Teddy Roosevelt: Sarah Borchardt 6th period

Theodore Roosevelt was born on October 27, 1858 in Georgia, and was a descendant of Archibald Bulloch, who read the Declaration of Independence to the state of Georgia. He was born into a rich family, unlike most of the presidents before him. Having some political background led Roosevelt to hold some federal, city, and state offices before he ran as William Mckinleys vice president. Roosevelt grew up sick and homeschooled, which allowed him to develop interests in nature and naval affairs. Roosevelt was a part of the Boone and Crocket Club, National Collegiate Athletic Association, and the Long Island Bird Club. He also went on to write over 35 books, and was famous for reading one per day. He went to college at Harvard, and shortly after graduation he became the youngest member of the New York State Assembly. After college, his wife and mother died on the same day, so in his sorrows, he moved to North Dakota and became a hunter and a horse back rider. In 1889, Roosevelt became a member of the Civil Service Commission under president Harrison, and later became the president of this commission. In the same year, he went to Cuba and fought in the Cuban war as a member of the Rough Riders, demonstrating what he had learned about warfare. 9 years later, Roosevelt was elected as the governor of New York, where he gained popularity and was chosen to run alongside William Mckinley in the election of 1900. On September 14, 1901, he succeeded Mckinley as president because Mckinley was assassinated, becoming the youngest president to ever take office. As president, Roosevelt was very successful in both foreign and domestic affairs. One of his first orders of business was to sign several arbitration treaties, specifically with international Court of Arbitration at the Hauge, with Mexico and Europe. Roosevelt concluded several arbitration treaties with Europe, although none of them were ratified by the Congress. His goal was to rid of the original isolationism tradition in America, and make the country more of a power in politics. In addition, Roosevelt was a large progressive, so he promoted their policies a lot while in office. His plan in office was called the Square Deal, and involved the three C's: control of corporations, consumer protection, and conservation of natural resources. Roosevelt became known for trust busting because he was the first to do it, and he was also the first to go after the railroad trusts. In addition, he reserved many national forests, bird conservations, national parks, national monuments, national game preserves, and reclaim projects, and he was the first one to do it. Roosevelt also began the Panama Canal and established the Department of Commerce and Labor. One of his most prized achievements was that he negotiated an end to the Russo-Japanese War, and therefore won the Nobel Peace Prize. Something interesting about Roosevelt is that in Milwaukee, he was shot during a speech, but the thickness of the speech that he was holding helped slow down the bullet, and he survived. Towards the end of his life, he played a large part in preparing America for World War 1.

Works Cited

 "Theodore Roosevelt - Biography." Nobelprize.org. Web. 25 Jan. 2012. <http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1906/roosevelt-bio.html>.
- "Theodore Roosevelt." The White House. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/theodoreroosevelt>.
- "Biography of Theodore Roosevelt by Theodore Roosevelt Association." About Theodore Roosevelt: President and More, from The Theodore Roosevelt Association. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. <http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/biotr.htm>.