Teddy Roosevelt's Square Deal

1. 1902 COAL STRIKE

a. What steps did Roosevelt take to solve the problem? 

When 140,000 coal miners in Pennsylvania went on strike and demanded a 20 percent raise, Roosevelt stepped in and called both sides to the White House, eventually settling the strike. It was clear to Roosevelt that the federal government was needed to intervene in an orderly manner when a strike was threatening public welfare.  

b. Which legislation helped solve the problem?


the federal government stepped in to end the strike. 

2. TRUSTS

a. What steps did Roosevelt take to solve the problem? 

Roosevelt did not believe that all trusts were harmful. In 1902, Roosevelt made newspaper headlines as a trust-buster when he ordered the Justice Department to sue the Northern Securities Company, which had established a monopoly over northwestern railroads. Roosevelt's administration filed 44 antitrust suits.  

b. Which legislation helped solve the problem?

The Supreme Court dissolved the Northern Securities Company in 1904. 

3. UNREGULATED BIG BUSINESS

a. What steps did Roosevelt take to solve the problem? 

One of Roosevelt's real goals was federal regulation. Roosevelt urged for Congress to pass the Elkins Act in 1903. Roosevelt had to compromise with conservative senators who opposed the Hepburn Act of 1906, but the passage boosted the government's power to regulate the railroads.


b. Which legislation helped solve the problem?
  
Congress passed the Interstate Commerce Act in 1887, which prohibited wealthy railroad owners from colluding to fix high prices by diving the business in a given area. Congress passed the Elkins Act in 1903, which made it illegal for railroad officials to give, and shippers to receive,  rebates for using particular railroads. The Hepburn Act of 1906 strictly limited the distribution of free railroad passes.  

4. DANGEROUS FOODS AND MEDICINES

 a. What steps did Roosevelt take to solve the problem? 

After reading Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle, Roosevelt appointed a commission of experts to investigate the meatpacking industry. In 1906, Roosevelt pushed for the passage of the Meat Inspection Act. 

b. Which legislation helped solve the problem?

In 1906, Congress passed the Meat Inspection Act, requiring strict cleanliness for the meat industries. Congress also passed the Pure Food and Drug Act, requiring truthful labels on medicines and haltering the sale of contaminated foods.  


5. SHRINKING WILDERNESS AND NATURAL RESOURCES

a. What steps did Roosevelt take to solve the problem? 

Roosevelt set aside 1.5 million acres of water-power sites and another 80 million acres of land that experts from the U.S Geological Survey would explore for mineral and water resources. In addition, Roosevelt also established more than 50 wildlife sanctuaries and several national parks. Roosevelt named Gifford Pinchot as head of the U.S Forest Service in 1905.  

b. Which legislation helped solve the problem?

The National Reclamation Act of 1902 established the precedent that the federal government would manage the precious water resources of the West. 

6. RACIAL DISCRIMINATION


a. What steps did Roosevelt take to solve the problem? 

Roosevelt failed to support civil rights for African Americans. However, Roosevelt supported a few individual African Americas. He appointed an African American as head of the Charleston customhouse. Some whites in Mississippi refused to accept the black postmistress Roosevelt has assigned, instead of giving in he chose to close down the station. In one incident, many African Americans were angry with Roosevelt when he dismissed an entire regiment of African American soldiers accused of conspiracy.    

b. Which legislation helped solve the problem?

none.

Explain the importance of each of the following:

7. Square Deal:                 

Roosevelt's "Square Deals" were important because they aimed to help middle class citizens while at the same time protecting big businesses. 

8. The Jungle:


The Jungle, written by Upton Sinclair, was extremely important because it led to the Meat Inspection Act, which required strict cleanliness for meatpackers.                           

9. Upton Sinclair:           
 

Upton Sinclair was important because his book The Jungle was read by thousands including Roosevelt who responded by appointing a commission of experts to investigate the meatpacking industry. The general public became aware of how unclean and contaminated the meat products were and acted quickly in response to the horrific conditions in the factories.    

10. NAACP: 

The NAACP (The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) aimed for full equality among races. The NAACP was important because it combined both blacks and whites together to try and end racial injustice.

11. Meat Inspection Act:


The passage of the Meat Inspection Act dictated strict cleanliness requirements for the meat industry. This act was extremely important because it prevented the passage of tainted meat. The Meat Inspection Act was mainly in response to the publication of The Jungle.                           


12. Pure Food & Drug Act: 

The Pure Food & Drug Act, passed by Congress in 1906, was important because it called for truth in labeling. Although this act did not ban harmful products, it required truthfulness in labeling which reflected the progressive belief that people would act wisely when given accurate information. 

13. Significance of the 1902 Coal Miners’ Strike: 


The miners of the 1902 Coal Miners' Strike won a 10 percent pay hike and a shorter, nine house workday. The actions Roosevelt took to deal with this strike were important because they allowed the federal government to step in when a strike was threatening the public welfare. This incident reflected the progressive belief that disputes could be settled in an orderly way with the help of experts. 

Challenges of Urbanization Homework

The People: why were the three groups below drawn to cities in the Northeast and Midwest? 

1. Immigrants

Immigrants were drawn to cities in the Northeast and Midwest because of the new opportunities for work. Natural and economic disasters hit farmers in Europe and the promise of industrial jobs in the United States drew millions of people to American cities. 

2. Farmers


Farmers were drawn to the cities in an effort to find whatever work they could. Due to rapid improvements in farming technology and inventions work was scarce for farmers. The invention of the McCormick reaper and the steel plow required fewer laborers to work the land. Farmers were forced to move to cities to find whatever work they could.

3. African-Americans 


African-Americans were drawn to the cities in the Northeast and Midwest especially Chicago and Detroit in an effort to escape racial violence, economic hardship, and political oppression. Many of the Southern farmers who lost their livelihoods were African Americans. Once they had moved, job competition between blacks and white immigrants caused further tension.  


The Problems: What was done in response to the following five problems? 

4. Lack of safe and efficient transportation

With the population rapidly increasing, it had been hard to create an efficient transportation system. With the innovations in mass transit, transportation systems designed to move large numbers of people made transportation a whole lot easier. Street cars were introduced in San Francisco in 1873 and electric subways in Boston in 1897. By the early 20th century, mass transit systems linked city neighborhoods to one another and to outlying communities.   


5. Unsafe drinking water

With the expanding population, cities faced the problem of supplying safe drinking water. Many cities built waterworks however, many of the residents had grossly inadequate piped water. In response to this rising problem, filtration was introduced in the 1870's and chlorination, the method of purifying water by mixing it with chlorine, in 1908. 

6. Lack of sanitation 

As the cities continued to grow, so did the challenge of keeping them clean. The streets were being piled with horse manure, sewage flowed through open gutters, and factories spewed foul smoke into the air affecting the resident's health. In response to the lack of sanitation, many cities developed sewer lines and created sanitation departments. 


7. Fire Hazards

The spread of fires was a leading problem in most cities. With limited water supplies in many cities major fires occurred in almost every large American city. Most cities were packed with wooden dwellings and the use of candles and kerosene heaters posed a fire hazard. Most of city firefighters were volunteers and not always available when needed. Cincinnati, Ohio, established the nation's first paid fire department in 1853 and by 1900, most cities had full-time professional fire departments. With the addition of fire departments and the introduction of a practical automatic fire sprinkler, cities became safer.

8. Crime


With the increasing population, the number of pickpockets and thieves flourished. New York City organized the first full-time salaried police force in 1844 however, many other cities' law enforcement units were too small to have much impact on the crime.