Read The Everything Theodore Roosevelt Book Online
Authors: Arthur G. Sharp
Tags: #History, #United States, #General, #Biography & Autobiography, #Americas (North; Central; South; West Indies)
The Everything Theodore Roosevelt Book (2 page)
Immigration Restriction Act of 1907
13
Conserving Natural Resources
15
TR Starts His Own Political Party
Disenchantment with Republicans
The End of the Progressive Party
The Presidential Campaign of 1916
17
Theodore Roosevelt’s Literary Bent
American Historical Association
The National Institute of Arts and Letters
18
The People Who Helped Shape Theodore Roosevelt
Appendix A: Books by Theodore Roosevelt
Acknowledgments
There is a plethora of information about TR’s life available through a variety of online sources, published books, his own writings, etc. These sources are available in a “one-stop” format now. Thanks are due to the people who have assembled them all in one place and facilitated the research process.
The Top 10 Facts about TR’s Life
1
. TR had dogs that climbed trees to hunt cougars and lynxes on his ranch in the Dakotas. He was fond of revealing stories about such animals to his children.
2
. It was not unusual for TR to carry guns for protection when he was on the campaign trail. Unfortunately, he was not packing one the night he was shot in Milwaukee in 1912.
3
. TR did not believe that children should play sports if it meant jeopardizing academics. He was a firm believer in “study first, play later.”
4
. As far as TR was concerned, the only good novels had happy endings. And if the heroes had to die, they had to do so nobly and worthily—just as people should spend their lives.
5
. On his expeditions, TR carried a vial of morphine with which to end his life if necessary. He almost used it on his River of Doubt trip.
6
. Even though TR was an advocate of a strong navy, he was always bored when out at sea.
7
. TR was a sickly person when he was young. But the worst malady he suffered was homesickness, especially after he married Edith and traveled away from his home and family for long periods of time.
8
. TR was not fond of campaigning and talking to people who expected speeches from him at every stop. He especially did not like people telling him things about nature that he already knew, just to impress him.
9
. There was no better place on earth for TR than Sagamore Hill at Oyster Bay, New York. It was especially appealing when his family was there, since he valued family above all else.
10
. TR had very little use for news reporters while he was in the White House and advised his children to simply ignore them in the hopes that they would go away.
Foreword
HISTORIANS ARE ASKED PERIODICALLY to rank U.S. presidents. In recent decades, such surveys have tended to place Theodore Roosevelt as the fourth greatest president—behind Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and George Washington. While the #1 ranking for Lincoln (who, with incomparable poise and skill, literally preserved the United States as a country during its time of maximum peril) would be difficult to contest, Theodore Roosevelt, who served as the twenty-sixth president from 1901 to 1909, may very well be deserving of the #2 ranking. True, Franklin Roosevelt (TR’s fifth cousin) successfully confronted two crises, the Great Depression and the Second World War, that were far graver than any danger faced by America during TR’s era. But FDR’s foreign policy from 1933 to 1939 indirectly facilitated the growth in power of Nazi Germany, whereas TR demonstrated an extraordinary capacity to anticipate international crises and to act to forestall them. Theodore Roosevelt was by far the foremost environmentalist president in U.S. history. He was the first great domestic reformer among twentieth-century presidents. And TR’s foreign policy was extremely well-conceived and well-executed and was based on farsighted principles—broadly defined U.S. interests, formidable deterrent power, and Anglo-American solidarity and preeminence—that would guide U.S. presidents from World War II to the present day.
Beyond his accomplishments as the nation’s chief executive, Theodore Roosevelt is an enormously interesting historical figure. He was both an avid outdoorsman and a prominent American intellectual. He read voluminously, and his output as an author of high-quality books and essays on a very broad range of subjects was extremely impressive (plus he wrote well over 100,000 letters during his sixty-year lifetime). He was a devoted husband and a loving father actively engaged in the upbringing of his children. Before and after his presidency, his career included periods as a state legislator, as a Western rancher, as a historian, as a U.S. Civil Service commissioner and then a New York City police commissioner, as assistant secretary of the navy, as a military officer fighting in Cuba during the Spanish-American War, as governor of New York, as vice president of the United States, as a big-game hunter in Africa and a few years later an explorer of uncharted territory in South America, as the founder and leader of a new national political party, and as a newspaper editorialist. To all of these activities and responsibilities TR brought his powerful, effervescent, irresistible personality. As the subtitle of this book suggests, he was, deservedly, “an American icon.” He has been immortalized on Mount Rushmore—and through the enduringly beloved teddy bear.
In
The Everything
®
Theodore Roosevelt Book
, author Arthur G. Sharp provides an excellent starting point for individuals desiring to become acquainted with the life and achievements of Theodore Roosevelt, as well as a useful reference source for Roosevelt aficionados seeking to plug holes in their knowledge. (Those looking for ongoing exposure to the latest and best writing on TR are additionally encouraged to become members of the Theodore Roosevelt Association [P.O. Box 719, Oyster Bay, NY 11771;
www.theodoreroosevelt.org
]) By producing this volume, Arthur Sharp and Adams Media have made a truly valuable contribution to the field of Theodore Roosevelt studies.
—W
ILLIAM
N. T
ILCHIN
Introduction
WHEN THEODORE ROOSEVELT—OR TR, as he is referred to in this book—died in 1919, he was a medical marvel. He was deaf in one ear, blind in one eye, had a swollen ankle and a bullet in his chest … in short, he was not a healthy man. To him, these afflictions were part of the process of living, and a person who could not overcome obstacles would never succeed. That is the central theme of this guide.
This book is a compendium of facts about TR’s life drawn from a variety of sources, including his speeches, articles, and books. You can interpret the facts according to your knowledge and experience. It is impossible not to draw a picture of TR based on the myths and truths of his life. Historians have been doing that for years, yet TR remains as much a mystery to readers and researchers today as he did when he was alive.
The brainteasers located at the end of each chapter add a bit of amusement to the study of TR and the world around him. They are also educational. They demonstrate and define the people and situations with which TR dealt in his lifetime and enhance the central message of the book: He is a historical figure worth studying because of his eclecticism and enthusiasm for life.
No one book can tell the full story of a man like Theodore Roosevelt. He was a complex man, and complex personalities require a lot more analysis and explanation than personalities of the average person. And, since it is difficult to measure historical figures without studying their public and private sides, this book examines both. In its final form, it is simply a snapshot of TR, which can be cropped, adjusted, or otherwise fine-tuned.
The trick is to figure out what made him tick. He was the ultimate enigma wrapped in a puzzle. This book unravels a bit of the mystery surrounding him and provides insights into his life that will give you a deeper understanding of the substantial contributions he made to world history.
Admittedly, this book raises as many questions about why TR did what he did and how he did it as it provides answers to his behavior. If you want answers to those questions, you are encouraged to seek them on your own. The chapters include some sources you can refer to for more information, and each source is a pointer to more. Following those sources will help you fill in the inevitable “blanks” that dot the pages of overviews such as this one.
Like most historical figures, TR did not exist in a bubble. He lived among and worked with other people who helped shape the world around them. Many of the people you will meet in these pages had profound effects on TR, just as he did on them. Sometimes those effects were positive; sometimes they were not.
TR suffered through the same vicissitudes of life in every facet that most people do. He enjoyed victories; he endured defeats. Victories and defeats aside, he could not abide people who sat life out. TR was a motivated man who believed in deeds, not thought. Thus, some critics have looked at him as a hard person to live with. Despite such suggestions, he was neither a demon nor a deity. Theodore Roosevelt was a mortal. Perhaps he accomplished more in life than a lot of other people do, but he was still a mortal—albeit an enigmatic one at times.
Yes, as TR proved, individuals can succeed regardless of societal status, physical challenges, political adversaries, and other factors that shape their lives. The challenges that TR overcame to earn his success are an inspiration to people everywhere. He was a role model, and his legacy reflects that.
Everyone can learn something from Theodore Roosevelt’s life; these pages are a great place to start the process.
CHAPTER 1
Inaction to Action: TR’s Pattern for Life
“… a man must be respected for what he made of himself.”
History begins anew every time a baby is born. There is no way to predict how each newborn is going to change history or whom the change will affect. Only history can tell that. Certainly, Theodore Roosevelt’s birth on October 27, 1858, led to some radical changes in world history. They began in his early years as he established the patterns in his life that shaped him into one of the world’s most dynamic and enigmatic leaders, and created a legacy that endures almost a century after his death.
A Man of Action
Theodore Roosevelt was a self-made man. The shaping process began, as it does with any self-made person, when he was a child. TR recognized early in life that if he was going to be successful, he would have to earn whatever he achieved—if he lived long enough to achieve it. Even though he had been born into a privileged family, nobody was going to give him anything. That was not the Roosevelt family way.
