What was the purpose of the Department of Commerce and Labor established under Roosevelt?

• A. To manage postal routes
• B. To probe interstate commerce and regulate corporations
• C. To oversee education and libraries
• D. To administer immigration and naturalization

Answer: (B)

The central idea is federal oversight of big business and interstate trade. Roosevelt created the Department of Commerce and Labor to study and regulate how commerce operated across state lines and to keep an eye on corporate behavior. It housed the Bureau of Corporations, which could investigate major firms and report on their practices, helping the administration curb abuses and promote fair competition during the Progressive Era. This focus on monitoring and regulating corporations and interstate commerce is why the option about probing interstate commerce and regulating corporations is the best fit. The other functions—managing mail routes, overseeing education and libraries, and handling immigration and naturalization—lie with different agencies and bodies, not this department.