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During the late nineteenth century, many working class families were living on the brink of poverty. As the industrial revolution was vastly expanding, machines quickly replaced highly skilled craftspeople one after another. Ultimately, this would cause great tension between the working class and monopolistic moguls. Consequently, some workers turned to anarchist views and sought to gain revenge for the hardships they faced. As a victim of this type of behavior, Polish worker Leon Czolgosz assassinated President William McKinley on September 6, 1901. In response, Theodore Roosevelt would assume office and attempt to remedy the hostile working environment by improving living conditions, the effects of labor unions, and strengthening the political

With a rapid growth in technology, machines dominated the workforce and became much more efficient at minimizing production costs while increasing output. Ultimately, monopolistic corporations saw this as an opportunity to exploit the workforce and initiate global mass production. Between 1860 and 1900, the industrial workforce grew from 885,000 to 3.2 million, making the United States the world’s largest industrial power. Although industries were prospering, the work force quickly shifted from skilled artisanal craftsmanship to unskilled cheap labor. Eventually the labor force became more and more disposable leaving skilled craftsmen, such as Leon Czolgosz, jobless. Growing up in Newburgh, Cleveland, Leon Czolgosz started work at a local steel-wire factory. P172. According to Rauchway, Leon was a hardworking employee, making $492 a year which seemed like a secure income. P222. However, in the panic of 1893 the price of steel plummeted and firms scrambled to cut costs. Ultimately, Czolgosz was laid off and became the product of everything Roosevelt aimed to

In response, President Roosevelt sought to utilize both his powers within the federal government and the ideals of progressivism to reduce the tension between factory owners and the workers they oppressed. According to Rauchway, journalist Jacob Riis enlightened Roosevelt on how many immigrants lived in the impoverished neighborhoods of New York. Upon taking several tours with Riis, Roosevelt was appalled at the poor living and laboring conditions in urban environments. “It is one thing to listen in a perfunctory fashion to tales of overcrowded tenements, and it is quite another actually to see what overcrowding means…”P207. In response, President Roosevelt backed slum clearance and tenet reform, as well as elimination of the police role in taking custody of innocent homeless immigrants. Additionally, Rauchway exclaims how the poor living and laboring conditions of decent people received Roosevelt’s compassion as well as whatever public welfare legislation he could wring from the nation. Ultimately, the real immigrants he encountered were the underlying reason why he became a