Truman- Roosevelt

From George Washington to George W. Bush, there has been forty-two presidents in the United States of America. Presidents with similar and contrasting personalities and political positions have led the United States of America throughout the good and the bad situations encountered. During the twentieth century, the U.S.A. experience some of the harshest time in its history. From World War I and the Great Depression to World War II and the Vietnam War, there were many presidents who struggled to keep America on its "feet". Some were successful such as FDR, while some were not very successful, Hebert Hoover. Right at the beginning of the twentieth century, Theodore Roosevelt became president. He served from 1901 to the year 1909. Later on the century, Harry S. Truman became president, serving from 1945 to 1953. Roosevelt, before becoming president was a governor from New York, while Truman was a senator. Both former presidents served in some kind of military service. Roosevelt became a hero by leading the Rough Riders during the Spanish- American War, in the other hand, Truman fought World War I. Both Theodore Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman had the opportunity of becoming presidents after the death of the presidents while they were serving as the vice-president. As presidents, Roosevelt and Truman were successful. Both presidents were willing to act upon the concerns of the society as well as the economy.
Roosevelt and Truman were both aware of America's need for improvement at the beginning of their presidency. During Roosevelt's term, the regulation of industry was a big concern, while at the time of Truman's term the United States had to struggle to get back to the economic status it was in before U.S. got involved in World War II. In response, Roosevelt and Truman created the Square Deal and the Fair deal respectively. Both were excellent deals that satisfied the needs for the economy and the social fabric. Roosevelt acted upon trusts. Additionally he regulated the railroad industry. He passed the Hepburn Act in 1906 which set maximum railroad rates. Roosevelt also contributed in the creation of the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act which ultimately benefited the society. Correspondingly, in Truman's Fair Deal, helping society was the main goal. Truman tried to establish various acts concerning civil rights, education, health care and housing. Unfortunately, congress did not agree with many of Truman's ideas, except for the concern of housing which led to the creation of the Housing Act of 1949.
During their presidency, Truman and Roosevelt had to face increments of labor unions and their various strikes. Both presidents tried to solved these strikes in a similar way. In the Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902 and in the National Railway Strike of 1946 both presidents made some kind of threat to solve the problem. Unfortunately, the agreements in both cases ended up having a negative effect in the economy.
In foreign politics, both presidents took different actions for different purposes. Roosevelt was largely involved with Latin America. He created the Roosevelt Corollary which allowed the U.S. to intervene in Latin American affairs to solve various problems such as corrupt governments. He was also however involved in other continents. Roosevelt helped to negotiate an end to the Russo- Japanese War. Truman was also heavily involved in international affairs. The most significant moment being his decision of dropping the atomic bombs in Japan in order to make Japan surrender, and maybe to also show the rest of the world how powerful the U.S. can be. He was involved in the Korean War, among others.
Both Roosevelt and Truman were mostly successful during their presidencies. They were able to take control of the country during difficult situations that had been started by the previous president of their time. Both made attempts to satisfy the needs of society and the economy. Although they were not successful in accomplishing everything they desired, they did brought more attention to the issues they tried to address.