Step 1 : Introduction to the question "Congress established the nation’s first minimum wage in 1938. What was it?"
When President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed America’s first federal minimum wage into law in 1938, it was 25 cents per hour. Adjusted for inflation, that would be worth about $4.45 today. Throughout history, Congress has raised the minimum wage 22 times. The current level, at $7.25 an hour, was set in 2009. However, some states, cities, and counties have a higher minimum wage rate. As of January 2019, 29 states had a minimum wage rate above the federal level.