 “All I ask is a square deal for every man. Give him a fair chance. Do not let him wrong any one, and do not let him be wronged.”

 "But when I say that I am for the square deal, I mean not merely that I stand for fair play under the present rules of the game, but that I stand for having those rules changed so as to work for a more substantial equality of opportunity and of reward for equally good service.”

 List all the issues you can think of that people experienced during the Gilded Age.  Pay particular attention to issues dealing with consumers, laborers, and business.

 What did TR do about your topic?  Research your assigned topic for 5-10 minutes.  Then, meet with the other group who researched your topic – when you agree with what you have found, put it on the graphic organizer on the board.

 Graduated from Harvard  NY State Assembly  NYC Board of Police Commission Fought corruption  Assistant Secretary of the Navy  Spanish-American War Hero  Governor of NY  Progressive Reforms  VP then McKinley assassinated  TR = POTUS Anti-corruption…everyone should get a square deal

 1902 Coal Miners Strike PA coal mine workers wanted a raise and shorter work day  but TR wanted the strike to end quickly  TR tried to reason w/the mine owners but failed  Threated to bring in troops to run the mine in the place of the owners Owners gave miners 9hr workday and small pay raise Set the precedent for federal intervention when a strike threatened the public welfare  “I am a believer in unions. I am an honorary member of one union. But the union must obey the law, just as the corporation must obey the law.”

 Railroad Regulation Elkins Act of 1903: illegal to give rebates to preferred shippers, imposed fines on those who continued to do this  TR passed b/c Sup Ct stripped away much power from ICC Hepburn Act of 1906: Gave gov’t power to set max rates and gave the ICC strong enforcement powers  Limited the use of free railroad passes (form of bribery)  Trust-Busting Trusts made up 4/5 of the nation’s industry by 1900 Sherman Anti-Trust Act: TR used in 44 lawsuits, with many successes (Northern Securities Company)  But…TR did not “bust” all trusts, he thought big companies worked more efficiently than small ones  Argued that there are good trusts and bad trusts  busted the bad ones and supported big corporations that did business fairly

 In response to Sinclair’s The Jungle: Congress passes the Meat Inspection Act of 1906: Mandatory inspection of livestock before slaughter Mandatory postmortem inspection of every carcass; Sanitary standards for slaughterhouses + meat processing plants Authorized U.S. Department of Agriculture ongoing monitoring and inspection of slaughter and processing operations. Federal agents could inspect any meat that crossed state lines  Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 Called for truth in labeling food products Banned interstate shipment of impure food Monitored by the FDA today

 TR admired John Muir: Cali naturalist who led Congress to create Yosemite in 1890!! Muir argued that all wild areas should be left untouched  George Pinchot’s “rational use” argument for wild areas: forests be preserved for public use Trees mature into good lumber, then logged for wood to build from Then new areas should be put into protection  Conservation – TR argued that some wilderness areas should be preserved while the natural resources of others should be used for the common good  Water: Private irrigation companies = fights over who owns water Nat’l Reclamation Act – large-scale irrigation projects out West that gave gov’t the power to decide where and how water should be distributed  Roosevelt Dam, Hoover Dam, etc.

 Does this help us answer why we should study history?  What are some modern day examples of these issues?

 TR left after 2 terms but still strong in Rep Party  helped Taft win 1908 election Thought Taft would continue his policies…  Taft Takes His Own Course: No good or bad trusts…busted them ALL! Busted Standard Oil in 1911thru the Sup. Ct. Rule of reason: allowed monopolies as long as they didn’t unreasonably squeeze out smaller companies  TR did not support this Taft made U.S. Steel sell a company it just bought that TR approved Taft fires George Pinchot for charging that Sec. of the Interior Richard Ballinger sold coal-rich federal land to private companies

 TR toured the country speaking of his New Nationalism – program to restore gov’t trust busting power  TR declares he is “strong as a bull moose” Tackle all trusts in 3 rd presidential term Taft-TR battle split the Rep. Party TR forms Progressive Party: TR nominated as their 1912 presidential candidate…leads to heated, bitter election!