The start of Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt’s presidency is not your usual one. His was unexpected. Before sitting as a President, Theodore Roosevelt was once the Vice President of President William McKinley. He was chosen as McKinley’s running mate during his second term of presidency. However, in September 1901, President McKinley was assassinated. This tragic event led to the appointment of Theodore Roosevelt as the United States of America’s 26th President.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT’S PRESIDENCY
Being 43 years old at that time, Theodore Roosevelt was hailed as the youngest President of the United States. Due to his young age, he carried new and exciting energy and power to the presidency.
Theodore Roosevelt, with great effort and competence, led the American Congress and the public toward strong foreign policies and progressive reforms. The people widely considered him as the United States of America’s first modern President. He developed the influence and the reputation of the office today. During his term, Congress became the most powerful and influential branch of the government. Roosevelt made the presidency the center of American politics.
Roosevelt believed that as the country’s President, he has all the rights to do all the necessary actions to better the country and its people unless expressly denied to him by the law or the constitution. Theodore Roosevelt strongly believed in his relationship with the people and his responsibility to them. He wanted to show his people that the government serves them as their agent of reform. According to Roosevelt’s writing, he did not usurp power, but instead, he greatly broaden the use of executive power.
As a President, Theodore Roosevelt was passionate about conservationism. He dedicated his presidency to preserving the wildlife and wilderness of nature. Throughout his entire term, Roosevelt protected over 230 million acres of land and made it into national forests, national parks, national monuments, and federal bird reserves.
Before Theodore Roosevelt was appointed as President, big businesses were given carte blanche by the government. As President of the United States, he believed that the government must regulate the actions of big industries so that they would not lay undesirable effects on the public. However, he did not challenge the status of these big companies because he also believed that they marked a significant and positive outcome on the country’s economy. During his presidency, he held the ideal that the American government must stand as an arbiter to help resolve the country’s conflicting economic forces, particularly between labor and capital. Justice to each side is guaranteed, and there must be no dispensing favors between the two.
Theodore Roosevelt also spearheaded the start of building the Panama Canal. He advocated for the interest of his country. Theodore also stepped in between Venezuela and Santo Domingo to preserve the region’s stability. Roosevelt helped strengthen the U.S. Navy because he thought that it would help scare off possible enemies from targeting America. He worked hard to negotiate peace agreements between other countries and to balance power all over the world.
During his presidency, Theodore Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1905 for arbitrating the Russo-Japanese War. He negotiated an agreement between the two countries that helped end the war between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan. To know more about the Russian Empire, check out A Brief History of the Russian Empire.
Roosevelt had his “charisma” as his presidential style. He developed a strong bond with his constituents, and he is very clever in using media to shape people’s opinions. Theodore Roosevelt had unending campaigns on big and small matters. He romped together with his five children from Edith, and he went on constant hikes with ambassadors in Rock Creek Park located in Washington, DC. Roosevelt was also the first President that was elected based on the individual rather than the political party. During the 1904 elections, people generally cast their votes for Roosevelt, the man himself, and not as someone responsible for carrying the Republican Party. Theodore Roosevelt became the most popular President during his time. Because of his intense eagerness to win the hearts of the people, shape the issues revolving in the society, and mold people’s views and opinions, Roosevelt became one of America’s influential and accomplished Presidents. In his nine years of presidency, Theodore Roosevelt has forever changed the executive office.
Even after he left the presidency in 1909, Theodore Roosevelt worked with his passion and ideals. He traveled to an African Safari and went back into politics in 1912. Being back in politics, he ran for a Progressive Party and launched a drive for federal protective regulation with the party’s New Nationalism. This drive would help progressive movement and ideals of the 1930s to 1960s. As expected, his progressive movement encompassed almost every progressive ideals of the following years. Indeed, Theodore Roosevelt’s power and influence reached many people even after his time.