Day 10–Sagamore Hills and a scenic busride

While I have not done any extensive reading on Theodore Roosevelt–other than an excellent short book titled “River of Doubt” by Candace Millard, which tells the story of TR’s harrowing trip down a previously-unexplored South American river that was so poorly planned, poorly provisioned, and poorly led that it nearly resulted in Roosevelt losing his life,and at the very least, greatly affected his health in his last few years–his presidency remains, to me something of an enigma.

Roosevelt espoused and practiced an activist leadership role, not unlike his earlier governmental positions, and this ability resulted in his inevitable rise through the ranks.  Apparently, he did this so well that his success at investigating and rooting out corruption, ironically, made him then a threat to the entrenched, status quo-minded politicians of his era that he was ultimately “kicked upstairs” to the highest apparent figurehead position our country allows–Vice-President–a job once described by a high-ranking politico as “not worth a pitcher of warm p***”.  He was thought to be safely out of the way.

President McKinley’s asassination changed all that.  Roosevelt now had even more power to go after the perceived evil-doers, and as he described it, a ”bully pulpit” to speak about this from.  He went after large trusts, the railroads, the food industry, and others.  He brokered international disputes, earning a Nobel Peace Prize in the process.  Roosevelt greatly expanded the areas of our National Parks system, raising the protected lands from 43 to 190 million acres during his terms of office.  He wrote numerous historical books, as well as a few accounts of personal experiences (such as his time as a rancher).    And, through it all, he maintained–at least we are told– a warm and close  relationship with his family.

However, there are some questionable actions.  Theodore Roosevelt was likely a product of his time, if not his social class, and did not demonstrate racial enlightenment for various nationalities as a whole.  His isolated attempts at this appear to be carefully staged or politically motivated, which calls into question the integrity of his actions.  Also, Roosevelt–who had fought alongside the soldiers under his command and received a Medal of Honor for his actions–engaged the United States in an international posture described by many as imperialistic, citing the inevitability and rightness of increasing the sphere of influence of A merica throughout the world, with little regard for those already populating the countries in question.  Obviously, no president does everything correctly or is immune to criticism from either side of the political spectrum.  But no evaluation of Theodore Roosevelt’s Presidency can be properly dissected without a thorough review of these areas of importance.  TR”s alleged actions against discrimination ultimately never found enough significant traction to bring about a genuine sea change in the recognition of the rights of minorities, and his veritable chest-thumping stance of America’s right as a major player on the international front may have led our into a hastened involvement in World War I, if not a diminished status around the globe as a country whose sense of fairness in dealing with lesser world powers was not be trusted, since any possible alliance wouldn’t be brokered in each country’s best interest.  This debate is ongoing and yet to be resolved.

Finally, was Theodore Roosevelt the first modern President?  The answer is yes if you are talking of the first American leader to stage-manage the United States’ initial ascent into the status of a world power.  But, the definition of modern can be viewed other ways.  Many might say Harry Truman is a better example of this appellation, as he was the first introduce a terrible weapon whose possession now by various countries immediately elevates them militarily throughout the world to a rarified status.  Some might even assert–though this is a bit of a reach in a few eyes–that Ronald Reagan could be considered the first modern president, due to the fact that he was the first president to have his off-the record musings printed by members of the press, thereby forever altering (some would say limiting) our opportunities to receive meaningful and reliable information from a sitting president, and thereby making couched phrases and political posturing more the order of the day.  I invite others to weigh in on their thoughts in this area.

Nevertheless, Theodore’s Roosevelt’s life (particularly his years out west), and his accomplishments in the areas of conservation, food safety, and philosophy towards meeting a challenge (I can draw ideas from his essay called “In The Arena”), make him someone worthy of discussion for my grade level.

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