About Me
What can I say about Teddy Roosevelt? One paragraph can never fully explain what an important man he was. He only lived 60 years on this earth, but what he did in those 60 years, twenty men could not have accomplished in 100. I will briefly tell you some of how he lived his life and explain why this man is my hero.Roosevelt was born in 1858 in New York City to wealthy parents. He was however a sickly child. He overcame his frailty by hard work, leading what he called the strenuous life. He graduated from Harvard in 1880, then went to work at the New York State Legislature. He suffered a double tragedy in 1884 as he lost his wife and mother on the same day. He then went to the Dakota Territory in 1885 to work as a cowboy. He returned to public life in 1888, working in Washington as a reformer, firing people he thought were corrupt and lazy. He then ran the NYC Police Department, making changes and headlines along the way. He then became 2nd in command at the Navy in 1897. He resigned in 1898 to fight in the Spanish-American War, leading a group of recruits called the Rough Riders, which brought him national fame. His fame led him to become governor of New York late in 1898. Because he couldnt be bought, and because of his strong morals of rooting out corruption and doing things his way, he was forced to become Vice President (a job then was nothing but a title) in early 1901. When President McKinley was shot and killed in September 1901, Roosevelt became the youngest President at 42. The following in quotes was written by Tweed Roosevelt, summing up his great-grandfather's presidency."Theodore Roosevelt's Presidential achievements are impressive. In foreign affairs he led us into the arena of international power politics, thrusting aside the American tradition of isolationism, while on the domestic scene, he reversed the traditional federal policy of laissez-faire, and sought to bring order, social justice, and fair dealings to American industry and commerce. In all his policies as Chief Executive, he expanded the powers and responsibilities of the Presidential office, establishing the model of the modern Presidency which has been followed by most of his successors in the White House.His specific achievements are numerous. Perhaps his greatest contribution was his work for conservation. During his tenure in the White House from 1901 to 1909, he designated 150 National Forests, the first 51 Federal Bird Reservations, 5 National Parks, the first 18 National Monuments, the first 4 National Game Preserves, and the first 21 Reclamation Projects. Altogether, in the seven-and-one-half years he was in office, he provided federal protection for almost 230 million acres, a land area equivalent to that of all the East coast states from Maine to Florida.Aside from his conservation efforts, he "busted" trusts bringing the large corporations under the control of the people; he began the Panama Canal; he established the Department of Commerce and Labor; he negotiated an end to the Russo-Japanese War and thereby won the Nobel Peace Prize; he preached a "Square Deal" for all Americans, enabling millions to earn a living wage; he built up the Navy as the "Big Stick," thus establishing America as a major world power; he reduced the National debt by over $90,000,000; and he secured the passage of the Elkins Act and the Hepburn Act for regulation of the railroads, the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act for consumer protection, and the Federal Employers' Liability Act for Labor."
Another impressive achievement by Roosevelt was that he wrote 35 books. He had a photographic memory and read at least one book a day. He also knew six languages. There is so much more you can learn about Teddy if you read 'The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt' by Edmund Morris (which is in developement to become a motion picture with Leonardo DiCaprio set to play TR). Also 'Theodore Roosevelt: A Life' by Nathan Miller. A great DVD would be Theodore Roosevelt: An American Lion. Check out TR on the web with http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_roosevelt ----
Historian Thomas Bailey, who disagreed with Roosevelt's policies, nevertheless concluded, "Roosevelt was a great personality, a great activist, a great preacher of the moralities, a great controversialist, a great showman. He dominated his era as he dominated conversations....the masses loved him; he proved to be a great popular idol and a great vote getter."
MyGen
Profile Generator
