The Square Deal

One of the several reforms introduced in Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency was giving the middle-class of America the “Square Deal.” The first time the phrase was used was in the 1870s by the press, like in the New York Times. In 1890 the term started appearing in headlines and Roosevelt first used the phrase in 1899. Roosevelt was quoted saying he “gave each man a square deal on his own account” by the New York Times. One of Roosevelt’s first public use of the phrase was in his 1903 in a speech he gave in Illinois, the phrase was soon tethered to his name because he popularized it. The phrase was created as a response to the terrible working conditions in the post-industrial revolution enhanced by classical liberalism. The Square Deal’s main purpose was to regulate manufacturing and trade and to ensure that controls and oversights to achieve fairness and equity in businesses. In addition, businesses were also were going to be protected by unfair unions. Another part of the square deal was the protection of women and children in the workplace which led to the Chartering of the National Child Labor Committee in 1907. The Square Deal was on one of the most well-liked policies introduced in politics because both the Liberals and Conservatives like it and it led to Roosevelt winning by a landslide in 1904 against Alton Parker.