>> AMERICA AT THE BEGINNING OF
THE 20TH CENTURY FOUND A GROWING CHASM BETWEEN THE RICH AND POOR.
THE COUNTRY'S PRIORITIES WERE CHANGING...
AS WAS THE PRESIDENCY. SINCE THE END OF THE CIVIL WAR,
CONGRESS AND THE DEEP POCKETS OF BIG INDUSTRY HAD DICTATED THE
COURSE FOR THE NATION. BUT ONE PRESIDENT WOULD TAKE BACK THE
REINS, FIGHTING FOR THE COMMON MAN...
JUST AS A GRISLY INTERNATIONAL FIGHT BEGAN THAT WOULD
TEST AMERICA'S STRENGTH... AND THE RESOLVE OF ITS LEADER.
>> IT IS THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT THAT MOST EMBODIES
THE HOPES AND ASPIRATIONS OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
IT'S A POSITION INVESTED WITH GREAT POWER, THAT IS DEFINED BY
CHALLENGES AND CRISES, BY THE BURDEN OF THE PAST AND VISIONS
OF THE FUTURE, AND BY THE PERSONALITIES OF THE 43 MEN WHO
HAVE BECOME PRESIDENT. A STORY OF AMERICA CAN BE TOLD
THROUGH... <i>THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE
PRESIDENTS.</i> >> DECEMBER 31, 1899--THE
EVE OF A NEW CENTURY. IN SAN FRANCISCO, EXTRA POLICE
WERE STATIONED ON THE STREETS TO WARD OFF AN EXPECTED WAVE OF
PUBLIC KISSING. NEW YORK CELEBRATED WITH A
THRILLING NOVELTY-- COLORED ELECTRIC LIGHTS.
AMERICA WAS MODERNIZING. NEW INVENTIONS--
CARS, RADIOS, MOVIES-- WERE TRANSFORMING THE NATION.
AND THEODORE ROOSEVELT WOULD PROVE TO BE THE RIGHT MAN FOR
THE RIGHT TIME. HE WOULD CHANGE THE ROLE OF
PRESIDENT FROM ADMINISTRATOR TO VISIONARY LEADER.
>> IN SO MANY RESPECTS, THEODORE ROOSEVELT IS THE FIRST MODERN
PRESIDENT. THE DEBATE WE ARE HAVING NOW OVER EXECUTIVE POWER
IS ONE THAT HE WOULD RECOGNIZE, BECAUSE HE IGNITED IT A CENTURY
AGO. >> THEODORE ROOSEVELT AS A BOY
WAS FRAIL, ASTHMATIC. THEODORE ROOSEVELT'S
FATHER SAID TO HIM AS A YOUNG BOY, "THEODORE, YOU HAVE THE
MIND BUT YOU DO NOT HAVE THE BODY, AND WITHOUT THE BODY, THE
MIND CAN NOT GO AS FAR AS IT SHOULD."
>> SO HE BUILT HIMSELF UP. HE LEARNED TO BOX.
HE WENT OUT WEST, WORKED ON RANCHES. HE BUILT
HIS BODY, AND HE MADE HIMSELF DO SO MANY THINGS THAT
WOULD PRODUCE THIS EXTRAORDINARY ADULT.
>> HE FIRST EARNED HIMSELF RECOGNITION AS NEW YORK CITY'S
POLICE COMMISSIONER, AND EVENTUALLY BECAME A
NATIONAL HERO IN THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR.
AND AS THE REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK, HE BECAME WELL
KNOWN FOR HIS PROGRESSIVE REFORMS.
>> HE'S TRYING TO CONTROL KIDS WORKING AROUND HEAVY MACHINERY.
AND HE'S SENDING INSPECTORS INTO FACTORIES AND
THIS IS REALLY UPSETTING THE PRO-BUSINESS WING OF THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY. AND THEY'RE SITTING AROUND
THINKING, "HOW DO WE GET RID OF HIM? HOW DO WE SEND HIM
SOME PLACE WHERE NO ONE WILL EVER HEAR FROM HIM AGAIN?
WHAT DO WE DO? WE'LL MAKE HIM VICE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES." >> MCKINLEY'S FIRST
VICE PRESIDENT, GARRET HOBART, DIED IN OFFICE.
AND SO MCKINLEY CHOSE THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
HIS FRIEND, MARK HANNA SHOOK HIS HEAD AND SAID, "DON'T YOU
REALIZE THERE'S ONLY ONE LIFE BETWEEN YOU AND THAT COWBOY?"
>> SEPTEMBER, 1901. SIX MONTHS AFTER HIS SECOND
INAUGURATION, MCKINLEY WAS ASSASSINATED.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT, AT 42 YEARS OLD, BECAME THE YOUNGEST
PRESIDENT THAT WOULD EVER HOLD THE OFFICE.
THE MAN REPUBLICANS WERE TRYING TO RID THEMSELVES OF WAS NOW IN
CHARGE. AND HE IMMEDIATELY CONFRONTED AN INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION THAT HAD ITS VICTORS AND VICTIMS.
>> FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AMERICAN POLITICS,
YOU GET A HUGE CONCENTRATION OF PRIVATE POWER IN THE FORM
OF LARGE CORPORATIONS-- THE GIANT TRUSTS.
>> THE TRUSTS, THROUGH THEIR CONTROL OF TRANSPORTATION
AND PRODUCTION OF BASIC NEEDS, HAD A STRANGLEHOLD ON PRICES.
FOOD COSTS WERE INCREDIBLY HIGH. THE AVERAGE SALARY WAS $750
PER YEAR. IT TOOK NEARLY HALF OF THAT JUST TO FEED AN
AVERAGE FAMILY OF FIVE. >> WHEN ROOSEVELT BECOMES
PRESIDENT IN 1901, THERE WAS NO INCOME TAX, THERE WAS
VERY LITTLE REGULATION. BUSINESS HAD GROWN TREMENDOUSLY
OVER THE PAST 40 YEARS AND MOST PRESIDENTS WERE WILLING TO JUST
LET IT HAPPEN. TEDDY ROOSEVELT WAS NOT.
TEDDY ROOSEVELT WANTED TO CREATE A SOCIETY THAT WAS MORE
BALANCED. AND HE SAW THE OFFICE OF THE
PRESIDENCY AT THE CENTER OF THAT STRUGGLE.
>> THEODORE ROOSEVELT BELIEVED THAT UNLESS PRESIDENTS
ACTED TO MITIGATE AGAINST SOME OF THE EXCESSES OF THE
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, THE ALTERNATIVE WOULD BE SOCIAL
CHAOS AND FUNDAMENTAL REVOLUTION.
>> ROOSEVELT DECIDED TO TAKE ON THE CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY.
THE MOST PERHAPS NOTORIOUS ONE WAS J.P. MORGAN, THE GREAT
FINANCIER. AND ROOSEVELT HAD NOT BEEN IN
OFFICE SIX MONTHS BEFORE HE INITIATED AN ANTI-TRUST LAWSUIT
AGAINST NORTHERN SECURITIES, A RAILROAD COMBINATION.
>> IN 1900, 90% OF THE COUNTRY'S CARGO TRAVELED BY TRAIN.
AMERICA WAS UTTERLY DEPENDENT ON THAT 200,000 MILE WEB OF STEEL.
AND NORTHERN SECURITIES CONTROLLED EVERY RAIL LINE
BETWEEN CHICAGO AND THE NORTHWEST.
>> IT DECIDED WHETHER TOWNS WOULD LIVE OR DIE.
IT WAS REALLY THE LIFEBLOOD OF AMERICAN COMMERCIAL SOCIETY.
ONE OF THE PROBLEMS IS THEY DISCRIMINATED AGAINST
SMALL SHIPPERS AND GAVE ADVANTAGES TO LARGE SHIPPERS.
SO HE PROPOSED SOMETHING CALLED THE HEPBURN ACT WHICH WOULD
PROHIBIT THE RAILROADS FROM DISCRIMINATING AGAINST SMALL
SHIPPERS. >> ROOSEVELT'S POINT
WAS NOT REALLY TO BREAK UP ALL OF THE TRUST.
IT WAS TO REMIND THE BIG CAPITALISTS, PEOPLE LIKE MORGAN,
ANDREW CARNEGIE, JOHN ROCKEFELLER, THAT IN A
DEMOCRACY, THE PEOPLE RULE, WHICH MEANT THAT CONGRESS AND
THE PRESIDENT HAVE THE LAST SAY. THIS IS NOT A COUNTRY OF, BY,
AND FOR CAPITALISM. >> MORGAN FOUGHT HIM ALL
THE WAY TO THE SUPREME COURT, WHERE ROOSEVELT WON.
A PRECEDENT WAS SET, ALLOWING THE PRESIDENT TO HAVE AN
EXPANSIVE VIEW OF THE OFFICE. >> HE EXPLICITLY SAID THAT
HE LOOKED AT THE CONSTITUTION AND DOES IT
SAY, CAN I NOT DO IT? AND IF IT DIDN'T SAY
HE COULDN'T, THEN HE FIGURED HE COULD.
>> IN CORESS, THERE'S MANY LEGISLATORS THAT
DON'T AGREE WITH ROOSEVELT AT ALL ABOUT HIS VISION FOR
AMERICA. THEY WANTED TO CONTINUE TO DO BUSINESS AS
BUSINESS HAD BEEN DONE IN THE PAST.
>> ROOSEVELT INHERITED THE OFFICE. HE WASN'T ELECTED.
HE HAD DEMOCRATS HE HAD TO DEAL WITH. HIS OWN REPUBLICAN PARTY
WAS DIVIDED. YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT
ROOSEVELT HAD NO MANDATE BUT HE MANUFACTURED ONE.
HE HAD A VISION OF THE PRESIDENCY.
HE WANTED TO USE IT AS A BULLY PULPIT TO TRY TO CHANGE
AMERICA. >> WHETHER IT WAS THROUGH
FIERY SPEECHES OR THE PRESS, ROOSEVELT'S GOAL WAS TO BUILD A
LEGISLATIVE AGENDA BY GAINING THE SUPPORT OF THE PEOPLE.
>> THEODORE ROOSEVELT COMES INTO OFFICE
DETERMINED TO CREATE A MODERN PRESIDENCY. HE WAS NOT
GOING TO RELATE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THROUGH THESE LAYERS OF
CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT--THE STATE LEGISLATURE, THE CONGRESS,
THE POLITICAL PARTIES. HE WANTED TO BUILD A DIRECT
RELATIONSHIP. >> HE TOOK HIS CASE TO
THE PUBLIC TO TRY TO CONVINCE CONGRESS.
AND PRESIDENTS DIDN'T DO THAT BEFORE. THEY DIDN'T GO OUT AND
SPEAK ON BEHALF OF POLICY. NOW IT'S VERY COMMON.
>> HE HAD AN AVENUE TO PUBLICITY THAT NOBODY ELSE HAD. T.R.
REALLY PIONEERS THIS IDEA OF A CELEBRITY PRESIDENT.
>> AMERICANS DIDN'T JUST HAVE A GROWING FASCINATION WITH
THEIR PRESIDENT, THEY WERE CAPTIVATED BY MANY NEW
SENSATIONS SWEEPING THE NATION. ANNUAL BASEBALL ATTENDANCE
WENT FROM ONE MILLION TO SEVEN MILLION.
PEOPLE WERE BUYING 10 MILLION BICYCLES A YEAR. AND THEY FELL
IN LOVE WITH ITALIAN OPERA SINGER ENRICO CARUSO, MAKING HIM
THE FIRST ARTIST TO SELL A MILLION COPIES OF A SINGLE SOUND
RECORDING. THE COUNTRY'S RAPID CHANGES WERE
FREQUENTLY FRONT-PAGE NEWS. AND ROOSEVELT KNEW IT WOULD BE
TO HIS POLITICAL BENEFIT IF HE WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THEM.
>> HE WAS THE PRESIDENT WHO EMBRACED THE GADGETS.
HE WAS THE FIRST PRESIDENT TO RIDE IN A CAR.
HE WAS THE FIRST PRESIDENT TO FLY IN AN AIRPLANE.
>> THE KEY IS THAT ROOSEVELT WAS PHOTOGRAPHED DOING ALL THESE
THINGS WHICH KEPT HIM IN THE PUBLIC EYE. AND IN DOING SO, HE
INCREASED THE VISIBILITY OF THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENCY.
>> HE GAVE INTERVIEWS TO THE PRESS WHILE BEING SHAVED.
HE MET WITH THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR WHILE HIKING.
AND HE NEVER STOPPED SPEAKING. >> I AM LEADING BECAUSE SOMEBODY
MUST LEAD OR ELSE THE FIGHT WOULD NOT BE MADE AT ALL.
>> HE KEPT A HUGE PERSONAL STAFF TO TAKE DOWN HIS
THOUGHTS--FOUR TYPISTS, SIX STENOGRAPHERS, SIX MESSENGERS,
AND SEVERAL CLERKS. >> ROOSEVELT ALSO TURNED
HIS PERSONAL LIFE INTO A PHOTO OP.
>> THEODORE ROOSEVELT KNEW THAT IT WAS VERY
ATTRACTIVE TO VOTERS. >> HE WAS A YOUNG,
VIRILE GUY WITH THIS LARGE FAMILY, WITH KIDS
RUNNING ALL AROUND THE WHITE HOUSE. AND SO THEODORE
ROOSEVELT, AT TIMES, WOULD BRING THE KIDS INTO THE LIMELIGHT.
>> EVERY DAY AT 4:00 PM, ROOSEVELT HAD CHILDREN'S HOUR--
READING OR PLAYING WITH HIS SIX CHILDREN, INCLUDING GAMES
OF HIDE-AND-GO-SEEK IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
>> HE INVENTED THE MODERN PRESIDENTIAL FAMILY.
THERE IS A DIRECT LINE FROM T.R.'S FAMILY TO JOHN F.
KENNEDY'S FAMILY. EACH WERE POPULARIZED. EACH BECAME PART OF
OUR EXTENDED FAMILY THROUGH THE MEDIA OF THEIR DAY.
>> TO MAKE ROOM FOR HIS LARGE FAMILY AND HIS HEAVY
WORKLOAD, ROOSEVELT INITIATED THE MOST EXTENSIVE RENOVATION IN
WHITE HOUSE HISTORY. HE ADDED A NEW WEST WING, TO
RELOCATE AND EXPAND EXECUTIVE OFFICE SPACE.
THE MODERN OVAL OFFICE WOULD EVENTUALLY BE CARVED OUT OF THE
SPACE IN 1934 BY HIS COUSIN, FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT.
T.R. ALSO OFFICIALLY RENAMED THE MANSION.
>> UNTIL HIS PRESIDENCY, THE PLACE WHERE THE PRESIDENT
LIVED WAS KNOWN AS THE "EXECUTIVE MANSION." WELL,
THEODORE ROOSEVELT DECIDED, WELL, HOW CAN PEOPLE ESTABLISH A
DIRECT RELATIONSHIP WITH AN EXECUTIVE MANSION?
SO HE CHANGES THE NAME OF THE PRESIDENT'S RESIDENCE TO THE
"WHITE HOUSE" SO THAT IT BEGAN TO SYMBOLIZE
THE PEOPLE'S HOUSE. >> BUT ROOSEVELT'S
REMODELING OF THE PRESIDENCY WENT MUCH DEEPER THAN RENAMING
THE MANSION AND KNOCKING OUT WALLS. HE WAS REMAKING THE
OFFICE TO SUIT HIS OWN UNIQUE PERSONALITY.
>> THEODORE ROOSEVELT NEEDED TO BE AT CENTER STAGE.
AS HIS DAUGHTER SAID, "TO UNDERSTAND MY FATHER, YOU NEED
TO REALIZE THAT HE MUST BE THE BRIDE AT EVERY WEDDING AND THE
CORPSE AT EVERY FUNERAL. >> HE'S THE FIRST PRESIDENT TO
REALLY EXTENSIVELY USE UNILATERAL PRESIDENTIAL POWER TO
GET THINGS DONE. THAT IS, TO ACT WITHOUT
HAVING TO HAVE CONGRESS PASS LEGISLATION.
>> THEODORE ROOSEVELT HAD VIRTUALLY NO PATIENCE WITH THE
LEGISLATIVE PROCESS. GET IT DONE YESTERDAY.
GET IT DONE BEFORE YESTERDAY. AND SO HE CREATED WAYS OF
GETTING THINGS DONE, EXECUTIVE ORDERS. I'LL JUST SIGN AN ORDER.
BOOM, IT'S DONE. >> HE WASN'T THE FIRST TO DO
SO--THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION WAS SUCH AN ORDER--
BUT WHILE A WAR-TIME PRESIDENT LIKE LINCOLN ISSUED 3, ROOSEVELT
ISSUED 1,006 EXECUTIVE ORDERS IN PEACETIME.
AND MANY OF THEM INVOLVED HIS PET CAUSE--CONSERVATION.
>> IN THE EARLY 1900S, WOOD WAS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE WERE
BUILDING OUR CITIES FAST AND FURIOUS.
SO THE COMMERCIAL PRESSURE TO GO INTO THE LANDS THAT WE NOW KNOW
AS THE NATIONAL PARKS WAS VERY STRONG.
>> ROOSEVELT USED THE PRESIDENTIAL PEN TO ENCLOSE
LARGE AREAS OF THE WEST AS NATIONAL FORESTS, SEVERAL
MILLION ACRES. THIS IS REALLY THE BEGINNING OF
A STRONG CONSERVATION MOVEMENT IN AMERICAN POLITICS.
>> CONGRESS CHALLENGED WHAT THEY BELIEVED WAS AN OVERREACH
OF EXECUTIVE AUTHORITY. >> THEY PASS SOME LEGISLATION
RESTRICTING THE ABILITY OF ROOSEVELT TO CLOSE OFF MORE
LAND. IN THE 10 DAYS IT TAKES FOR THAT BILL TO BECOME LAW, HE
SIGNS AN EXECUTIVE ORDER CLOSING OFF 16 MILLION MORE ACRES FOR
NATIONAL FORESTS. >> THEODORE ROOSEVELT, TO
THIS DAY, ENTERTAINED THE MOST SWEEPING ASSERTION OF EXECUTIVE
AUTHORITY. NOW WE TEND TO LOOK BACK AT THE OBJECTS FOR
WHICH HE GRABBED THIS POWER, AND SAY, "THANK GOD THAT HE
PRESERVED THE GRAND CANYON AND A HOST OF OTHER SITES FROM
COMMERCIAL EXPLOITATION. >> IT WAS OFTEN T.R.'S METHOD,
TO MOVE AHEAD IF HE KNEW IT WAS THE RIGHT THING,
AND LET THOSE MATTERS TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES IN TIME.
HE DIDN'T WANT TO LET CONGRESS STOP WHAT HE KNEW WERE THE
PROGRESSIVE THINGS THIS COUNTRY NEEDED, JUST TO TALK 'EM TO
DEATH. >> BUT THIS ACT FIRST/TALK
LATER ATTITUDE WASN'T JUST ROOSEVELT'S WAY OF DEALING WITH
DOMESTIC POLICY. IT WOULD SOON BECOME HIS WAY OF
DEALING WITH THE WORLD. >> 1910.
AFTER NEARLY 8 YEARS IN OFFICE, THEODORE ROOSEVELT WAS TOURING
EUROPE. AT THE START OF HIS PRESIDENCY, THE U.S.
HAD BEEN A FLEDGLING POWER. NOW, BECAUSE OF HIS EFFORTS, THE
COUNTRY WAS POISED TO BECOME A GLOBAL FORCE.
THE PROUD LEADER DELIVERED A ROUSING SPEECH IN FRANCE,
LAYING OUT HIS IDEALS FOR THE CHARACTER OF A STRONG COUNTRY.
>> IT IS NOT THE CRITIC WHO COUNTS BUT THE MAN WHO IS IN THE
ARENA. THAT IS, THE MAN WHO IS ACTUALLY IN THE FIGHT, WHOSE
FACE IS COVERED WITH DIRT AND MUD AND, AND ACTION.
>> T.R. BROUGHT THAT SAME DEFIANT ATTITUDE TO THE WHITE
HOUSE. BUT UNLIKE A COMBATIVE PRESIDENT
SUCH AS ANDREW JOHNSON, ROOSEVELT EFFECTIVELY CHANNELED
HIS FIGHTING SPIRIT TO MAKE AMERICA A GLOBAL FORCE FOR GOOD.
>> THEODORE ROOSEVELT THOUGHT THE PRESIDENCY SHOULD BE A BULLY
PULPIT. AND HE INTENDED TO USE THAT PULPIT TO ITS FULLEST
EXTENT. AND MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE ACCEPTING THAT THE
UNITED STATES IS GOING TO BE A WORLD POWER. AND ROOSEVELT
ESTABLISHES THE FOUNDATION. >> SO WE OFTEN DEBATE
IS IT THE MAN OR IS IT THE TIMES THAT MAKE A
GREAT PRESIDENT. IN ROOSEVELT'S CASE, IT'S A
MARRIAGE OF THE TWO. YOU HAD THE END OF THE
SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR AND AMERICA'S DREAM OF EMPIRE.
YOU HAVE A BOOMING ECONOMY. AND HERE YOU HAVE STEP ONTO THE
SCENE A MAN WITH A VISION FOR THE PRESIDENCY, WHO'S WILLING TO
CHANGE THINGS AT HOME AND WANTS TO PROJECT AMERICAN VALUES
ABROAD. >> ROOSEVELT REALLY HAS ALMOST A
MESSIANIC VIEW OF AMERICA'S PLACE IN THE WORLD.
HE BELIEVES THAT THE RIGHTEOUS USE OF FORCE ABROAD IS AS
IMPORTANT AS THE RIGHTEOUS USE OF GOVERNMENT POWER IN SOLVING
OUR DOMESTIC CRISES. >> TO MAKE HIS GLOBAL
AMBITIONS A REALITY, ROOSEVELT NEEDED TWO THINGS--A POWERFUL
NAVY AND A QUICK WAY TO MOVE THOSE SHIPS FROM THE ATLANTIC TO
THE PACIFIC. THE KEY TO THE SECOND WAS A
SWAMPY STRIP OF LAND CALLED PANAMA.
>> A CANAL WOULD ENABLE THE UNITED STATES TO PROJECT ITS
NAVAL POWER. ROOSEVELT TOOK THAT IDEA AND
DID SOMETHING ABOUT IT. >> THERE WAS ONE OBSTACLE
TO BUILDING THE 102-MILE-LONG CANAL--THE COUNTRY THAT OWNED
THE PROPERTY--COLOMBIA. THE SENATE RATIFIED A TREATY TO
LEASE THE LAND, BUT COLOMBIA REFUSED TO SIGN.
CONGRESS HAD TRIED THINGS THEIR WAY, AND NOW ROOSEVELT WOULD TRY
HIS. >> ROOSEVELT QUIETLY HELPED
FOMENT A REVOLUTION IN PANAMA, WHICH ESTABLISHES ITSELF AS AN
INDEPENDENT COUNTRY. AND TO HELP FOSTER THAT REVOLUTION,
ROOSEVELT STATIONED SHIPS CLOSE BY SO THAT COLOMBIA REALLY
COULDN'T GET THEIR TROOPS TO PANAMA TO PUT DOWN THAT
REVOLUTION. PANAMA DECLARES INDEPENDENCE
LIKE A FEW MINUTES AFTER THAT, MAYBE AN HOUR.
AMERICA RECOGNIZES PANAMA AS A COUNTRY.
>> T.R. WAS VERY SHREWD TO CREATE THIS NEW COUNTRY THAT
WOULD THEN CEDE TO THE U.S. THE RIGHTS TO BUILD A CANAL
THROUGH THEIR PROPERTY. >> WE BUILT THE PANAMA CANAL.
BUT THAT CREATED ILL FEELINGS IN LATIN AMERICA THAT WOULD LAST
FOR A LONG TIME. >> FUTURE PRESIDENTS WOULD
FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE OF TAKING BOLD ACTION IN LATIN AMERICAN
AND CARIBBEAN AFFAIRS, AND EXPECTING CONGRESS TO BACK THEM
UP. KENNEDY ATTEMPTED TO OVERTHROW CASTRO, REAGAN ORDERED
THE INVASION OF GRENADA, AND CLINTON SENT TROOPS TO HAITI
WITHOUT CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL. IT WOULD TAKE 12 YEARS
FOR THE PANAMA CANAL TO BE COMPLETED. BUT ROOSEVELT
COULDN'T WAIT THAT LONG TO SEE WHAT HE BELIEVED WOULD BE HIS
GREAT LEGACY. >> ROOSEVELT IS THE FIRST
PRESIDENT TO GO ABROAD. AND HE VISITED PANAMA AS THE PANAMA
CANAL WAS BEING BUILT. >> HOW ARE WE GOING TO ADDRESS
THE GROWING POLITICAL POWER AND MILITARY POWER OF THE U.S. IN A
WORLD WHERE FROM JAPAN TO GERMANY THERE ARE TENSIONS
A-BREWING? >> ROOSEVELT BELIEVED THAT THE
KEY TO PRESERVING AMERICA'S INTERESTS AND ALSO EXPANDING
AMERICA'S ECONOMIC INFLUENCE WAS TO HAVE A TWO-OCEAN NAVY.
AND THE KEY TO THAT WAS TO BUILD A CANAL THAT WOULD ALLOW
AMERICAN SHIPS TO MOVE QUICKLY FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE
PACIFIC. >> AS THE CANAL WAS BEING
CARVED OUT OF THE MUD, ROOSEVELT CONVINCED CONGRESS TO BUILD A
STRONG NAVY TO USE IT. HE MORE THAN DOUBLED THE NUMBER OF
PERSONNEL FROM 10,000 TO NEARLY 25,000, AND INCREASED ITS
BATTLESHIPS FROM 10 TO 25, MAKING IT SECOND IN THE WORLD
ONLY TO BRITAIN. TODAY, THE U.S. HAS THE LARGEST NAVY ON EARTH
WITH MORE THAN 300,000 ACTIVE DUTY PERSONNEL, AND 282
BATTLESHIPS, THE CULMINATION OF A GOAL ROOSEVELT HAD LONG BEFORE
HE BECAME PRESIDENT. >> HE HAD BEEN TO EUROPE.
HE HAD SEEN WHAT THE OTHER COUNTRIES WERE BUILDING AND SAID
THE U.S. MUST GET TO THIS POINT. STEEL-HULLED VESSELS, FAST,
SLEEK, WELL-ARMED FLOTILLA. >> DECEMBER 16, 1907.
ROOSEVELT SENT THE NEW AND IMPROVED NAVY ON A TRIP AROUND
THE GLOBE--A GRAND TOUR OF 16 BATTLESHIPS KNOWN AS THE GREAT
WHITE FLEET. HE WAS SETTING THE STAGE FOR THE
U.S. TO BECOME AN INTERNATIONAL POWER PLAYER, AND TO EMBODY ONE
OF HIS FAVORITE PHRASES-- "TO SPEAK SOFTLY AND CARRY A
BIG STICK." >> HE SENT THE GREAT WHITE FLEET
AROUND THE WORLD TO MAKE A STATEMENT, NOT
TO START A WAR. AND HE VERY SUCCESSFULLY, WITH THAT BIG
STICK, QUIETED THE POTENTIAL FOR WAR FOR A DECADE TO COME.
>> THE ONLY BATTLE WAGED OVER THE GREAT WHITE FLEET WAS
BETWEEN ROOSEVELT AND CONGRESS. THE TENTATIVE LEGISLATURE
THOUGHT SENDING THE NEW SHIPS AROUND THE WORLD WAS TOO
EXPENSIVE, AND AN UNNECESSARY DISPLAY OF BRAVADO.
THEY THREATENED TO WITHHOLD FUNDING FOR THE ENTIRE
OPERATION. ROOSEVELT CALLED THEIR BLUFF.
>> SO ROOSEVELT SENT THE FLEET HALF WAY AROUND THE WORLD AND
THEN DARED CONGRESS TO LEAVE THE FLEET THERE.
CONGRESS WOULD HAVE TO APPROPRIATE THE MONEY TO BRING
THE FLEET HOME AND, IN FACT, CONGRESS DID EXACTLY THAT,
GRUMBLING, BUT NONETHELESS, ROOSEVELT GOT WHAT HE WANTED.
>> BUT MANY OF T.R.'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS WOULD SOON BE
THREATENED BY THE MOST UNLIKELY OF SOURCES--HIS OWN HANDPICKED
SUCCESSOR. >> 1907.
TEDDY ROOSEVELT HAD A NICKNAME FOR THE NUMEROUS DOMESTIC
REFORMS HE HAD PUT IN PLACE-- THE "SQUARE DEAL."
HE HAD FORGED A BALANCE BETWEEN WORKERS AND EMPLOYERS, CONSUMERS
AND BUSINESSES. >> HE WAS A DOER AT A TIME THAT
WE NEEDED TO HAVE A LOT OF THINGS DONE QUICKLY,
EFFICIENTLY. I THINK WE LOOK AT T.R.'S
PRESIDENCY AS THE BRIDGE BETWEEN THE AGRARIAN 19TH CENTURY, AND
THE INDUSTRIAL 20TH CENTURY. >> WITH URBANIZATION, MORE
JOBS, AND GOVERNMENT REGULATION, MANY PEOPLE STARTED TO FIND
THEMSELVES WITH DISPOSABLE INCOME. A GROWING MIDDLE-CLASS
WAS SNAPPING UP NEW, AFFORDABLE GOODS-- GEORGE EASTMAN'S
ONE-DOLLAR CAMERA, HERSHEY'S CHOCOLATE. HENRY FORD'S
GROUNDBREAKING MODEL-T WOULD DEBUT THE NEXT YEAR, THE FIRST
CAR AIMED SQUARELY AT THE COMMON MAN. BUT NEAR THE END OF HIS
TERM, AFTER TRYING TO BALANCE THE SCALES OF THE COUNTRY,
ROOSEVELT FOUND HIS INFLUENCE OVER POLY AND CONGRESS WAS
WANING. HE HAD BECOME A LAME-DUCK PRESIDENT.
>> ROOSEVELT WOULD CONSIDER HIS FIRST TERM--THE ONE THAT HE HAD
INHERITED FROM WILLIAM MCKINLEY, AS THE EQUIVALENT OF A FIRST
TERM UNDER THE INFORMAL GEORGE WASHINGTON RULE OF NO MORE THAN
TWO TERMS. HE LATER SAID THAT HE WOULD HAVE
GIVEN HIS RIGHT ARM TO BE ABLE TO TAKE BACK THAT STATEMENT.
>> HE MADE SURE THAT HIS HEIR APPARENT WAS PUT IN
PLACE TO CONTINUE HIS LEGACY BECAUSE HE WAS FAR FROM THINKING
THAT HIS WORK WAS DONE IN CREATING THE MODERN PRESIDENCY,
AND PROGRESSIVE REFORM, AND EXPANDING AMERICA'S ROLE IN THE
WORLD. AND HIS HEIR APPARENT WAS WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT.
>> TAFT WAS ROOSEVELT'S SECRETARY OF WAR.
THE TWO MEN WERE VERY CLOSE. IN SOME WAYS ROOSEVELT THOUGHT
OF TAFT ALMOST AS HIS LITTLE BROTHER. ROOSEVELT BELIEVED THAT
TAFT HAD ABSORBED HIS PHILOSOPHY OF GOVERNMENT AND HIS VALUES.
AND HE THOUGHT IT'D BE PRETTY SAFE LEAVING THE COUNTRY IN
TAFT'S HANDS. >> TAFT'S DREAM WAS TO BE
APPOINTED TO THE SUPREME COURT. HE HATED THE DISCORD OF
POLITICS. >> TAFT WAS A GREAT
ADMINISTRATOR. HE WAS PERFECTLY SUITED
TO BE A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE--TO LISTEN TO ARGUMENTS
AND TO DRAW JUDGMENTS. BUT ROOSEVELT WAS A VERY
PERSUASIVE MAN. AND TAFT WAS NOT A GUY THAT
WAS GOOD AT SAYING "NO." SO TAFT ENDS UP IN A POSITION
THAT HE REALLY NEVER COVETED AND NO PERSON SHOULD BE PRESIDENT
UNLESS THEY COVET THE POSITION. >> IN THE 1908 ELECTION,
THE "SOLID SOUTH," WHICH HAD VOTED EXCLUSIVELY DEMOCRATIC
EVER SINCE THE END OF RECONSTRUCTION, HOPED THE THIRD
TIME WOULD BE THE CHARM FOR THEIR CANDIDATE, WILLIAM
JENNINGS BRYAN, A MAN WHO'D LOST TWICE TO BILL MCKINLEY.
BUT T.R.'S POPULARITY CARRIED OVER FOR THE REPUBLICAN TAFT,
EVEN THOUGH DURING THE CAMPAIGN, SOME JOKED THAT TAFT STOOD FOR
"TAKE ADVICE FROM THEODORE." >> SO IN HIS MIND,
HE SAW HIMSELF LEAVING THE PRESIDENCY IN GOOD HANDS
WITH HIS FRIEND, HIS TRUSTED COLLEAGUE,
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT. T.R. ENVISIONED A ROLE FOR HIMSELF
AS YET UNDEFINED IN TAFT'S PRESIDENCY.
>> 1909. AS TAFT TOOK OFFICE AS THE 27TH
PRESIDENT, IT BECAME CLEAR HE WAS VERY DIFFERENT FROM T.R.
A RELUCTANT LEADER, HE FELT OUT OF PLACE IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
HE CALLED THE MANSION "A PRISON" AND AVOIDED HIS JOB WHENEVER
POSSIBLE. >> TAFT LOVED GOLF.
HE WASN'T THAT GOOD. HE WAS A LARGE MAN. BUT HE ENJOYED
PLAYING. HE ALSO LOVED CARS. THE THINKER THAT HE WAS,
HE SHOULD HAVE INVENTED THE GOLF CART. MIXING GOLF AND
CARS WOULD HAVE SUITED HIS FANCY PERFECTLY.
>> TAFT DID HAVE A VISION OF FEDERAL ACTIVISM,
JUST A QUIETER AND NARROWER ONE. >> TAFT HAS REAL DOUBTS ABOUT
SOME OF THE EXERCISES OF EXECUTIVE POWER THAT THEODORE
ROOSEVELT HAD ENGAGED IN, IN CONSERVATION AND IN FOREIGN
POLICY. >> WHEN THE T.R.-APPOINTED
HEAD OF THE BUREAU OF FORESTRY PUBLICLY CRITICIZED TAFT FOR NOT
BEING A STRONG ENOUGH CONSERVATIONIST, TAFT PROMPTLY
FIRED HIM. THE MOVE WAS APPLAUDED BY PARTY
CONSERVATIVES. >> DURING ROOSEVELT'S
ADMINISTRATION, THE'S CONSERVATIVES WITHIN THE
PARTY REALLY HAD FELT BULLIED AND IGNORED.
SO NOW WHEN TAFT COMES IN, TAFT DOESN'T WANNA PICK A FIGHT WITH
THE CONSERVATIVES. AND TIME AND TIME AGAIN HE COMPROMISES WITH
THEM. SO IT SETS UP THIS BATTLE WITHIN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
BETWEEN THE CONSERVATIVES AND THE PROGRESSIVES WHO ARE NOW
INCREASINGLY ALIENATED BY TAFT. >> TAFT TRIED TO PLACATE
PROGRESSIVES BY PURSUING ANTI-TRUST LAWSUITS, BUT ENDED
UP WIDENING THE RIFT WHEN HE WENT AFTER THE GIGANTIC U.S.
STEEL TRUST. STEEL WAS ONE OF THE FEW TRUSTS
THAT ROOSEVELT THOUGHT WAS BENEFICIAL TO THE COUNTRY.
T.R. WAS FURIOUS WITH TAFT. >> THERE WERE ENOUGH OLD
ROOSEVELT SUPPORTERS. AND THEY STARTED WHISPERING IN
ROOSEVELT'S EAR, "YOU SHOULD BE PRESIDENT AGAIN. YOU COULD BE
PRESIDENT AGAIN." SO, ROOSEVELT DECIDED THAT HE
WOULD CHALLENGE TAFT FOR THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION IN 1912.
>> HE UNDERTAKES AN ASSAULT ON WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT,
PERSONALIZES A CONTEST BETWEEN THEM WHICH HAD NEVER
OCCURRED BEFORE IN AMERICAN POLITICS. AND I DON'T
THINK HAS OCCURRED SINCE. >> IT WAS SHOCKING TO MANY.
UP TO THAT POINT, ULYSSES S. GRANT HAD BEEN THE ONLY
PRESIDENT TO EVER SEEK A THIRD TERM.
>> BY 1912, TEDDY ROOSEVELT IS A VERY DIFFERENT POLITICIAN THAN
HE WAS IN 1901. HE HAD MOVED DRAMATICALLY TO THE LEFT.
CONSERVATIVES FEARED THE POSSIBILITY OF ANOTHER ROOSEVELT
PRESIDENCY. SO THEY RALLIED AROUND TAFT AND
NOMINATED HIM IN 1912. BUT ROOSEVELT WAS NOT ABOUT
TO GIVE UP. AND HE WENT OFF AND HE FORMED HIS OWN THIRD PARTY.
>> TO ROOSEVELT, THE ELECTION WAS LIFE AND DEATH FOR THE
COUNTRY. IT NEARLY WAS FOR HIM, AS WELL.
>> KNOWN TO SPEAK FOR MULTIPLE HOURS, T.R.'S
LONG-WINDEDNESS MIGHT HAVE SAVED HIS LIFE.
AT A CAMPAIGN STOP IN MILWAUKEE, AN ASSASSIN SHOT ROOSEVELT
DIRECTLY IN THE CHEST BEFORE A SCHEDULED SPEECH.
THE .32 CALIBER BULLET HAD BEEN SLOWED BY HIS METAL EYEGLASS
CASE, AND THE 50-PAGE SPEECH FOLDED IN HALF IN HIS BREAST
POCKET. WITH THE BULLET STILL IN HIS CHEST, T.R. DELIVERED HIS
90-MINUTE ORATION AS PLANNED. >> AND ROOSEVELT WON 27% OF THE
POPULAR VOTE. NO THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE BEFORE 1912 OR AFTER,
HAS COME CLOSE TO ACCOMPLISHING THAT.
>> THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS SPLIT WIDE OPEN. WOODROW WILSON'S
ELECTION IS ESSENTIALLY A FLUKE. AND HE WINS WITH ABOUT 42%.
AND IT'S A LANDSLIDE. >> T.R.'S CHOICE TO LEAVE
THE RANKS OF THE REPUBLICANS HAD LONG-LASTING IMPLICATIONS,
CHANGING THE FACE OF THE TWO MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES FOREVER.
>> IN SOME WAYS TEDDY ROOSEVELT, HE LOSES THE BATTLE. BUT HE WINS
THE WAR BECAUSE THE PROGRESSIVE WING, WHICH GOES WITH ROOSEVELT
IN 1912, NEVER ACTUALLY GOES BACK TO THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
>> THE LIBERAL DEMOCRAT NOW RUNNING THE COUNTRY WAS
WOODROW WILSON, A MINISTER'S SON. AND HE HAD GRAND PLANS FOR
THE NATION. HE DREAMED OF AN ETHICAL AND
RIGHTEOUS COUNTRY, NOT REGULATED BY GOVERNMENT, BUT BY
FAIR RULES AND ISOLATED FROM GLOBAL STRIFE.
WHAT HE GOT WAS THE BLOODIEST CONFLICT THE WORLD HAD EVER
SEEN. >> 1913. BUSINESS REFORMS AND
TRUST-BUSTING HAD HELPED STRENGTHEN A GROWING AMERICAN
MIDDLE CLASS THAT COULD NOW AFFORD THEIR OWN HOMES IN WHAT
WERE CALLED "STREETCAR SUBURBS." BUT IN MANY CITIES, THE POOR
LIVED IN TENEMENTS WITHOUT HOT WATER OR EVEN BATHROOMS.
AN ESTIMATED 25,000 DIED EACH YEAR IN WORKPLACE ACCIDENTS. AND
ANOTHER 700,000 WERE MAIMED OR DISABLED. THE NEWLY ELECTED 28TH
PRESIDENT, WOODROW WILSON, KNEW THERE WAS WORK TO DO. BUT HE
WOULD GO ABOUT THINGS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY.
>> ROOSEVELT BULLIED CONGRESS. TAFT BARGAINED WITH CONGRESS.
WILSON SEDUCED THEM. HE BROUGHT THEM INTO THE
WHITE HOUSE. HE ALLOWED THEM TO PARTICIPATE IN MEETINGS. AND
IT WAS HARD AT TIMES FOR CONGRESSMEN TO KNOW WHETHER
THEIR IDEAS WERE THEIR OWN OR WHETHER THEY CAME FROM THE WHITE
HOUSE. >> HE BELIEVED THAT LEADERSHIP
WAS BASED ON ORATORY, THE ABILITY TO PERSUADE OTHERS IN
VERBAL ARGUMENTS, AND VERBAL DEBATES. WILSON WAS A POLITICAL
SCIENTIST, A PHD, PRESIDENT OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY BEFORE
BECOMING GOVERNOR OF NEW JERSEY AND FROM THERE, PRESIDENT.
>> LIKE HIS PREDECESSORS, WOODROW WILSON CONTINUED TO CHIP
AWAY AT THE CONCENTRATED POWER OF BIG BUSINESS.
>> DESPITE THE PROGRESSIVE PRESIDENCY OF TEDDY ROOSEVELT
AND TAFT'S MOVE AGAINST THE TRUSTS, THERE WERE A LOT
OF BIG ISSUES THAT REMAINED UNRESOLVED. THE BANKING SYSTEM
WAS A MESS. THERE'S STILL CHILD LABOR. THERE'S STILL HIGH
TARIFFS. SO THERE WAS A LOT OF PROBLEMS
ON WILSON'S PLATE WHEN HE ASSUMES THE PRESIDENCY.
>> THE PRESIDENT SET HIS GOALS BEFORE CONGRESS IN PERSON,
SOMETHING THAT HAD BEEN DONE ONLY BY THE FIRST TWO PRESIDENTS
OF THE UNITED STATES. >> WOODROW WILSON WAS THE
ONE WHO RESURRECTED THE GEORGE WASHINGTON-JOHN ADAMS MODEL
OF DELIVERING THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS IN PERSON TO
CONGRESS. BECAUSE WILSON BELIEVED
THAT ONCE PEOPLE HEARD HIM SPEAK, THEY COULDN'T RESIST.
HE WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL. >> THE STORY GOES THAT AFTER HE
LEFT THE CONGRESS AFTER GIVING HIS FIRST SPEECH, WHICH WAS
A GREAT SUCCESS, DRIVING BACK TO THE WHITE HOUSE HE LAUGHED AND
SAID TO HIS WIFE, "THIS IS ONE THING THAT THEODORE ROOSEVELT
WOULD BE FURIOUS THAT HE DIDN'T THINK OF TO DO HIMSELF."
>> WILSON'S BOLD DECISION TO BRING HIS AGENDA DIRECTLY TO
CONGRESS WORKED. IN TWO YEARS HE ACHIEVED MORE REFORM LEGISLATION
THAN THE LAST TWO PRESIDENTS HAD IN 11.
>> WOODROW WILSON'S FIRST TERM IS A MASTERPIECE OF
LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP. WILSON SECURED THE FEDERAL
TRADE COMMISSION, TARIFF REFORM, ALL SORTS OF PROGRESSIVE
LEGISLATION. A WHIRLWIND UNMATCHED BEFORE THE
NEW DEAL. >> BY THE TIME WILSON TOOK OVER
IN 1913, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAD EIGHT CABINET DEPARTMENTS
AND HAD BALLOONED TO OVER 600,000 EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING
MILITARY AND CIVILIAN WORKERS. WHEN GEORGE WASHINGTON WAS
PRESIDENT, THERE HAD BEEN JUST 50 CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES AND FOUR
CABINET DEPARTMENTS. WILSON BELIEVED IN USING THIS EXPANSIVE
GOVERNMENT POWER TO LEAD AMERICANS INTO A NEW ERA OF
ECONOMIC FREEDOM. >> WILSON FELT AMERICA WAS TOO
TIED DOWN BY SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS
AND HE WANTED TO FREE AMERICA UP FOR COMPETITION ONCE AGAIN.
HE WANTS A BANKING SYSTEM THAT'S FAIR, A BANKING SYSTEM WHERE MEN
ON THE MAKE CAN GO AND GET THE MONEY THEY NEED TO MAKE MORE
MONEY. HE WANTED TO BREAK UP THE TRUSTS. HE WANTED ANTI-TRUST
REGULATION TO MAKE AMERICA A FAIR PLAYING GROUND AGAIN.
>> THE RESULT WAS WHAT MANY BELIEVE WAS THE MOST
IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENT OF WILSON'S PRESIDENCY--THE
FEDERAL RESERVE ACT OF 1913. >> THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM--
THEIR JOB WAS TO MANAGE THE MONEY SUPPLY OF THE UNITED
STATES. AND FOR ALL OF ITS STUMBLES, THE FED HAS BEEN A
VAST IMPROVEMENT OVER WHAT HAD GONE BEFORE.
>> MIDWAY THROUGH HIS FIRST TERM, THE 58-YEAR-OLD
PRESIDENT HAD A NUMBER OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS UNDER HIS BELT.
AND HE DID IT WITH SURPRISINGLY LITTLE EFFORT.
>> WE TEND TO THINK OF WILSON AS A GUY WHO WAS ALWAYS AT HIS
DESK. HE REALLY COULDN'T WORK MORE THAN THREE OR FOUR HOURS
EVERY DAY. HE SUFFERED FROM HEADACHES, MIGRAINE HEADACHES.
AND FOR RELAXATION, HE LOVED GOLF. HE PLAYED GOLF LITERALLY
EVERY DAY, MORE THAN ANY PRESIDENT WE'VE
EVER HAD. AND HE STILL DID A GREAT JOB IN OFFICE.
>> HE WAS A MAN WHO WAS VERY PIOUS. HE READ THE BIBLE EVERY
DAY, HE PRAYED EVERY DAY. A CONGRESSMAN, AFTER HE CAME
OUT OF A MEETING WITH WOODROW WILSON, HE SAID, "YOU KNOW, I
COULDN'T TELL WHETHER IT WAS THE PRESIDENT TALKING TO ME OR GOD."
AND HE BELIEVED THAT HE HAD A DIVINE MISSION TO LEAD THE
NATION. AND HE BELIEVED THE UNITED STATES HAD A DIVINE
MISSION TO LEAD THE WORLD. >> WILSON'S WORLDVIEW WAS
ABOUT TO BE PUT TO THE TEST. >> WILSON, AFTER HE WAS ELECTED,
SAID, "YOU KNOW, IT WOULD BE IRONIC IF FOREIGN POLICY HAD A
LOT TO DO WITH MY PRESIDENCY BECAUSE ALL MY TRAINING IS IN
DOMESTIC POLITICS." AND YET FROM 1915 ON, WITH THE
OUTBREAK OF THE GREAT WAR IN EUROPE, WILSON'S PRESIDENCY IS
CONSUMED BY FOREIGN POLICY. >> A PRESIDENT REACTS TO EVENTS
FAR MORE THAN HE CONTROLS EVENTS.
THE SECOND PRESIDENT BUSH FOUND HIS PRESIDENCY HIJACKED BY
EVENTS THAT NO ONE COULD HAVE PREDICTED. BARACK OBAMA DID NOT
RUN FOR PRESIDENT TO DEAL WITH A WALL STREET FINANCIAL CRISIS.
THAT WAS THRUST UPON HIM DURING THE CAMPAIGN.
PRESIDENTS DO THE UNEXPECTED BECAUSE THE UNEXPECTED IS WHAT
HAPPENS IN THE MODERN WORLD. >> WHEN WORLD WAR I BEGAN
IN 1914, IT WAS A BOON FOR AMERICAN MANUFACTURERS, WHO
SUPPLIED BOTH SIDES WITH FOOD, OIL, STEEL, AND MILLIONS OF
DOLLARS WORTH OF EXPLOSIVES. >> WILSON'S POLICY OF NEUTRALITY
WAS ALWAYS AN ILLUSION BECAUSE ENGLAND CONTROLLED THE SEAS,
WHICH MEANT THAT IT COULD STOP GERMANY FROM GETTING SUPPLIES.
SO THE ONLY WAY FOR GERMANY TO HAVE ANY CHANCE OF WINNING THE
WAR WAS TO START SINKING SHIPS-- SOMETIMES NEUTRAL SHIPS WITH
AMERICANS ON THEM AND ALSO AMERICAN SHIPS THEMSELVES.
>> DESPITE THE COUNTRY'S LONG-STANDING POLICY OF STAYING
OUT OF EUROPEAN WARS, WILSON REALIZED NEUTRALITY WAS NO
LONGER POSSIBLE. >> IN 1917, HE CHANGES HIS MIND.
WILSON GIVES THIS VERY FAMOUS SPEECH, WHICH ASKED CONGRESS TO
DECLARE WAR WHERE HE SAYS, "WE HAVE THE DUTY TO MAKE THE WORLD
SAFE FOR DEMOCRACY." HE REALLY MADE THE UNITED STATES
A CENTRAL PLAYER IN WORLD AFFAIRS.
>> IT'S THE PRESIDENT'S AUTHORITY AS COMMANDER-IN-
CHIEF, THE PRESIDENT'S LEADERSHIP DURING WARTIME, THAT
CAUSES AMERICANS TO CONCLUDE, WELL, WE HAVE TO GO ALONG WITH
OUR PRESIDENT. HE IS THE LEADER OF OUR COUNTRY,
AND THE COUNTRY IS UNDER THREAT. >> LIKE F.D.R.'S WAR POWERS
ACT DURING WORLD WAR II, AND GEORGE W. BUSH'S PATRIOT ACT
AFTER SEPTEMBER 11, FIGHTING FOR DEMOCRACY ABROAD GAVE WILSON THE
POWER TO CURTAIL FREEDOM AT HOME.
>> WHEN WE WERE SKIRMISHING WITH FRANCE, WE HAD THE ALIEN AND
SEDITION ACTS DURING THE ADAMS ADMINISTRATION.
WHEN ABRAHAM LINCOLN WAS PRESIDENT, THEY SUSPENDED THE
RIGHT OF HABEAS CORPUS, DURING THE CIVIL WAR.
WOODROW WILSON THREW PEOPLE IN JAIL, INCLUDING PEOPLE
THAT HE HAD RUN AGAINST FOR PRESIDENT, LIKE EUGENE DEBS.
WHEN YOU DO THAT BALANCING TEST BETWEEN SECURITY AND RIGHTS,
THE AMERICAN PUBLIC IS ALMOST ALWAYS GONNA GO FOR
SECURITY. >> EVEN MORE FAR-REACHING
WAS A LITTLE-KNOWN ACT, THE LEVER FUEL AND CONTROL ACT,
PASSED BY CONGRESS IN 1917. IT GAVE WILSON THE AUTHORITY TO
DICTATE THE PRICE AND DISTRIBUTION OF COAL, OIL AND
FOOD. IN JANUARY OF 1918, ALL FACTORIES EAST OF THE
MISSISSIPPI WERE ORDERED TO CLOSE DOWN FOR 4 DAYS TO
CONSERVE COAL. THE RAILROADS THAT TEDDY
ROOSEVELT HAD BATTLED TO SET FREE FROM MONOPOLIES, NOW FELL
UNDER GOVERNMENT CONTROL. >> THIS WAS ONE OF THE MOST
SWEEPING GRANTS OF PRESIDENTIAL AUTHORITY IN HISTORY.
ESSENTIALLY, WILSON HAD COMPLETE CONTROL OF THE ECONOMY.
AND AFTER THE WAR ENDED, THE EMERGENCY WAS OVER, CONGRESS
REPEALED THE ACT IN 1921. >> AS EUROPE WAS TEARING
ITSELF APART, WILSON WASN'T JUST BUILDING UP HIS AUTHORITY AT
HOME, HE WAS PREPARING AN IDEA THAT WOULD REDEFINE PEACE,
PROSPERITY, AND COOPERATION FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD.
>> 1917. WASHINGTON, D.C. WAS IN THE MIDST OF A MAKEOVER.
THOUSANDS OF BUILDINGS HAD BEEN BUILT SINCE 1900. TREES WERE
BEING PLANTED ON THE NATIONAL MALL. AND THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL
WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. BUT BENEATH THE CAPITAL CITY'S
FACELIFT, THERE WAS AN UNDERCURRENT OF ANXIETY. THE
COUNTRY HAD DECLARED WAR ON GERMANY.
>> MANY IN EUROPE LIKED THE IDEA THAT THE UNITED STATES WAS
COMING IN AND WOULD BREAK THE DEADLOCK.
THEY SAW THE UNITED STATES AS SOMETHING OF AN HONEST BROKER,
NOT LIKE THE SELF-INTERESTED COUNTRIES IN EUROPE ALREADY.
>> WE HAD NOT BEEN ATTACKED DIRECTLY. BUT WILSON
DECIDES WE HAVE NO RECOURSE BUT TO GET INVOLVED IN
THIS GREAT CONTEST. PARTLY BECAUSE HE SEES THAT
THERE MIGHT BE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE A NEW INTERNATIONAL
ORDER. >> 2.8 MILLION MEN WOULD BE
DRAFTED, AND THE TOP INCOME TAX RATE WAS
RAISED TO 77% TO HELP COVER $12 BILLION IN DEFENSE SPENDING.
IN JANUARY OF 1918, EIGHT MONTHS AFTER WAR HAD BEEN FORMALLY
DECLARED, WILSON LAID OUT HIS VISION WITH A SPEECH TO
CONGRESS. EVEN WITH PATRIOTISM RUNNING
HIGH, IT RECEIVED A MIXED REACTION.
>> THE "14 POINTS SPEECH" WAS PRAISED BY SOME IN THE UNITED
STATES, BUT OTHERS THOUGHT GEORGE WASHINGTON, THOMAS
JEFFERSON ESTABLISHED THE PRINCIPLE THAT EUROPE'S AFFAIRS
WERE EUROPE'S AFFAIRS. JAMES MONROE IN THE MONROE
DOCTRINE HAD SAID THE SAME THING.
AND WHAT HAD SERVED THIS COUNTRY WELL FOR OVER A CENTURY,
PRESIDENT WILSON SEEMS TO BE DENYING.
PRESIDENT WILSON SEEMS TO THINK THAT THE UNITED STATES WILL
BECOME THE WORLD'S POLICEMAN. >> AMERICA'S ENTRY INTO
THE WAR HAD SPELLED DEFEAT FOR GERMANY.
BUT THEIR SURRENDER IN NOVEMBER OF 1918 SET THE STAGE FOR THE
GREATEST BATTLE OF WILSON'S CAREER.
>> WILSON'S DREAM WAS TO MAKE THE WORLD SAFE FOR
DEMOCRACY. AND THE KEY INSTITUTION IN THAT DREAM WAS
THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS, A WORLD GOVERNING BODY THAT
WOULD SETTLE DISPUTES AND PREVENT THINGS LIKE WORLD WAR I
FROM BREAKING OUT. BY 1919, AMERICANS WERE WEARY OF
BEING INVOLVED IN WORLD AFFAIRS. THEY WERE TIRED OF WOODROW
WILSON'S MORALIZING. AND THEY WERE SKEPTICAL
OF CEDING NATIONAL POWER TO AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION
LIKE THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS THAT WOULD MAKE DECISIONS FOR THE
UNITED STATES. >> SUCCESSFUL PRESIDENTS ALWAYS
REMEMBER THAT SUCCESS IN A DEMOCRACY CONSISTS OF NEVER
GETTING MORE THAN A HALF-STEP AHEAD OF THE COUNTRY.
IF YOU'RE MORE THAN A HALF-STEP AHEAD OF THE COUNTRY YOU GET TOO
FAR AHEAD AND NOBODY WILL FOLLOW YOU.
>> THEN HIS PARTY LOST THE MAJORITY IN 1918. AND SO HE
CONTINUED TO SERVE AS PRESIDENT WITH A REPUBLICAN MAJORITY.
AND THEY WERE AT LOGGERHEADS. IT'S A TERRIBLE LAST TWO
YEARS OF HIS ADMINISTRATION. >> CONGRESS DREW THEIR
BATTLE LINES OVER ONE PARTICULAR POINT OF THE TREATY--ARTICLE X--
THAT PLEDGED THE U.S. TO DEFEND ANY MEMBER NATION THAT CAME
UNDER ATTACK. >> THE REPUBLICAN CONTROLLED
CONGRESS DOESN'T LIKE ARTICLE X. BUT WILSON WON'T COMPROMISE.
THREE TIMES THE TREATY'S BROUGHT UP TO VOTE.
IT'S NEVER PASSED. WILSON'S SOLUTION FOR THE IMPASSE
WITH CONGRESS IS TO USE THE CELEBRITY PRESIDENCY LIKE T.R.
HAD DONE IT. HIS IDEA IS, "I'M TAKING THIS
BEYOND CONGRESS. I'M GOING TO THE PEOPLE. I AM GOING TO GET
THE PEOPLE ENERGIZED AND ON MY SIDE. AND CONGRESS WILL BE
UNABLE TO RESIST THE PEOPLE." >> IN ORDER TO SAY THAT, HE
DECIDES HE'S GOING TO APPEAL TO PUBLIC OPINION.
AND FOR A WHILE IT LOOKED LIKE THAT TREATY WAS VERY POPULAR.
HE GOES OUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY GIVING SPEECHES IN DEFENSE OF
THE LEAGUE OF THE NATION. >> AFTER HITTING 23 CITIES
IN 3 WEEKS, THE EXHAUSTED 62-YEAR-OLD PRESIDENT REACHED
PUEBLO, COLORADO. >> HE HAS A STROKE, LITERALLY,
ON THE PLATFORM AS HE'S SPEAKING IN PUEBLO, COLORADO.
JUST...STOPS...DEAD. >> IT WASN'T THE FIRST TIME A
SITTING PRESIDENT BECAME SERIOUSLY ILL.
IN 1893, GROVER CLEVELAND HAD SURGERY FOR MOUTH CANCER,
SECRETLY ABOARD A FRIEND'S YACHT, AND MANAGED TO KEEP THE
AMERICAN PUBLIC IN THE DARK. BUT WILSON'S ILLNESS WAS FAR
MORE DEBILITATING. BY SOME ACCOUNTS HE WAS SIMPLY
WEAKENED--BY OTHERS, HE BECAME LITTLE MORE THAN A SHUFFLING
ZOMBIE. >> HE IS NEVER ABLE TO COMMAND
THE PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED STATES AGAIN.
HE VERY RARELY RECEIVES VISITORS, EVEN AMONG HIS OWN
CABINET. NOT EVEN HIS VICE PRESIDENT, WHO
REALLY RUNS AWAY FROM EXERCISING ANY DEGREE OF POWER.
>> THE PERSON WHO DID FILL THE VOID WAS WILSON'S 2ND WIFE
EDITH, WHO FEARED IF WILSON RESIGNED, IT MIGHT KILL HIM.
>> EDITH WILSON BECAME ALMOST AN ACTING PRESIDENT WHEN WILSON
SUFFERED HIS STROKE. AND DURING THE LAST 18 MONTHS OF
WILSON'S PRESIDENCY, THERE IS ROOM TO SAY THAT SHE BECAME
ALMOST THE FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
WE'LL NEVER KNOW EXACTLY BECAUSE SHE SO CONTROLLED ACCESS
TO THE PRESIDENT. HOW MUCH OF WHAT WAS COMING OUT
OF WILSON'S OFFICE WAS WOODROW WILSON, HOW MUCH WAS EDITH
WILSON? >> UNABLE TO FIGHT FOR HIS
BELOVED LEAGUE OF NATIONS, AND UNWILLING TO COMPROMISE AFTER
YEARS OF TOTAL CONTROL, WILSON WOULD NOT SIGN THE SENATE'S
MODIFIED VERSION OF THE TREATY, WITH TERRIBLE CONSEQUENCES.
>> AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE VICTORS IMPOSED A
HARSH PEACE TREATY ON GERMANY WHICH LEAD TO FINANCIAL RUIN AND
ALLOWED FOR THE RISE OF A NEW NATIONALISTIC LEADER WHO
PROMISED TO RETURN GERMANY TO ITS GLORY DAYS.
THE MAN WAS ADOLF HITLER. >> IN THE END, WILSON,
LIKE THEODORE ROOSEVELT BEFORE HIM, WON A NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FOR
HIS EFFORTS IN FOREIGN POLICY. BOTH MEN STEERED THE UNITED
STATES INTO A PREMIER INTERNATIONAL ROLE,
WITH THE PRESIDENT CLEARLY, FOR BETTER OR WORSE, THE MAN
LEADING THE WAY. >> UNTIL ROOSEVELT, CONGRESS HAD
A CLAIM TO BE THE PREEMINENT BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT.
BUT BY THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY WITH ROOSEVELT, IT'S THE
PRESIDENT CLEARLY WHO IS THE FOCUS OF AMERICAN POLITICAL
ATTENTION. >> TEDDY ROOSEVELT CREATES THE
MODEL THAT EVERY ACTIVIST PRESIDENT FROM HIS COUSIN,
FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT, UP TO BARACK OBAMA, WOULD FOLLOW.
IT'S THE BELIEF THAT THE PRESIDENT PLAYS THE KEY ROLE IN
PROTECTING THE GENERAL WELFARE AT HOME AND IN
PROJECTING AMERICAN POWER AND INFLUENCE AND VALUES ABROAD.
>> WOODROW WILSON SAID THE PRESIDENT CAN BE AS BIG A MAN AS
HE CAN BE. AND SO HE WOULD ARGUE THAT THE
MAN CAN MAKE THE OFFICE, IF YOU HAVE AN IMAGINATIVE
ENOUGH IDEA OF THE PRESIDENCY, THAT YOU CAN THEN TRANSFORM THE
OFFICE AND WHAT IT CAN DO. >> THE START OF WHAT CAME
TO BE CALLED THE AMERICAN CENTURY BROUGHT REVOLUTIONARY,
PROGRESSIVE CHANGES--A PAIR OF PRESIDENTS TOOK THE COUNTRY FROM
AN EMERGING ECONOMIC MACHINE AND TURNED IT INTO A GLOBAL POWER
PLAYER. BUT THE NATION WOULD NEED EVERY
TOOL THEY'D CREATED TO FIGHT OFF A CRISIS THAT WOULD STRIKE AT
THE HEART OF AMERICAN PROSPERITY,
A DEPRESSION THAT WOULD THREATEN TO BREAK THE COUNTRY'S SPIRIT
AND TEST ITS LEADER LIKE NEVER BEFORE.