Theodore Roosevelt

• 1. A Sickly Boy's Physical Transformation

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  Theodore Roosevelt Jr. was born on the 27th of October 1858, at 28 East 20th Street in Manhattan. His youth was defined by debilitating asthma attacks that terrified him and his parents. Doctors had no cure for the condition. Nevertheless, he remained energetic and mischievously inquisitive. At age seven, he saw a dead seal at a market and formed the Roosevelt Museum of Natural History with his cousins. He learned taxidermy to fill his makeshift museum with animals he killed or caught. Hiking with his family in the Alps in 1869 revealed the benefits of physical exertion to minimize his asthma. He began a heavy regimen of exercise to bolster his spirits. After being manhandled by older boys on the way to a camping trip, he found a boxing coach to train him. This physical transformation laid the foundation for his future life.

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• 2. Frontier Life And The Dakota Ranch

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  Roosevelt first visited the Dakota Territory in 1883 to hunt bison. Exhilarated by the western lifestyle, he invested $14,000 in hope of becoming a prosperous cattle rancher. Following the 1884 United States presidential election, he built Elkhorn Ranch north of Medora, North Dakota. He learned to ride western style, rope, and hunt on the banks of the Little Missouri. A cowboy possesses stern, manly qualities that are invaluable to a nation. In 1886, he served as deputy sheriff in Billings County, North Dakota. He and ranch hands hunted down three boat thieves. The severe winter of 1886, 1887 wiped out his herd and over half of his investment. He ended his ranching life and returned to New York. This experience shaped his character and political views regarding conservation and frontier values.

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• 3. Naval Strategy And The Rough Riders

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  In 1897, President McKinley appointed Roosevelt as Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Influenced by Alfred Thayer Mahan, he called for a build-up in naval strength. On the 15th of February 1898, an armored cruiser exploded in Havana, Cuba, killing hundreds. Without approval from McKinley, Roosevelt sent orders to prepare naval vessels for war. When the Spanish-American War began in 1898, he resigned to form the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. Known as the Rough Riders, the unit included Ivy Leaguers, athletes, frontiersmen, Native Americans, hunters, miners, former soldiers, tradesmen, and sheriffs. They landed in Daiquirí, Cuba, on the 23rd of June 1898. On July 1, under Roosevelt's leadership, they charged up Kettle Hill and San Juan Hill. Roosevelt was the only soldier on horseback during the advance. The assaults cost 200 killed and 1,000 wounded. He recalled San Juan Heights as the great day of his life.

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• 4. The Square Deal Domestic Reforms

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  Roosevelt became president at age 42 after McKinley was assassinated on the 14th of September 1901. He emerged as a leader of the Republican Party and championed his Square Deal domestic policies. In May 1902, anthracite coal miners went on strike, threatening a national energy shortage. After threatening coal operators with federal troops, he won their agreement to dispute arbitration by a commission. This accord resulted in miners getting more pay for fewer hours but no union recognition. He was the first president to help settle a labor dispute. In 1906, Upton Sinclair's The Jungle galvanized support for food safety reform. Congress passed the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act. Roosevelt established the United States Forest Service and signed the creation of five National Parks. He also signed the 1906 Antiquities Act, proclaiming 18 new U.S. National Monuments. By the end of his second term, he used executive orders to reserve vast areas of forestry land. He issued 1,081 executive orders, more than any previous president except Grover Cleveland.

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• 5. Global Diplomacy And Naval Power

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  From 1904 to 1905, Japan and Russia were at war. Both sides asked Roosevelt to mediate a peace conference held successfully in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. The Great White Fleet of American battleships visited Japan in 1908. Instead of resentment, visitors arrived to a joyous welcome. This goodwill facilitated the Root, Takahira Agreement of November 1908. In December 1902, Germans, British, and Italians blockaded Venezuelan ports to force loan repayment. Roosevelt succeeded in getting them to agree to arbitration by tribunal at The Hague. He issued the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine in 1904. As president, he directed overseas ambitions towards the Caribbean, especially locations bearing on the Panama Canal. A treaty with the new Panama government for construction was reached in 1903. Roosevelt received criticism for paying $40 million for rights and equipment to build the canal. On the 6th of November 1906, he became the first president to depart the continental United States on an official diplomatic trip. He made a 17-day trip to Panama and Puerto Rico.

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• 6. The Bull Moose Campaign And Final Years

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  Roosevelt decided to honor his 1904 pledge not to run for a third term. He settled on Secretary of War William Howard Taft as his successor. At the 1908 Republican convention, many chanted four years more of a Roosevelt presidency, but Taft won the nomination. Taft proved less adroit than Roosevelt, lacking energy and public support. When Roosevelt realized lowering the tariff would create severe tensions inside the Republican Party, he stopped talking about it. In August 1910, he escalated rivalry with a speech at Osawatomie, Kansas. It marked his public break with Taft and conservative Republicans. Advocating New Nationalism, he emphasized labor over capital interests. Between January and April 1911, he wrote articles for The Outlook defending progressive nationalist principles. In 1912, he founded the Bull Moose Party and ran in the presidential election. The split allowed Democrat Woodrow Wilson to win. Roosevelt led a four-month expedition to the Amazon basin where he nearly died of tropical disease. During World War I, he criticized Wilson for keeping the U.S. out. His offer to lead volunteers to France was rejected. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. died on the 6th of January 1919.

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