President Roosevelt is talking about the Revolutionary War also known as the U.S. War of Independance. The war was fought from 1175 to 1783. The war included 13 British colonies which went against British rule because of a lack of representation through taxation.

Kennedy, F. 2014. The American Revolution: A Historical Guidebook.

just decades after the Civil War, many feared the nation faced another explosive and violent conflict, this time between the forces of industrial capitalism and militant workers. Armed conflict between workers and government and private militias broke out repeatedly.

Swinth, K. 2008. The Square Deal: Theodore Roosevelt and the Themes of Progressive Reform. https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/essays/square-deal-theodore-roosevelt-and-themes-progressive-reform

To address the first major area—corrupt urban politics—some progressive reformers tried to undercut powerful political machines. "Good government" advocates sought to restructure municipal governments so that parties had little influence. The National Municipal League, which had Teddy Roosevelt among its founders, for example, supported election of at-large members of city councils so that council members could not be beholden to party machines. Ironically, such processes often resulted in less popular influence over government since it weakened machine politicians who were directly accountable to immigrant and working-class constituents.

Swinth, K.. The Square Deal: Theodore Roosevelt and the Themes of Progressive Reform. https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/essays/square-deal-theodore-roosevelt-and-themes-progressive-reform