Theodore Roosevelt Jr. was a writer, soldier, and activist who served as the 26th President of the United States from 1901 to 1909. As the leader of the Republican Party during that time, he was the influential force for the Progressive Era in the United States in the early 20th century. He served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy under William McKinley, resigning after one year to serve with the Rough Riders, where he became well known for his time served during the Spanish–American War. (Millercenter.com, 2017). After the war, he was elected as governor of New York in 1898. It was rumored that some New York representatives had trust issues with Roosevelt two years after becoming governor. Soon after being governor of New York, Mr. Roosevelt …show more content…
One of Roosevelt's dominant views was that the government had the right to control big business to protect the welfare of society. Mr. Roosevelt kept that philosophy in mind and Congress passed the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1890, whereas former Presidents had only used it carefully. Sherman Antitrust Act prohibits certain business activities that federal government overseers deem to be anti-competitive, and requires the federal government to investigate and pursue trusts. (U-S-History.com, 2017). During Roosevelts presidency, J. P Morgan was dismantled because it violated the Sherman Antitrust Act. Roosevelt believed that the government should use its resources to help achieve economic and social justice. (Millercenter.org, 2017). The country was faced with a coal shortage in the fall of 1902 because of a strike in Pennsylvania and Mr. Roosevelt felt he should intervene. Mr. Roosevelt voiced ideas about how he could use the executive office to play a role; even though he did not have any official authority to negotiate an end to the strike. Roosevelt called both the mine owners and the representatives of labor together at the White House. When management refused to negotiate, he hatched a plan to force the two sides to talk: instead of sending federal troops to interrupt the strike and force the miners back to work, Mr. Roosevelt threatened to use troops to take hold of the mines and run them as a federal operation. (Millercenter.org, 2017). Roosevelt named the settlement of the coal strike a "square deal". Those words soon became equal with Roosevelt's domestic