It was significant because it ended slavery in the United States after the Civil War; was passed by Abraham Lincoln.
The main way in which the presidential election of 1912 was different from previous presidential elections is that a party was created (the Progressive Party) purely for the purpose of electing a candidate (Roosevelt).
The meaning of the term founders is someone who starts something. The dictionary definition is:
a person who establishes an institution or settlement.
There is more meanings to it but this is the main one.
