he relationship between government and business used to be more conciliatory than predatory. When Laissez-faire economics ruled the day, politicians were far less willing to regulate either the generally honest financiers or the unscrupulous robber barons.
This imaginary barrier shattered when Theodore Roosevelt unexpectedly became president following William McKinley's assassination on Sep. 14, 1901. Roosevelt was worried about the growth of big business, Wall Street's influential hand, and financial takeovers by large companies that threatened the existence of their smaller counterparts. He wanted to reshape business through government regulation, and his first target was one of America's great entrepreneurs, John Pierpont (J.P.) Morgan.
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