2026 APUSH Progressive Era Practice Test – Comprehensive Exam Prep

Arbitration as a method of resolving labor conflicts with the federal government was demonstrated during the 1902 coal strike. President Theodore Roosevelt stepped in and set up a neutral arbitration panel to hear workers and mine owners and to negotiate a settlement. The decision avoided a violent confrontation and did not rely on troops or court orders; instead the government acted as a mediator and arbiter, producing an agreement that met some worker demands and established a precedent for federal involvement in resolving industrial battles through arbitration. The other options describe approaches like striking without mediation, military action, or court injunctions, none of which involve an arbitration process.