He is one of the four presidents depicted on Mount Rushmore. He is viewed as a hero by liberals and progressives alike. He is praised for his environmental conservation efforts. You guessed it right. He is none other than President Theodore Roosevelt. Stay tuned with Know The Fact to learn more about this incredible man.
The 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt Jr., was born on October 27, 1858. He was nicknamed “Teddy Roosevelt.” Before his presidency, Roosevelt served as the 25th vice president under William McKinley from March to September 1901. He also served as the 33rd governor of New York from 1899 to 1900. Roosevelt was a Republican who championed antitrust and progressive policies. Roosevelt established the United States as an active participant in global politics. In 1906, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for peacemaking and ended the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05). His presidency saw the beginning of the construction of the Panama Canal (1904–14).
Political career
Roosevelt was a Republican. At the age of 23, he was elected to the New York State Assembly. By naming himself as an enemy of corrupt machine politics, he quickly became a popular politician. In 1884, he left politics for two years due to the deaths of his wife and mother. He spent the two years at his cattle ranch in the badlands of the Dakota Territory.
However, he did participate as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1884. In 1886, he lost the New York City mayoral election. President William McKinley appointed Roosevelt as the assistant secretary of the navy. In 1898, when the Spanish-American War was declared, he assembled the 1st Volunteer Cavalry, known as the Rough Riders. The Riders were sent to fight in Cuba with Roosevelt as their military leader. The foot charge of the Rough Riders up Kettle Hill during the Santiago Battle made Roosevelt the greatest national hero of the Spanish-American War.
Presidency
After the war, senior Republican party members chose Roosevelt to run for governor. He was elected in 1898 and began reformation with his anti-corruption drive and by regulating corporations and civil services. This didn’t sit well with the party members, and in 1990, he was drafted for the Republican Vice Presidential Nomination. The purpose was to provide him with a powerless office. After the assassination of President McKinley on September 14, 1901, Franklin D. Roosevelt became the president of the United States. He gave speeches to raise public awareness regarding the importance of the US in world politics. Roosevelt also emphasised the need to control the dominating economic trusts, the regulation of railroads, and the need to counter political corruption. In a popular move, he appointed young, college-graduates to administrative positions. Roosevelt heavily focused on foreign affairs and used his administrative powers to address problems regarding business and labor and the conservation of natural resources.
The Square Deal
In 1902, Roosevelt got involved with the anthracite coal strike. The president convened a meeting in the White House and offered to mediate between the representatives of capital and labour. The army was called in to run the mines, and he ordered Wall Street investment to threaten coal companies financially. The plan worked, and the strike ended. The coal miners even received a modest
raise. Roosevelt also pushed for the formation of an organisation with the power to investigate businesses engaged in interstate commerce. As a result, the Bureau of Corporations was established in 1903. The Square deal made him so popular that he won the 1904 presidential election. Under his second presidential term, the Interstate Commerce Commission was granted powers to regulate interstate railroad rates. Landmark acts such as the Hepburn Act, the Pure Food and Drug Act, and the Meat Inspection Act were passed in 1906. In 1905, the Forest Service was created to manage forest reserves under the government. Public lands were declared national forests to keep the commercial exploitation of lumber, minerals, and waterpower in check.
Foreign Policy
Roosevelt took the Philippine Islands as an American Colony after the Spanish-American War. He built the U.S. Navy into a major naval force and reorganized the army. In 1906, he started the construction of the Panama Canal. He also occupied and set up a military protectorate in Cuba. Roosevelt also put pressure on Canada in a territorial dispute in Alaska. In 1904-05, at the Portsmouth Peace Conference, he mediated between Russia and Japan, ending the Russo-Japanese War. On the European political scene, Roosevelt favoured Britain and France over Russia.
Later Years and Death
After the eruption of World War I in 1914, Roosevelt became an ardent supporter of the Allies. In the 1916 presidential election, he was ready to support any candidate against Woodrow Wilson, even if it wasn’t himself. Wilson won the presidential election. Roosevelt was nominated as a candidate for the 1920 presidential campaign. Sadly, he passed away on January 6, 1919.
