square deal

in 1902, a coal miners' strike threatened the nation's supply of heating fuel. roosevelt invited the mine owners and union officials to the white house, but the owners refused to negotiate. furious, the president got them to back down, and the strike was settled, with the miners receiving a pay raise and a nine-hour work day, down from 12 hours.

in his bid for reelection in 1904, roosevelt said that in brokering the settlement he had tried for a "square deal"—a fair result-for both sides. the square deal became his motto for the rest of his career. roosevelt won a landslide election to become president in his own right in 1904.