A well-educated and physically active man, Theodore Roosevelt, has been considered by many to be one of the best presidents in the United States. He was born on October 27, 1858 and he lived until January 6, 1919. He was a father, husband, conservationist, colonel, politician, and more. The man even had a children’s plaything named for him (the Teddy bear). Still, was Roosevelt a great president? Yes, indeed he was.
Theodore Roosevelt was not a perfect president, let alone a perfect person. However, he did his job well and he lived well. Partially because of his work outside of his presidency, he was a good choice to have in office. Before his entry into the White House, Roosevelt had done a great deal for the United States. In 1882, he became the youngest member of the New York State Assembly. From 1889 to 1895, he was a United States Civil Service Commissioner. Next, between the years of 1895 and 1897, Roosevelt served as President of the New York City Police Board. In 1898, he became the governor of New York, an office he held until 1890. Also in 1898, Roosevelt joined the United States Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, better known as the Rough Riders, to fight in the Spanish-American War. He only stayed with the regiment from May to September of 1898 as part of the occupying force in Santiago, but in that time he had worked his way up to colonel and had helped in the victory on Kettle Hill in San Juan. In 1890, he became William McKinley’s Vice President. When McKinley died in September of 1891, Roosevelt took over the presidency, becoming the youngest man in history to be sworn in as Chief Executive.
During his time in office, Roosevelt did many good things for his country. On November 13, 1903, he and Bunau-Varilla, ambassador of Panama, signed a treaty that extended the Canal Zone from six to ten miles in width. Also in this treaty, Roosevelt agreed to the United States paying $10 million upfront, as well as $250,000 a year to use, occupy, and control the Panama Canal. This opened up a door for trade between the two countries. When up for election in 1904, Roosevelt won 336 out of 476 electoral votes, mainly due to his popularity and the good work he had already started. Between 1904 and 1905, he served as mediator between Russia and Japan during the Russo-Japanese War.
As part of his plan for “Big Stick Diplomacy”, the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine was put into practice in 1905, by mutual agreement of the Dominican Republic. Through this, the U.S. was called to install and protect a customs collector, who would take a portion of the nation’s revenues and credit them to debt payments owed foreign nations. This became the basis for later military interventions. In 1906, Roosevelt arranged an international conference between France, Britain, Germany, and the United States in Algeciras, Spain. The nations created the Act of Algeciras of 1906, which affirmed Morocco’s independence and opened the door for trade there. Later in 1906, Roosevelt was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in the Russo-Japanese War and in Algeciras, Spain. In 1907, Roosevelt signed the “Gentlemen’s Agreement” with Japan. In this agreement, the U.S. agreed it would not pass a law like the Chinese Exclusion Act if Japan would slow the immigration of laborers to America.
There were many other things Roosevelt did while in office. There was the “Square Deal”, which used existing antitrust laws to fight big business corruption. For this, Roosevelt became known as the Trust Buster. People also knew him as the Great Conservationist; between 1901 and 1909, Roosevelt had established one hundred fifty National Forests, five National Parks, the first four National Game Preserves, the first eighteen National Monuments, the first twenty-one Reclamation Projects, and the first fifty-one Federal Bird Reservations. Roosevelt also founded the Boone and Crocket Club, the Long Island Bird Club, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). He established the Department of Commerce and Labor as well. Roosevelt helped pass the Elkins Act and Hepburn Act concerning railroads, the Meat Inspection Act, Pure Food and Drug Act, and the Federal Employer’s Liability Act for Labor. Another great accomplishment of Roosevelt’s was that he reduced the national debt by over $90,000,000.
After his time in office, Roosevelt went on a safari in Africa and collected specimens for the Smithsonian Institute. He then decided to run in the election of 1912 as the Republican candidate. He lost the election and formed the Bull Moose Party. In 1912 he was shot; however, the injury was not fatal and he lived until 1919, when he died of a coronary embolism. He is still remembered today for his conservationism, his ability to help rectify relations amongst nations, his readiness to serve his country, and his many accomplishments in and out of office. Roosevelt was overall a good person, and indeed, a great president.
Sources:
Kelly, Martin. Theodore Roosevelt - Twenty-Sixth President of the United States. 2009.
About.com: American History. 3 Oct. 2009.
http://americanhistory.about.com/od/troosevelt/p/ptroosevelt.htm.
Roosevelt, Tweed. Theodore Roosevelt: A Brief Biography. 2003. Theodore Roosevelt
Association. 3 Oct. 2009. http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/biotr.htm.
Tindall, George Brown and David Emory Shi. America: A Narrative History. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. New York: 2007. 7th Ed. 666-672.
