Eugene V. Debs received 901,000 votes for President of the United States in 1912, running on a Socialist ticket. Democrat Woodrow Wilson was elected President on November 5, 1912 by 6.2 million votes. There was much to celebrate during President Wilson's administration:

1. Establishment of the Department of Labor
2. Creation of the U.S. Industrial Commission to investigate the causes of strikes
3. The Adamson Act establishing an 8 hour day
4. The Clayton Act exempting union from antitrust suits and judicial injunctions (the law was hailed by Samuel Gompers as labors "magna carta" but the Supreme Court of the day nullified most of its aims)
5. Creation of the Children's Bureau, Employment Service, and Conciliation Service within the Labor Department
6. La Follette Seamen's Act, improving working conditions on American merchant vessels
7. Strikes, picketing and boycotting are made legal

During the Wilson Administration, the IBEW membership went from 32,000 to 131,000.

New York state legislature authorized a Factory Investigating Commission to study hazardous working conditions. The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Commission were future American political figures, Robert F. Wagner (The Wagner Act) and Alfred E. Smith (Democratic candidate against Herbert Hoover in 1928). Present day regulations regarding factory inspection, fireproofing, and sprinkler systems are traceable to this commission and the martyrdom of the 154 workers who perished in the Triangle Shirtwaist Co. fire.

Another historic event of this era was the installation of a conveyer belt system by Henry Ford for building cars. Within ten years, he brings the price of the Model T from $950 to $290. He also sets and example by paying his employees $5.00 per day (these employees remained unorganized until the 1930s), when America's employees are not making $5.00 a week. The continuously moving assembly line put out 248,367 cars in 1913-1914. This figure climbed to 2,000 cars a day in 1916.