2.12 Environmental and Labor Progressivism
The image on the top shows the Hetch Hetchy Valley before it was dammed. The bottom photograph, taken almost a century later, shows the obvious difference after damming, with the submergence of the valley floor under the reservoir waters. Photograph of the Hetch Hetchy Valley before damming, from the Sierra Club Bulletin, January 1908. V Wikimedia; Daniel Mayer (photographer), May 2002. Wikimedia.Theodore Roosevelt expanded the power of the federal government even further by also intervening in labor issues. In 1902, when coal miners at the Anthracite Coal Mine in eastern Pennsylvania began a strike to demand higher wages, shorter work days, and recognition of the union, Roosevelt supported the miners. He called in workers’ representatives and owners to negotiate the strike. When the owners refused to budge, Roosevelt threatened to call in federal troops to run the mines, forcing owners to arbitrate to a higher hourly wage and a 9-hour workday.
Roosevelt also did more than all previous presidents to extend federal control over the nation’s land. Roosevelt was not a preservationist, who believed that the beauty of wildlife and nature should be protected from all human interference. He viewed the wilderness as a place to live strenuously and to test oneself against the natural elements. He also believed that in America’s forests, mountains, and canyons, Americans could learn some important things about their roots and destiny. He moved to preserve the West by creating five new national parks, 16 national monuments, and 53 wildlife reserves. The work of his administration led to the formation of the National Park Service in 1916.
