The New Freedom · Character

Mr. Roosevelt

The former president whose benevolent-sounding trust platform Wilson reads line by line, then dismantles as rhetoric that leaves corporate power exactly where it stands.

supporting

Also known as Theodore Roosevelt

First appearance: i the old order changeth

As a supporting figure in The New Freedom, Mr. Roosevelt is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Referenced indirectly in the context of conservation and monopoly; Wilson challenges the idea that those close to government (like Roosevelt's trust policy) can save the people…

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Roosevelt stands in this book as Wilson's most formidable rival for the direction of reform: a man whose platform promises uplift, publicity, and a commission to discipline the trusts, and whose personal magnetism makes the promise feel like action. Wilson's objection is not to the goals but to the mechanics — he insists that regulation by executive commission quietly accepts monopoly as permanent and asks the trusts to grant as pity what citizens should take as justice. That quarrel over who actually governs defines the argument Wilson is building.

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See Mr. Roosevelt in i the old order changeth

Character Web

1 connection

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Relationship types

Professional

Character groups

Diverse illustrative figures

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

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Relationships

Pat
professional · positive

Relationship notes

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See Mr. Roosevelt in i the old order changeth

In the story

Mr. Roosevelt appears across 4 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

III: Freemen Need No Guardians
Referenced indirectly in the context of conservation and monopoly; Wilson challenges the idea that those close to government (like Roosevelt's trust policy) can save the people from monopolies.
VIII: Monopoly, or Opportunity?
Wilson implicitly contrasts his own trust-busting approach with Roosevelt's plan for regulation, arguing that trusts are not inevitable and should be dismantled rather than accepted.
IX: Benevolence, or Justice?
Wilson critiques Roosevelt's trust plank, which accepts monopoly and proposes regulation by a commission, arguing it perpetuates control by special interests.
XI: The Emancipation of Business
Referenced indirectly through the rejection of Roosevelt's trust regulation plan, as Wilson advocates for a different approach to monopoly.

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See Mr. Roosevelt in i the old order changeth

See Mr. Roosevelt in III: Freemen Need No Guardians