Theodore Roosevelt: trust-busting, conservation and the Square Deal

Grade 11 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Roosevelt's first years, 1902 to 1905 (cards A to D). Card A, the coal strike of 1902, in our words: on May 12, 1902, anthracite coal miners in Pennsylvania went on strike. The United Mine Workers asked for 20 percent more pay and an 8-hour day, and the mine owners refused to deal with the union. As winter came and coal grew scarce, President Roosevelt called both sides to the White House on October 3, though he had no legal power to settle the strike. On October 23 the strike ended when both sides agreed to let a commission decide. Its award gave the miners 10 percent more pay and a 9-hour day instead of 10, and the owners still did not recognize the union. Roosevelt later called the settlement a square deal, meaning that each side was treated fairly. Card B, railroad rebates, in our words: a rebate was a refund that a railroad quietly gave a big shipper, so the shipper paid less than the rate the railroad had published. Smaller shippers paid the full rate and could not compete. The Elkins Act, signed on February 19, 1903, made it unlawful to give or to take a rebate, and a railroad could be punished along with the shipper. The Senate passed it without a dissenting vote and the House by 250 to 6. The Pennsylvania Railroad, one of the big railroads, backed it. Card C, the Forest Service, in our words: until 1905 the government's forest reserves were run by the Department of the Interior. On February 1, 1905, President Roosevelt signed a law that moved them to the Department of Agriculture, where Gifford Pinchot became the first Chief of the new Forest Service. There were 60 reserves covering 56 million acres at the time. Roosevelt and Pinchot wanted to conserve the forests so they could keep being used for water, wood and grazing, not to close them to all use. Card D, the Newlands Act, in our words: the Newlands Reclamation Act, signed on June 17, 1902, set up a reclamation fund from the money the government earned by selling public land in the West. The fund paid for reservoirs and irrigation works that watered dry farmland. Roosevelt worked with Gifford Pinchot, who led the Bureau of Forestry, and with Frederick Newell, who led the Reclamation Service, to change how the government managed land and water.

2. 1.

   Cards A to D are summaries by historians and agencies. What is a limit of using them to judge whether Roosevelt's actions worked, Ari asks?

   • They show the results of each action, since they list laws and dates
   • They show Roosevelt's motives, since they name the people he worked with
   • They are summaries, so they cannot be set beside the laws themselves
   • They report what was done, not what followed or what critics said
3. 2.

   The miners asked for 20 percent more pay and an 8-hour day. How did the commission's award compare, Bo asks?

   • Half the pay rise asked for, and the 8-hour day, with the union recognized
   • Half the pay rise asked for, and a 9-hour day, not 8
   • A 10 percent rise, most of the 20 asked for, and a 9-hour day, not 8
   • The pay rise asked for, but a 9-hour day, not 8
4. 3.

   A student writes, "The miners won everything they wanted." How strong is that claim given card A, Jun asks?

   • Weak, but just because the owners set up the commission that judged the case
   • Weak: they got less pay than asked and no recognition of the union
   • Strong: they won a raise and a shorter day, which were their two chief demands
   • Strong: the strike ended after Roosevelt called both sides, which shows the miners prevailed
5. 4.

   An invented big shipper paid a published $10 a ton and got a $2 rebate; a small shipper paid $10. What does that show about their competition, Kira asks?

   • The big shipper's cost was 20 percent higher, since rebates were paid on top
   • The big shipper's cost was 20 percent lower, so the small one could not compete on price
   • The big shipper's cost was 20 percent lower, so the small shipper would have failed anyway
   • The big shipper's cost was 2 percent lower, an edge the small shipper could overcome
6. 5.

   The House passed the Elkins Act 250 to 6, and the Senate had no dissenting vote. What does that suggest, Luz asks?

   • Unanimous support in both houses, since the Senate had no dissent
   • Support from the railroads themselves, since so few members voted no
   • About 94 percent in the House, since 6 of 100 voted no
   • Broad support in both houses, so it was no narrow win
7. 6.

   Card B says the Pennsylvania Railroad backed the Elkins Act. What does that suggest, Milo asks?

   • The railroad's support was a tactic to weaken the law, so it shows nothing
   • Railroads were not united against it, so not just reformers against them
   • Each railroad wanted the law, so no railroad opposed it
   • The railroad gave rebates to its own shippers and wanted to stop
8. 7.

   Card C says Roosevelt and Pinchot wanted forests conserved, not closed to all use. What does that mean, Noah asks?

   • Forests would be handed to private owners, who would manage them for lasting use
   • Forests would be moved to the Interior Department, which ran them before
   • Forests would be left untouched, so that no tree could be cut or grazed
   • Forests would be kept for lasting use, such as water, wood and grazing
9. 8.

   Cards C and D both name Pinchot. Which claim do they support best, Ren asks?

   • Roosevelt ran each resource himself, without any agency
   • Pinchot alone shaped the whole of Roosevelt's land policy
   • Roosevelt kept forests and water apart in separate departments with separate heads
   • Roosevelt treated forests, land and water as linked resources run by agencies
10. 9.

    A student says Roosevelt's reforms came in a rush in 1905. What do the dates in cards A to D show, Tala asks?

    • Weak: the dated acts are spread over nearly three years, 1902 to 1905
    • Strong: Roosevelt could act on land and labor just after the 1904 election
    • Weak: just the Newlands Act fell in 1902, and the rest came in 1905
    • Strong: the Forest Service move came in 1905, the year the other acts took effect
11. 10.

    Which conclusion do cards A to D support best, Zee asks?

    • Roosevelt used federal power in several fields, by law and by persuasion
    • Roosevelt left business and land to Congress, since Congress made the laws
    • Roosevelt acted just to help workers, since card A comes first
    • Roosevelt solved each problem he took on, since each card ends in an agreement