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He became known as the man who would lead America in the future toward prosperity and more success. Industrialization changed the way of the world, even more so in the United States. The Gilded Age became the much needed boom of economic growth, quickly putting it ahead of many countries. The United States began its expansion across the West and later across the Western Hemisphere with the creation of the railroad system and the use of steel. Productivity and wanting to get things down as fast as possible with a little effort was the way factories were operated and many businesses. The emergence of the middle class and blue-collar worker became a factor for the growth. Rural citizens began to move out of the countryside and into a more urban setting along with the influx of immigrants arriving in America. In the Progressive Era the economy grew, but so did corruption and greed. American politics soon became controlled and overrun by big-name businessmen. The progressives were in favor of government regulating business practices to guarantee competition and free enterprise. Congress acted with the Interstate Commence Act and the Sherman Antitrust Act. These laws were not really enforced until the time of office of Theodore Roosevelt. During the growth of the United States Theodore Roosevelt became the man of his time through his acts of heroism and ruggedness he was viewed as the greatest man in the eyes of Americans. 1 Theodore Roosevelt grew up in a fine, educated home, the son of a New York philanthropist, merchant, and a partner in the family glass importing firm. His family thought differently with his father being more democratic in nature and agreeing with Lincolns politics, while his mothers side came from a southern confederate way of life .Theodore was not an ordinary child; growing up he had asthmatic problems and had to sleep supported up. Despite this weakness it did not stop him from being a child in nature; he was mischievous and hyperactive. Theodore had an early infatuation with animals that he killed, caught, and studied

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them by collecting various animals from insects to reptiles. He and his cousins displayed their collection in what they called the Roosevelt Museum of Natural History. This early interest in the natural life became the first step in love and respect of nature around him by learning about organisms. One of his biggest heroes growing up and in his future years was his dad. He loved everything about his father and saw him as the best man he ever knew. Theodore was taught right from wrong by his dad having that male role model, and bonding with him served him well in his life and in the future. In order to please his father and himself Theodore began to exercise and took up boxing, conditioning his body with the encouragement of his father after realizing he needed to change his physical appearance. Theodores character began to take shape, his father provided him with that assistance. 2 Theodores education was comprised of his parents home-schooling him along with tutors in certain subjects. He began to take interest in geography, history, biology, German, and French; these subjects became his favorite, but he struggled in mathematics, Latin, and Greek. Despite being less than proficient in some subjects and being home-schooled Theodore was accepted and enrolled in Harvard University in pursuit of a law career. Two years after enrolling at Harvard his father died and this caused some heartache because the one man that he cared for the most left his life. At first he took his death bad, but he learned to get by and saw this as the ability to grow and get past the struggles of his early life. The early tragedy improved his intellect by doing better in Philosophy, but he still had trouble with Latin and Greek. His interest in biology grew, and he became an established naturalist. Roosevelt was the type of intellect that remembered the details of what he read.3 After graduating Harvard Roosevelt underwent a physical examination which resulted onto a new mindset of viewing life after being diagnosed with serious heart problems the doctor

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advised him to a desk job and avoiding active movements. Rather than except defeat Theodore embraced this news and saw it as opportunity to prove them wrong and enjoy life to the fullest extent possible. The second tragic death of a loved one occurred when his wife Alice passed in his first marriage this caused him great heartache but, the next biggest loss was the death of his mother Mittie on the same day. With this horrible news Theodores life quickly spiraled down and in his diary entry he wrote light has gone out of my life along with a big X crossing out most of the page (See fig. 1) for most people this type of bad news would cause them to give up hope in life. For Theodore this type of a terrible loss fueled his determination and helped shape his future self he embraced the birth of his daughter as good news and didnt allow anything to dictate his life. This became the staple of his character and was what people admired most about Theodore.4 In Roosevelts published book The Naval War of 1812 that he completed after graduation provided and helped establish creditability as a historian and is still being used today as a textbook for the study of naval war. This showed his ability to be a leader and showcase his intellectual battle tactics that future commandeers could use in a time of War. Roosevelt became rendered as a true leader of the battle. 5 After being involved in politics for a brief moment of his life in New York he decided to clear his mind and hope to get away from it all and start fresh. Theodore decided move to his ranch in the badlands of the Dakota Territory that he purchased earlier. As a ranchman and hunter Roosevelt began to know and love the free life of the western man. He embraced this new type of life and saw this as a way to escape his own miseries of life. In his books he describes his ranch and how wonderful the landscape is while highlighting the duties as a rancher. He also talks about how butter and milk are almost impossible to come by due to the time constraints that

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they are faced with many would think that they would easily have all that but, after doing all the hard duties and then coming home at nightfall tired and strained you just want to have enough energy for tomorrow so you just end up going to sleep preparing for the next day. The rancher life was hard but, ultimately proves to be worth it according to Theodore. Newspapers in the east wrote about and portrayed Roosevelt as the man from the east who grew up civilized to trade all for an uncivilized way of life without rules or government also by showing him as this rugged man who took on the western lifestyle and enjoyed it. (See fig. 2) By promoting his character as this great masculine man willing to take on anything provided him with that other men wanted to have. 6 After the harsh winter of 1886-1887 the loss of his cattle caused Roosevelt to return to New York and once again he became involved in the political aspect of New York once again. Theodore ran in the New York mayor election as the republican candidate and used his image as the cowboy of the Dakotas. He did not win with just 60,435 votes coming in third. After his defeat he went to London, England where he met his future second wife and childhood crush Edith. While in Europe Theodore led a group of travelers to the summit of Mont Blanc by doing these types of expeditions he provided many with the examples of being the fearless man willing to do anything regardless of the danger that he was being confronted with. What really launched Theodore to the attention of many was when he became president of the board of New York City Police Commissioners. Roosevelt changed the whole persona of the then corrupted NYPD and implemented new ways of doing things. He ran a tight ship and didnt allow room for corruption or laziness. He required officers to do yearly physicals and mental evaluations to make sure they were up to the job and becoming the first to issue them standardized pistols. This type of leadership showed that Roosevelt was a kind of man that could get things done and not postpone

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or ignore them. His new types of reforms would be the model that police departments across the country would use. Theodore quickly grew more and more admiration from the American citizens especially in the east. He became respected for achievements and for the first time a moral purpose came into the street. In the light of it everything was transformed. That was one positive quote from journalist and friend Jacob Riis. Roosevelt implemented the idea of just having one police commissioner in New York City this helped in the sense that it deterred corruption by a group of people. Theodore acted if he saw something that needed fixed or changed to benefit the city. Roosevelt believed that citizens of a city or nation make up the place that they reside in like how Athens was the city- state that first used pure democracy and created the success it had. He quotes Athenian general Nicias It is men that make our city, not walls or ships by taking control of things you have the power to change it. Roosevelt was indeed a man of this caliber by providing and giving so much success to his hometown and helped shape early New York for future generations to come.7 The admiration of his leadership skills provided him with the opportunity to grow his influence over others by getting a huge power and responsibility taking on the role of Assistant Secretary of the United States Navy. Roosevelt had always respected and enjoyed naval history. After the explosion of the battleship Maine Roosevelt prepared America for war more specifically the Spanish-American War. He asked Congress for help in trying to enlist as many sailors for the cause. Roosevelt showcased his power with his fearlessness by embracing war with open hands boosting his image as a leader that was confident in his ability to win wars. Just as the declaration of the Spanish-American War launched Theodore Roosevelt resigned his post. Roosevelt created a volunteer group of cowboys and old Ivy League friends from New York. This resulted in the formation of the first U.S. Volunteer Calvary Regiment and got the nickname

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the rough riders by the newspaper writers. People from educational backgrounds were happy and ready to enlist in the regiment and proved a good fit if they were mentally and physically strong. Roosevelt praised his troops desire to do anything and provided them with even greater respect when none of them opted out of the regiment after enlisting. None of them failed to do his duty the types of men that joined where men of all across North America although different they all possessed the traits of hardihood and a thirst for adventure. These rough riders proved their might as some of the strongest men from this side of the world.8 The American audience loved and admired them as the men that could fight war and win. The type of attitude that encompassed Theodore wherever he went rubbed off on others. The Rough Riders had a take no prisoner attitude and arrived on Cuba wasting no time even willing to go into the battlefront first and rushing the opposition. The most famous of battles that really showcased what the Rough Riders could do and what they were really all about was the Battle of San Juan Hill and Kettle Hill. Theodore led his regiment through the intense heat out of the high grass of the jungle onto a sunken lane where another regiment began fighting the Spaniards. It was there in that sunken lane between two hills one being fortified with brick buildings on the far left which housed a Spanish regiment and the one on the right Kettle Hill. As bullets and shrapnel surrounded them and men being wounded from the old Spanish rifle bullets created a chaotic frenzy all around them. The Spanish seemed to just be shooting in a general direction and filled the air with bullets whizzing and popping sounds. Having gotten the orders to move forward toward the Spaniard General Summers was the first to show his men that it was ok he was on horseback with Theodore as well on horseback leading his men. Theodore was one of the first on the Kettle Hill charging on the Spanish. Other officers began to follow suit after initially unwilling to lead their men on to a charge that would leave all or most dead, and pretty soon the

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Spanish were faced with the charging force of the Rough Riders on San Juan Hill. Leading the charge was Theodore showed determination and the ability of being fearless in these dangerous situations and it encompassed in the minds of the others in return gave them strength and courage to follow.9 The Rough Riders held their own and many returned home with prestigious military medal showcasing their accomplishments. Theodore showed great military power and leadership from everybody paying attention to the battles of the war. Once Theodore returned home he became thought as the man of his century and was what most men during that time strived for that perfect balance of masculinity. His return to the United States showed the public that he can be successful in war and could lead soldiers toward victory. The public knew that he could and would make a great leader and did so by electing him as the governor of New York.10 He won and was in favor for the imperialism of the Philippines. He stated that Americans had a proud place in the world and that the Filipinos had the right for stabilization. The United States is uniquely situated in the western hemisphere and has many natural defenses and is in the prime position that many nations would love to be in. After the fall of Spanish colonies American military personnel saw this as the perfect time to expand the United States and gain influence and power in Asia and in Latin America. The ousting of one nation colony to another never ends up right and just replaces one with another. The Philippine islands became the prime targets for imperialism because, of their richness of resources and population. The law made it acceptable for America to take over Spanish colonies and encouraged it. The American government first wanted to show the Filipinos that they were there to help and wanted to raise the standard living and wage of the average Filipino.11

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Theodore saw Puerto Rico as an island that if obtained would serve purpose to the United States and take away the corruptness that the island was being plagued with. Roosevelt was in favor of imperialism to protect the people of Puerto Rico and redistribute land among the peasant farmers. The important cash crop in Puerto Rico and the Philippines was sugar and this precious comity proved its valuableness again in the 20th century. Roosevelt believed that if you speak softly and carry a big stick, and you will go far. Theodore used this expression toward the idea of Imperialism meaning that if you use caution and non-aggression but be willing to use violence if necessary. This saying proved to be true and fit perfectly with the attitudes and how Theodore approached politics and battle.12 Theodore was in the vice president seat after president McKinley was shot during a PanAmerican Exposition Theodore got word that he was initially well but, as the days went by he got a telegram suggesting that president McKinley was in critical condition and was close to death. Roosevelt rushed to Washington D.C. he then had to take the role as president and vowed to keep McKinleys cabinet and to keep his policies while he was in office. One of the first things Theodore did was to address Congress about curbing power of large corporations. Roosevelt ran in the next election and won in 1904.13 He cared for the common worker and citizen he got higher pay for miners, passed child labor laws giving children the freedom of being a child, and increased the wellbeing of everyone by passing the Meat Inspection Act of 1906 that banned certain unsafe preservatives and misleading labels. The Pure Food and Drug Act which protected citizens with food and drugs that were falsely labeled from being sold and shipped. He created the new Federal Department of Labor while in favor of breaking up the big corporations that had a hold on American politics and many had forms of monopolies, he began what is famously known as trust busting taking

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away the power of those corporations. The Elkins Act broke down the railroad companies rate of transporting goods across the country limiting their strength over their industry. The Interstate Commerce Commission had the power to regulate the rate by the railroad companies this gave the merchant lower shipping costs too. Stopping free passes to friends was big, but perhaps the most important thing was the authority to view financial records of those companies allowing them to see how much money they received.14 Theodore believed that imperialism can be served as a useful tool toward stability and peace. The Monroe Doctrine allowed the United States the right to exercise International Policy Power. It stated that the American government would ensure Latin American countries and Caribbean countries repay their debts allowing the United States to step in affairs and play the role of the police force in the western hemisphere. Debt among these countries still occurred and in many reports it rose even higher creating a hole that the Latin American countries couldnt escape. When these countries were in danger of defaulting on their debts European powers threatened to intervene but the United States was quick to respond and sent forces to Santo Domingo to protect their assets in this region. This move prompted many Latin Americans to truly believe that imperialism was an idea that they could get behind on. Roosevelt argued that with the presence of American military European forces were less likely to intervene and let the United States take control over these weaker smaller countries it worked to an extent. Military power in this part of the world prompted Latin Americans who owed money to the bondsman to repay as soon as possible to avoid American or European military intervention. By doing this he increased and asserted American dominance. After doing this it changed the relationship between Latin America and the United States. Roosevelt focused more of his attention to the smaller less stable Latin American countries and wasnt really concerned with Mexico,

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Argentina, and Brazil he saw them as junior partners that would help enforce his idea. Under the United States the umbrella of influence in Latin American countries showed debt declining.15 In 1906 Roosevelt called for the decrease in size in battleships however, the United States showed no intention in making battleships smaller especially during the arms race. This type of view from Theodore shocked the public but for many it showed that Theodore was a smart man and knew when military spending should be cut. For the government the move to create and build up the navy showcased the dominance of military that a country had and showed that the United States Navy was a strong force and was not to be taken lightly. Roosevelt also urged the Russian government to slow their naval buildup. For Roosevelt the control of the arms race would be the best option for the United States for defense. By slowing it down spending on military ships would go down creating more money for other things that were needed during this time. This spark and new outlook changed Roosevelt he was still the man that would not turn down a fight but it showed he saw right from wrong and cared for the world.16 Roosevelt cared for the environment and nature. There is delight in the hardy life of the open. Conservation means development as much as it does protection. Theodore cared for the environment and believed that all Americans should too. The wilderness was seen as this majestic land that was untouched by human presence and was in its most natural stage. He favored and created many of national parks and wildlife refuges that are in existence today by these actions he became known as the first conservationist president of the United States. He wanted all of the future generations of Americans to see all of the beauty Mother Nature has to offer us. He enlisted the help of many conservationist photographs that took pictures of nature to show urban living Americans the majestic part of life and how it can captivate the creative mind and just take you away from modern life to escape and clear your mind. He encouraged

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Americans that it was their national duty to preserve and protect the environment Roosevelt believed that you can use natural resources but, if you used them then it was your responsibility to replace them. He was notably famous and given credit for the creation of the Bureau of Forestry that is still a huge part of managing wildlife and natural resources in the United States.17 Theodore respected and admired the different kinds of wildlife from around the world He talks about all the different variation of birds and mammals from the South American jungles to the African safari. In this regard Theodore became known as the sheriff of the United States and was in favor of law and order he did whatever he could to demand it. He created more federal departments. By providing citizens with the ease of mind that their government was looking out for their well-being and the well-being of nature making them a priority.18 Like many politicians during the Progressive Era he ignored the issue of civil rights towards African Americans. He did try to bridge the gap but decided it unwise after outrage from politicians and citizens of the southern states when he invited Booker T. Washington the first African-American man to the White House for dinner. After that incident Roosevelt didnt feel the need to push on the 15th Amendment to the American public for the fear of being despised. He did however publicly spoke out about racism and discrimination and for a short time had learned to respect African-American during his time as a Rough Rider. Roosevelt talked about how the buffalo soldiers showcased great battle skills and were revered as some of his best men in the regiment before his trip to San Juan Hill. After his trip he changed his story and said that the colored infantry men drifted toward the rear during battle.19 On an African safari hunting trip Roosevelt describes the landscape of the African continent and uses the example that for years European explorers have been exploring the world

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and have been finding new lands and that the people residing there are seen as savage beasts for their way of life and have been viewed by Europeans as slow development. He goes on to talk about how he has seen a semi-civilized culture at the head waters of the Nile. He uses the insight that long ago this great fragmented region is the past of our race. Theodore went on these types of hunting trips to gather specimen for the Smithsonian Institute and the National Museum his main objective was to shoot and kill large game animals for research and study. The expedition ended with the killing or trapping of 11,400 specimens.20 During his second presidential campaigning after the African expeditions Roosevelt was speaking in Milwaukee, Wisconsin when a man by the name of John Schrank shot him attempting to assassinate him but failed but the bullet got lodged in his chest and couldnt be removed for the fear that it would cause more damage so he lived with it for the rest of his life.(See fig. 3)That didnt stop him from finishing the speech and with this act of strength Roosevelt gained respect from the other candidates and others around the United States. This example of courage is what the American man during that time strived to be willing to finish what he started regardless of what happened. After hearing the results of the election he lost and decided to finish his expeditions but this time in South America. Theodore and his crew ventured off into the unknown and showed the courage that many people wouldnt be able to have. Theodore still believed although the adventure was fun and dangerous scientific work still had to be done so he pressed with the matter at hand. He encountered many obstacles that an ordinary man would shy away from and not dare attempt it for the fear of his life.21 Theodore Roosevelt became the man of his time by appealing to the American public and recognized the importance of the future of a nation and the world around it. Theodore did just that and accomplished everything a man could in his life. Through the ups and downs Theodore

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Roosevelt prevailed in it all. Roosevelt became the epitome of the true American man this proves true to this day. He left his legacy by changing Americas political system and created a guideline for future leaders to follow. Theodore Roosevelt presented his character as the man that was was tough and straight-forward while being kind and appreciating the world, in all standards he was truly the great man of his time.

Appendix

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Figure1: The diary of Theodore Roosevelt

Figure 2: Theodore Roosevelt near Glenwood Springs, Colorado

Figure 3: The X-Ray of Theodore Roosevelt after assassination attempt.