The Progressive era in the United States spanned from the 1890s to the 1920s. It was a time of social activism and political reform. Important movements during this time were the improvements made on child labor laws, minimum wage changes, through suffrage women got the right to vote, and many union strikes. An influential person during this time was Theodore Roosevelt. He was the 26th president after William Mckinley, who was assassinated on september, 1901. He was very involved with foreign and domestic policy. The Square Deal, proposed by Roosevelt focused on deriving businesses that offered useful products at affordable prices from solely profit oriented companies. Roosevelt believed that it was the federal government's job to directly impact the economy and distribute wealth by regulating big industries. There was a lot of strikes happening around this time. People were unhappy with working conditions, for example there were many instances where young and old women were burned alive in the workplace. The buildings were not equipped with emergency exits or other safety precautions that today are required by law. Also related to working rights, mine workers started unionizing to fight the corporate power. People were interested in forming unions to balance the power between workers and employers. The unions would go on strike to fight for better pay and benefits and working conditions as well as fair work hours. Roosevelt made the process of unionizing legal with The Wagner Act.
Theodore Roosevelt
The election of 1912
Woodrow Wilson, William Howard Taft, and Theodore Roosevelt ran for president in the election of 1912. Wilson won by a landslide representing the Democratic Party and capturing 42% of the popular vote.