Notes
“Was this a decisive turning point to Roosevelt’s presidency?”
Roosevelt Killed Two Birds With One Stone
Mine workers started a coal strike in eastern Pennsylvania, complaining about the work conditions and low wages; this demonstrated their desire of change. President Roosevelt intervened with this issue and made the end to the Coal strike by awarding the miners a pay increase of ten percent and fixed some of the coal weighing abuses. This event was a turning point to Roosevelt’s popularity; he was not anymore McKinley’s shadow. Mine workers complained about their labor under dangerous conditions, usually working twelve hours a day, six days a week, for miserable wages. A miners’ song said, “My lamp is my sun, and all my days are nights” (p. 51). An example of Progressivism was how mine workers longed themselves for better conditions and higher wages. The efforts to improve their working conditions often led to confrontations with management and sometimes violence. Miners realized they needed one dominant union of their own, and in 1890 they formed the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA). Mitchell was the head of the UMWA and he came in 1900 with the idea that it was time to strike for higher wages and better conditions; even though miners were facing a winter without sufficient supplies of anthracite coal, many Americans did support the strike because Mitchell never provoked violence. He fought hardly to try to win miners another pay rise, a shorter workday, fairer weighing of the coal they dug, and to really recognize the UMWA. This series of events defined the Americans’ desire of a progress and change. Roosevelt felt compelled to become involved in the strike arbitration because he looked at the problems being provoked between mine workers and mine owners; due to this he invited John Mitchell to a meeting that would recognize the efforts of mine workers and would put an end to the mine owners’ unfair treatment. Another reason for Roosevelt’s
Roosevelt Killed Two Birds With One Stone
Mine workers started a coal strike in eastern Pennsylvania, complaining about the work conditions and low wages; this demonstrated their desire of change. President Roosevelt intervened with this issue and made the end to the Coal strike by awarding the miners a pay increase of ten percent and fixed some of the coal weighing abuses. This event was a turning point to Roosevelt’s popularity; he was not anymore McKinley’s shadow. Mine workers complained about their labor under dangerous conditions, usually working twelve hours a day, six days a week, for miserable wages. A miners’ song said, “My lamp is my sun, and all my days are nights” (p. 51). An example of Progressivism was how mine workers longed themselves for better conditions and higher wages. The efforts to improve their working conditions often led to confrontations with management and sometimes violence. Miners realized they needed one dominant union of their own, and in 1890 they formed the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA). Mitchell was the head of the UMWA and he came in 1900 with the idea that it was time to strike for higher wages and better conditions; even though miners were facing a winter without sufficient supplies of anthracite coal, many Americans did support the strike because Mitchell never provoked violence. He fought hardly to try to win miners another pay rise, a shorter workday, fairer weighing of the coal they dug, and to really recognize the UMWA. This series of events defined the Americans’ desire of a progress and change. Roosevelt felt compelled to become involved in the strike arbitration because he looked at the problems being provoked between mine workers and mine owners; due to this he invited John Mitchell to a meeting that would recognize the efforts of mine workers and would put an end to the mine owners’ unfair treatment. Another reason for Roosevelt’s