Roosevelt Essay, Research Paper

Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United states Was the youngest

President in the nations history. he took office at the age of 42. Roosevelt had

been vice President for only six months when president William McKinley was

assassinated. He vigorously led Congress and the American public toward

progressive reforms and a strong foreign policy. He took The view that the

president as a "steward of the people" should take whatever action

necessary for the public good unless expressly forbidden by law or the

constitution. "I did not usurp power, " he wrote, "but i did

greatly broaden the use of executive power." Roosevelt’s youth differed

sharply from that of the log cabin Presidents. he was born in New York city on

October 27,1858 into a wealthy family, but he too struggled–against ill

health. When Theodore was about 12, his father told him that he would need a

strong body to give his mind a chance to develop fully. The next year, while on

a trip to Maine, Theodore was tormented by two mischievous boys. He felt ashamed

because he was not strong enough to fight back. Roosevelt’s father built a

gymnasium in the family home, and Theodore exercised there regularly. He

overcame his asthma and built up unusual physical strength. Roosevelt studied

under tutors until he entered Harvard University in 1876 at the age of 18. He

earned good grades in college. Roosevelt graduated from

Harvard in 1880. In October 1879, Roosevelt met Alice Hathaway Lee. Roosevelt

courted Alice during his senior year at Harvard. They married on his 22nd

birthday. A double tragedy struck on Feb. 14, 1884. Alice Roosevelt died two

days after the birth of a daughter. On the same day, Roosevelt’s mother died if

typhoid fever. Roosevelt spent much of the next two years on his ranch in the

badlands of Dakota Territory. There he mastered his sorrow as he lived in the

saddle, driving cattle, hunting big game–he even captured an outlaw. On a visit

to London, he married Edith Kermit Carow in December 1886. During the

Spanish-American War, Roosevelt recruited men for a cavalry regiment. This unit

became the First Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. Under Roosevelt s command, it won

fame as the Rough Riders. He led the Rough Riders on a charge at the Battle of

San Juan. Roosevelt was one of the most conspicuous heroes of the war. Twenty

years later he declared:"San Juan was the great day of my life. Thomas C.

Platt, needing a hero to draw attention away from scandals in New York State,

accepted Roosevelt as the Republican candidate for governor in 1898. Roosevelt

won and served with distinction. As president, Roosevelt held the ideal that

the Government should be the great arbiter of the conflicting economic forces in

the nation, especially between capital and labor, guaranteeing justice to each

and dispensing favors to none. Roosevelt emerged spectacurlarly as a "trust

buster" by forcing the dissolution of a great railroad combination in the

northwest. During Roosevelt’s presidency, the government filed suits against 43

other corporations. In major cases, the government ended John D. Rockerfeller’s

oil trust and James B. Duke’s tobacco trust. Roosevelt steered the united States

more actively into world politics. He liked to quote a favorite proverb ,

"Speak softly and carry a big stick, you will go far. Aware of the

strategic need for a shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, Roosevelt

ensured the construction of the Panama Canal. His corollary to the monroe

Doctrine prevented the establishment of foreign bases in the Caribbean and

arrogated the sole right of intervention in Latin America to the United States.

Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize for mediating the Russo-Japanese War. He was

the first American to win a Nobel Prize. He reached a Gentleman’s agreement on

immigration with Japan. In 1907, Roosevelt decided to display American naval

power. He sent 16 new battleships on a good-will tour of the world. These ships

became known as the Great White Fleet because they were painted white. Roosevelt

viewed the tour as a part of "big stick" diplomacy. Some of Theodore

Roosevelt’s most effective achievements were in conservation. He added about 150

million acres to the national forests and in 1905 established the United States

Forest Service. he also set up five new national parks. By executive order, he

created the first 51 federal bird reservations and the first four national game

preserves. The Roosevelt children and their friends became known as the

"White House Gang." The President sometimes joined in the children’s

games. One day, he heard thet the gang was preparing an "attack" on

the White House. he sent a message to the children through the War Department,

ordering them to call off the "attack." Leaving the Presidency in

1909, Roosevelt went on an African safari, then jumped back into politics. In

1912 he ran for president on a Progressive ticket. To reporters he once remarked

that he felt as fit as a bull moose, the name of his new party. While

campaigning in Milwaukee, he was shot in the chest by a fanatic. Roosevelt soon

recovered, but his words at that time would have been applicable at the time of

his death in 1919: "No man has had a happier life then I have led; a

happier life in every way."

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