The New Nationalism,
the New Freedom, and
the Election of 1912

The Progressive Era in national politics in many ways culminated with the presidential election of 1912. The incumbent William Howard Taft had the support of the Republican Party delegates and thus fended off the nomination challenge of Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt in turn formed the Progressive Party, which ran on the policies of the New Nationalism. The Democrats nominated Woodrow Wilson, another progressive candidate who promised a New Freedom for Americans. And still another reform candidate, Eugene V. Debs, ran under the banner of the Socialist Party.

Wilson easily won the election over the split Republican vote. Once he was in office, Wilson’s policies looked very similar to those of the New Nationalism, and the eventual United States involvement in World War I cast a shadow over the progressive cause. But in the early 1910s the progressive cause had captured the attention of the nation and reached all the way to the presidency. Indeed, in 1912 the three reform candidates—Roosevelt, Wilson, and Debs—polled 75 percent of the popular vote.

The following documents provide examples of the different strains of progressivism proposed by Roosevelt, Wilson, and Debs. As you examine these sources, consider how each candidate attempted to differentiate himself from his competitors.