On September 6, 1901 President McKinley was greeting people at the Pan-American Conference in Buffalo, New York, when he was shot by an anarchist named Leon Czolgosz. President McKinley survived for a few days in stable condition, but took a turn for the worse when the wound became infected. President William McKinley died on the morning of September 14, 1901, later that day Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as the twenty-sixth President of the United States.
Northern Security Anti-trust Suit
Early in 1902 President Roosevelt ordered Attorney General Philander Knox to build a case against the railroad giant, Northern Securities Company, for violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Northern Securities was found guilty by the Supreme Court and ordered to disband in 1904.
United Mine Workers Strike
In June of 1902 the United Mine Workers in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, staged a walk out to demand wage increases and an eight hour day. As the strike dragged on into the winter months the resulting coal shortage and skyrocketing prices brought the strike to national attention. President Roosevelt ordered the strikers and owners to submit to a third party arbitration. When the strikers agreed, and the owners refused, Roosevelt threatened to take over the mine and use federal troops to get the business of coal moving again. The owners heeded the President's threats and submitted to third party arbitration. The commission set up by Roosevelt to settle the dispute found in favor of the strikers, who received a ten percent raise in pay and a nine hour day.
Panama Canal Gets Underway
Plans to build a canal in Panama fell through when the Colombian Parliament refused to ratify a treaty leasing the required land to the United States. A revolution in Panama provided the opportunity President Roosevelt sought to save the canal project. Without first seeking the permission of Congress, President Roosevelt sent in the United States Navy to aid Panamanian rebels in overthrowing Colombian rule. The revolution was successful, Panama won its independence, and the United States got not only its canal, but a military base as well.
Nobel Peace Prize
President Roosevelt played a major role in organizing a peace between the warring nations of Russian and Japan. In 1904 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts, becoming the first American ever to receive this award.
1905-1909 Second Term
Events
Inauguration
President Roosevelt delivered his second inaugural address on March 4, 1905.
"Great White Fleet"
President Roosevelt's "Great White Fleet," consisting of seven state-of-the-art iron battleships, was ready for the water in 1907. The President ordered the new fleet on a two-year tour of the world as an international display of the military power of the United States; the tour was primarily intended to impress Japan.
Legislation
Pine Food and Drug Act, Meat Inspection Act
Early in 1905, President Roosevelt read Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and was so affected by its horrible descriptions of abuses within the meat packing industry that he ordered a federal investigation. The resulting report was even worse than President Roosevelt had feared. The Pine Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act were signed into law in 1905.
Hepburn Act
The Hepburn Act, which gave the federal government the power to regulate railroad rates, became law in June of 1906. Before the Hepburn Act, it was standard practice for railroad companies to offer cut-rate service to certain manufacturers, enabling them to undersell and drive the competition out of business.
Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine
In 1903 the Dominican Republic defaulted on over $40 million in loans from private European investors. When European powers threatened to intervene on the investors' behalf President Roosevelt warned that under the Monroe Doctrine, the United States could not permit any European nation to intervene in Latin America. In December of 1904 President Roosevelt issued the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. The Roosevelt Corollary announced that the United States maintained the right to interfere in the affairs of the other nations of the Americas so that the nations of Europe did not have to. President Roosevelt ordered United States troops to seize the Dominican Republic's customs house and to take charge of its affairs until all of the Dominican Republic's debts were paid off.
"Gentlemen's Agreement" with Japan
Tensions between the United States and Japan escalated during the years of President Roosevelt's second term. Japanese immigrants were seen by the American workers as a threat to what little job security they had. In 1906 the San Francisco School Board began segregating Japanese Americans from the public school system. The segregation of Japanese Americans did not exactly help the United States' already strained relationship with Japan, and President Roosevelt asked the San Francisco School Board to repeal the measure, which they promptly did. In order to quell the fears of the American worker, however, President Roosevelt established a "Gentleman's Agreement" with Japan that prohibited Japanese workers from immigrating to the United States.
Root-Takahira Agreement
In 1908 the Root-Takahira Agreement between the United States and Japan was signed. In this agreement both parties promised not to seek territorial gains in the Pacific. The agreement also reinforced Japan's commitment to respect the Open Door Policy with China, established by the United States during the McKinley Administration.
