In earlier times in the United States, presidents didn't really do much about economic issues. They believed that the government should keep the market free and not get involved in any way. It was only somewhere near the end of the 19th century that the government started getting involved when progressives started introducing laws to prevent trusts and monopolies and similar things.</span>
Compared with earlier presidents, modern presidents are more involved in "<span>economic issues", since many previous presidents didn't the power or inclination to deal with such matters. </span>
