12.9. The Square Deal

Theodore Roosevelt's Rise to Presidency

• Theodore Roosevelt was not initially expected to hold significant presidential power.

• He was elected as Vice President in 1900.

• Political maneuvering in New York aimed to remove him from state politics by elevating him to a national office.

• Following President McKinley's assassination approximately six months into his second term, Roosevelt ascended to the presidency.

Background of Theodore Roosevelt

• Born into a wealthy New York family.

• Combatted asthma through rigorous physical training.

• Became skilled in marksmanship and horsemanship as a teenager.

• Participated in wrestling and boxing while attending Harvard University.

• Spent time on a North Dakota ranch in the 1880s after his first wife's death, before returning to New York politics.

• Served three terms in the New York State Assembly.

• Held positions as New York City's police commissioner and Assistant Secretary of the US Navy.

• Organized the Rough Riders Volunteer Cavalry Brigade during the Spanish-American War in 1898 and fought in Cuba.

• Elected governor of New York upon returning from the war.

• Elected Vice President and subsequently became President after McKinley's assassination in 1901.

• At 42, he was the youngest person to become U.S. President.

Roosevelt's Presidency

• Known for his dynamic personality and active lifestyle.

• Engaged in activities such as boxing with professional fighters, resulting in blindness in his left eye.

• Demonstrated physical endurance by riding 100 miles on horseback in a single day.

• He was an avid hunter and outdoorsman.

• His motto was, "In life like a football game, the principle to follow is, hit the line hard."

• Roosevelt utilized his personality and popularity to promote progressive reforms.

• He believed in federal intervention when states failed to address problems.

• He believed it was the President's duty to act as a steward of the people, with the authority to do whatever was necessary for the people's needs unless explicitly forbidden by the Constitution or laws.

1902 Coal Miners' Strike

• 140,000 coal miners in Pennsylvania initiated a strike.

• The miners demanded:

  • A 20% wage increase.

  • A nine-hour workday.

  • The right to organize a union.

• Mine owners, including George Baer, refused to negotiate.

• George Baer, a mine owner and owner of the Reading Railroad, believed it was his religious duty to defeat the strikers.

• Baer stated, "the rights and interests of the laboring men will be protected and cared for, not by labor agitators but by Christian men to whom God in his infinite wisdom has given control of the property investments of this country."

• Roosevelt was angered by the mine owners' arrogance.

Federal Intervention

• The strike lasted for several months, leading to coal shortages, factory and school closures, and suffering in hospitals.

• President Roosevelt intervened by inviting both sides to the White House.

• The mine owners maintained their arrogance during the meeting.

• Roosevelt considered the threat of federal government takeover of the mines to resume coal production.

• Both parties eventually agreed to arbitration.

Resolution of the Strike

• In 1903, the arbitration commission proposed a wage increase and shorter workdays.

• The settlement included:

  • A 10% pay increase for mine workers.

  • A nine-hour workday.

  • The workers relinquished their demand for a closed shop.

  • An agreement not to strike for three years.

Significance of Roosevelt's Actions

• Roosevelt's actions set a precedent for federal intervention in strikes that threatened public welfare.

• The federal government was now expected to intervene and resolve such issues.