freedom as he could. Eventually, he went to Harvard, graduated, and took his place of duty in the NYC Police Force; he was taught that a life of service was a worthy life, and created a police force to be reckoned with.
    In Roosevelt's term as president, he created the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which ensures that meat and other foods were healthy and the Square Deal which aided the poor and the needy. He also added the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, and stated that the U.S. would get involved with Central and South America if European countries attempted to invade. Roosevelt also created the Progressive Party in an attempt to run for president again and make real progressive change.
   Teddy Roosevelt tried to make progressive change in a way that helped the lower working class have a fighting chance against the bigger corporations who owned them. He was the first president to ever side with workers who were striking against the unfair working conditions; he even threatened the owners with military attacks if anything were to "happen" to the workers. He also tried to instill a sense of duty in Americans to offer aid to other countries like his father and grandfather had instilled in him.
                                                                   Woodrow Wilson

     Woodrow Wilson was initially a bookworm in his younger days before he became president; he graduated from Princeton, gaining a Ph.D and eventually becoming the university president. However, before he became university president, he was a teacher at the university for quite some time. He also created the idea of Moral Internationalism while immersed in his academics.
      Wilson's idea of Moral Internationalism was that the United States owed it to themselves and other countries to be involved in foreign affairs due to their power and wealth; it was also believed that freedom and democracy should be brought to other places as well. He also created the 14 Points, which were 14 ideas that kept a progressive pace plan; these were also known as ideas which would better the country and lead into a greater social change.  One more thing Wilson attempted to do was try to pass the Treaty of Versailles, which was a peace settlement to end World War I.
     Wilson's attempt to bring progressive change to the U.S. Moral Internationalism and through the League of Nations. The idea of Moral Internationalism was to help the nation become more politically involved in the foreign affairs of the world, therefore exposing them to other realities other than their own. The League of Nations was one of the 14 Points; it called for a council of leaders from all over the globe and discussions of how to solve worldly problems would follow.
                                                                        Ida Tarbel 

       Ida Tarbel was born in rural Pennsylvania in 1857 to a family of teachers and farmers; she grew up in a tough love environment which led to the success of her and her father's wildcat oil wells. Tarbel attended high school only after John D. Rockefeller had 'acquired' her father's business and graduated from Allegheny College; she was the first women to attend and graduate from the college. She earned a degree in chemistry and taught high school science in Ohio, eventually leaving the job for a more fulfilling life.
      Tarbel became a writer; more specifically, she began to write investigative journalism pieces. She also wrote a biography of Madame Roland (important figure in the French Revolution) which exposed her writing style to McCLure's magazine; she right away took a job at the magazine, becoming head writer and editor after writing a 10 part series on the life of Abraham Lincoln. She also wrote a 19 part series on the life and business of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller in order to expose the corrupt business deals that had cost her father and other farmers their land.
      Tarbel was a muckraker, meaning she wrote facts which in turn exposed the truth; this was how she had exposed the corruption of the oil company. Her writing led to an investigation of the Standard Oil Company and its disbandment into six different companies, effectively ending Rockefeller's reign.
                                                    Robert La Follette "Fighting Bob" 

      Robert La Follette was born in Wisconsin in 1855; he was raised on a farm and used this to help his own fight for the poor. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin and was the first on his family to. He then became the District Attorney and was eventually elected to the House of Representatives where he began going after corrupt politicians from both Democrats and Republicans.
      He created the ideas of initiative, which was the ability of citizens to make and pass a law without help of legislature, and referendum, which was the ability to end an elected official's time in office before the next election. He also began The Wisconsin Idea to try to give the government back to the people and give America more of a direct democracy in order to take away power from the corrupt elite (corporations and parties). La Follette also ran and was elected Senator of the state of Wisconsin; he was one of the few that went against Wilson's declaration of war, openly speaking against it in public speeches.
      La Follette was open to speaking his opinions whether or not they were deemed necessary or even wanted; he was especially prone to making speeches which gained him many enemies; these speeches made him susceptible to being accused of treason. He also felt that both natural born and immigrants alike had a duty to keep on the values that drove the American spirit during the country's revolution days. Everyone had a right to speak their mind.
                                                                 John D. Rockefeller

      John D. Rockefeller was the second oldest of a group of six children to a farming family in upstate New York City; he attended school and after high school went to the Folsom Mercantile College and finished a bookkeeping course. He began to work as an assistant bookkeeper at the Hewitt and Tuttle Firm. After many promotions, Rockefeller formed his own business with a partner, later turning it into an oil refinery business, renaming it Standard Oil.
     Rockefeller was a master at monopoly, meaning he was in control of all the oil in the Ohio region with no competition. He also learned how to control the means of production, completely dominating the oil business and every part of production. Predatory pricing was also a useful method of his; he would lower his prices to less than his competitors, and when he bought them out, the prices skyrocketed with no other place to buy his product as he was the only producer.
     Rockefeller's business endeavors soon came to an after interference with muckracker Ida Tarbel and her infamous 19 part series of his life and corrupt business. His company was forced to break up into six different companies, effectively ending his reign. He became a philanthropist, and gave his money away to may organizations until his death in 1937.
                                                                    Eugene V. Debs

    Eugene V. Debs was born in a German family in Terre Haute, Indiana; life as an immigrant was difficult, yet their knowledge was as vast as the family library.  His family opened a general store and later became trusted members of the community; after finishing high school, Debs went to work at the Union Pacific Railway, but left the dangerous job to do union work and became a union activist.
    After creating the American Railway Union, he ventured far and wide to gain rights for workers, even opening a publishing company to get the voices of the workers and their situation heard. He and the ARU stood behind the Pullman Strike and gave the workers their support, although Debs was jailed for having been involved. The Great Railway Strike was one of his proudest moments, giving all he had into helping the workers earn their rights.
    Debs was a progressive reformer at heart, from his creation of the ARU to his endorsement of the Women's Suffragist Movement. He even continued his talks and motivation while he was in jail, uplifting the jailers and prisoners alike. He died in his home in Terre Haute after having met President Harding on an invitation to the White House.

The Flux of the Puerto Rican/Cuban Immigrant

     Nowadays, we know Puerto Rico as part of the United States, while Cuba is one of our worst enemies; however, it did not start put this way. Decades ago, both islands were unto themselves and not bothered by the U.S.. They are located near the Greater Antilles, and in between Florida and Venezuela; both of their inhabitants contain Spanish origins. These islands intertwine with the history of the United States and had vastly different experiences with the challenges of 20th century migration from the islands to the mainland. \
      The first man of European descent to land on the islands was Christopher Columbus, an explorer who was endorsed by the King and Queen of Spain to discover more land to expand their territory. The were eventually colonized, used as military bases in the beginning and developed into gold mines and plantations; their resources were some of the first exploitation of natural resources, including the original inhabitants. The natives were killed off by diseases, horrible treatment bot physically and mentally, and overwork. Eventually, they were bumped off the number one use of laborers and replaced by Africans in the mines and fields. The islands were huge economic breakthroughs with the growing of sugar, coffee and tobacco plantations. However, eventually the Spanish and African inhabitants rebelled against the Spanish rule; Cuba and Puerto Rico were nearing their independence. The US then entered the Spanish American War, which resulted in the obtainment of Puerto Rico and Cuba; whereas Puerto Rico would become a commonwealth, Cuba would eventually become a near enemy.
       The island of Puerto Rico has been property of the US since its annexation, yet it has never been considered a state nor do Puerto Ricans have the citizen's right to vote for Congress. Legally, a Puerto Rican can move around the 50 states and live there as it is considered internal migration. On the other hand, the completely different cultures of both places made Puerto Ricans feel uncomfortable and many did not migrate; there was as little as 40,000 people moving in a time span of two decades. Eventually, at the end of WWII, immigration from Puerto Rico burst; in 1945, there were 13,000 Puerto Ricans in NYC and a decade later, there were almost 700,000. By the mid 1960's, there was more than 1 milllion. The reason for the immigration explosion? Affordable air fare.
        There were many cities with P.R. inhabitants, the including ones being Chicago, Philadelphia and Newark; many also moved to New England as well. In the 1930's, New York City was the capital of P.R., with Northeast Manhattan being the main center; it was also known as Spanish Harlem, and the place where much of the Puerto Ricans gained a political and cultural life. Migration to the U.S. slowed down due to urban recession; the poverty, unemployment and racial discrimination in the 50's and 60's played a big role. The second generation of Puerto Ricans were the ones to fight back and began to organize and protest against the unjust treatment. in 1951, a referendum for Puerto Rico lead it to becoming a commonwealth though many wanted it to be fully independent. Retaliation included an attempted assassination of the President and on the House of Representatives, showcasing the strong feelings that Puerto Ricans kept bottled inside. At the beginning of the 21st century, there were more established routes to the U.S. mainland and at the present day, there are Puerto Ricans who have even secured government jobs.
       In the late 19th century, Cubans were moving as the wanted between Florida and the island to participate in trade of sugar, tobacco, and coffee; evetually, cigar companies moved their plants to the U.S. mainland, meaning the workers did so as well. These companies were located in the main centers of Key West and Ybor City; Cubans crossed the strait in order to secure there jobs at these factories. The immigration of Cubans was 50,000 to 100,000 moving to an from Havana, Key West and Tampa annually. The U.S. began to take great interest in Cuba's enterprises and eventually interfered to secure their own involvement. In the 1950's, Fulgencio Bautista was leader of Cuba, and was overtaken by Fidel Castro in a rebellion against his tyranny. Eventually, Casto made himself dictator and severed alliance with the U.S.; many of the immigrants found themselves suffering from all the different international policies. Flights to Cuba were cancelled due to the hostility and in the brief time that flights from Mariel to the U.S. was available, over 125,000 left; these immigrants were known as the Marielitas. In the 1980's and 1990's, flotillas became a common occurrence and mode of transportation to the U.S. from Cuba; the U.S, agreed that any Cubans found on these would be returned to Cuba.
       The Cubans only expected to stay for a short while as their government was being fixed but soon realized that they would have to stay permanently; this lead to a new generation of Cubans in Florida. In the 1980's, the population was 580,000 in Miami, and people created communities to remind them of their homeland. Eventually, around 50% of hotels in Miami were run by Cuban Americans. They gained a successful reputation.
       Both Spanish Harlem and Miami and capitals for Puerto Rican Americans and Cuban Americans. They changed the dynamic of these locations in a white based America, bringing with them new dialect, languages, music, and overall cultures.