Theodore Roosevelt
http://gardenofpraise.com/ibdtheod.htm
Theodore Roosevelt
Twenty-sixth President of the United States
Born in 1858 - Died in 1919
Theodore Roosevelt was small and weak when he was a boy. His eyesight was bad, and he suffered from asthma.* (AZ muh) With the help of his father, he was able to overcome his weakness. He lifted weights and practiced gymnastics every day. He also rode horseback, swam, hiked, and studied wrestling, boxing and judo.
The hard work paid off. He overcame his asthma and became well and strong. During the time when he was ill, he had to spend a lot of time in bed. He loved to read, and continued to love reading all his life.
Roosevelt liked a challenge. He left his home in New York and went to North Dakota to become a rancher. He read everything he could about ranching, and hired people who could teach him about cattle.
He didn't let anything stand in the way of duty. Once when he was running for president, someone shot him in the chest. He insisted on giving his speech before he had his wound treated. He said, "I have a message to deliver, and I will deliver it as long as there is life in my body."
He only slept 4 or 5 hours a night. He would sit up and read or work while his family slept.
Upon the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, Roosevelt left his post as naval secretary to become colonel of the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, known as the “Rough Riders.” Once in Cuba, Roosevelt led the Rough Riders in a brave, costly uphill charge in the Battle of San Juan; he returned home as one of the war’s most visible heroes.
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The Rough Riders, Tampa Florida
Teddy Roosevelt on the right
He was also very concerned about America's natural resources; the land, forests, and rivers. He agreed to protect 150 million acres of wilderness land.
Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
created by Roosevelt in 1906
During cattle drives, he worked right along beside the cowboys.
He went into politics because he decided he needed to serve the public. He was honest, and expected others to be honest, also.
He served as the 26th president of the United States from 1901 to 1909. He helped to bring about the construction of the Panama Canal.
When he was young, he promised himself he would live his life "to the hilt"* until he was 60. And that is just what he did.
This biography by Patsy Stevens, a retired teacher, was written in 2001.
Ten Reasons why Teddy Roosevelt is the Coolest President Ever
Here are just ten, in no particular order Reasons why Teddy Roosevelt is the Coolest President Ever
1. At 42, he was the youngest person to become president,
2. His other jobs were quite varied: cattle rancher, deputy sheriff, historian, naturalist, explorer, author of 35 books, police commissioner, assistant Secretary of the Navy, governor of New York, war hero, and lawyer.
3. He was a Rough Rider. He led the charge up San Juan Hill in the Spanish-American War.
4. Roosevelt called his governing philosophy "Square Deal," meaning fair dealings between businesses, consumers, and workers.
5. As the first conservationist president, he spearheaded the creation of the United States Forest Service, and established five new national parks.
6. The teddy bear was named after Roosevelt, in response to a cartoon showing the president refusing to shoot a bear after it had been tied to a tree. He considered it unsportsmanlike.
7. Roosevelt knew an opportunity when he saw it. - He helped to complete the canal, which opened in 1914.
8. Then there's Mt. Rushmore. The father of our country, the author of the Declaration of Independence, Honest Abe, and Teddy. How cool is that?
9. He was ablt to host a black man at a White House dinner, appoint a Jewish person as a cabinet member, travel outside the United States while in office, and fly in an airplane. He was also the first American to ever win a Nobel Prize, for Peace in 1906.
Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, 1901-09 (left), William Howard Taft, 1909-13 (center), and Woodrow Wilson, 1913-21 (right) are often referred to as the "Progressive Presidents"; their administrations saw intense social and political change in American society.
Goals of the Progressive Movement
To extinguish corruption in the government and its strong influence
To establish that the government has the obligation to ensure fair economic practices and to help solve social problems
Why was Theodore Roosevelt important to the Progressive Movement?
He was the first president to say I am a progressive. Any time a movement can get someone into the white house that is very important. He started 44 anti-trust suits against monopoly businesses.. His efforts helped the common person.
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Theodore Roosevelt's Presidency 4min
Did You Know?
Early in his presidency, Theodore Roosevelt sparked a scandal when he invited the African-American educator Booker T. Washington to dine with him and his family; he was the first president ever to entertain a black man in the White House.
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Booker T. Washington was the most famous black man in America between 1895 and 1915. He was also considered the most influential black educator of the late 19th and early 20th centuries insofar as he controlled the flow of funds to black schools and colleges. Born a slave on a small farm in the Virginia backcountry, he worked in the salt furnaces and coalmines of West Virginia as a child. Determined to educate himself, he traveled hundreds of miles under great hardship until he arrived -- broke, tired, and dirty -- at Hampton Institute.