Ethan+O.+-+TR+-+FA09

===//"Speak softly and carry a big stick//; you will go far//"  // ===


 * Born:** October 27, 1858
 * Died:** January 6, 1919
 * Party:** Republican
 * Terms:** 2- September 14, 1901- March 4, 1909 (took over after McKinley was assassinated)
 * Vice President:** //none// (1901-1905), Charles W. Fairbanks (1905-1909)

Theodore Roosevelt, the sickly child turned African safari hunter, outdoorsman, and Rough Rider, was nothing less than astounding as President, just as he was in his everyday life. He is considered by many to be the first modern president, as he greatly expanded the power of the executive. From the days of Lincoln, till Roosevelt took the reigns, Congress had held most of government power. Theodore Roosevelt took advantage of the media and his booming voice to reach the average American. Roosevelt advocated domestic plans to help those everyday Americans, called the Square Deal, and foreign policy that would put America on the map as a world power after almost a century of isolationism, as represented by the Roosevelt Corollary. As President, Roosevelt deserves a very high grade of A as president for these actions, along with others such as his conservation efforts and overall personality.
 * __Presidential Evaluation__**

Theodore Roosevelt showed us just how much a president can accomplish from day one, when he took over after the assassination of William McKinley. In his 20,000 word address to Congress on December 3rd, 1901, he specifically asked for the curbing of the power of trusts, one of the main goals throughout his presidency. He was successful in this goal, earning him the nickname "Trust-Buster". He used the Elkins Act of 1903 to decrease the power of the huge railroad monopolies (another one of his goals), and the Hepburn Act of 1906, which favored the merchant over the railroads. Under his control, the Attorney General filed 44 suits against businesses deemed monopolies, including Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company. This regulating of trusts was 1/4 of his domestic policy that he called his Square Deal. The other 3 sides of this square were (besides busting monopolies) Conservationism, enforcing the anti-trust policy, and supporting progressivism. Most of these goals were met quite well. Conservationism was supported with the setting up of the national parks in particular, and his support of anti-trust policy can be seen in his handling of the anthracite coal miner's strike, where the union representatives and company bigwigs were treated as equals. On the foreign policy side of things, Roosevelt urged the United States to build a strong fleet, which was met with the building of the Great White Fleet. Roosevelt deemed this an imperial mission, as he was worried about a war in the Pacific against Japan. Roosevelt also supported imperialistic ideals and the spreading of those ideals. He also believed in mediation, as he mediated the quarrel between Russia and Japan, and received a Nobel Peace Prize for this.

Roosevelt and Congress, in my opinion, had a fairly good relationship, as he was able to get much needed legislation passed, regardless of the fact that he felt the executive more important than the legislature in federal government. He also had a supportive Republican majority on his side. When bills met resistance, such as the Hepburn Act mentioned above, Roosevelt would try to appeal directly to the public, squeezing Congress into a tight place if they didn't pass the legislation. Roosevelt also passed the Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food and Drug Act, both in 1906, which were spurred on by the calls of progressive reformers. Roosevelt also passed the Antiquities Act, which established 18 new US National Monuments. As you can see, Roosevelt encountered no trouble from his Congress.

The best action of Roosevelt's presidency was by far his conservationist efforts. Roosevelt was one of a few number of people that were far-sighted enough to care about our land and environment, and the care of them for the future. As an avid outdoorsman, Roosevelt realized the sheer beauty of our country and the steps that needed to be taken to preserve that beauty. Roosevelt worked closely with Gifford Pinchot (who we may know from Pinchot Park) to design a conservationist plan. This included his Newlands Reclamation Act to build dams and irrigate western farms. Roosevelt also used the aforementioned Antiquities Act to set aside 18 monuments and even more federal land than all his predecessors combined. He also established the nation's first national forest, Shoshone Forest, and established 149 more. He truly was one of the first conservationist presidents, and his views were farsighted in this area in particular.

Roosevelt's worst action, while hard to determine, was probably his Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. It can be seen as a perverse twisting of the original document, and an abuse of presidential power. I don't necessarily see it this way, but it was quite different than the document's original purpose. The Monroe Doctrine said that intervention in North America by European powers was strictly prohibited, while the Roosevelt Corollary said, in essence, that we would intervene in place of those foreign powers, as shown in Roosevelt's handling of the Latin American countries and the assumption of their debts. This was, at best, a benevolent act, but quite a risky and bold one. It was, more than anything, a show of his belief in Executive Power, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The American public did not protest, which can be viewed as... well.. lucky.

One of Roosevelt's lasting decisions was his interventionism methodology when going about his day to day work in foreign policy. Roosevelt maintained that if you speak softly and carry a big stick, you will go far, however speaking softly is hardly a way to define Roosevelt. He certainly had a boisterous voice, and spoke his mind often. Roosevelt used interventionism to build the Panama Canal, when he told the people of Panama to revolt against the Columbian government. He also intervened in Latin America when he assumed their debts to Europe. Roosevelt was the first president to break the long stride of isolationism, and we certainly have done more of the same since. Wilson tried to hang on to isolationism, but was unable to during World War I, and America may have isolated itself in the 1920's only to come out on the world stage once again. After Roosevelt's awesome show of American strength, including parading the Great White Fleet around the world, it is hard to stay isolated. And we certainly don't isolate ourselves today, do we?

After reading all of this, it should be silly to ask whether the country was better off or not after Roosevelt's presidency, but if I must... After Roosevelt's time as president the country was far better off. By supporting the Square Deal domestic plan, and especially his progressive reforms, Roosevelt laid the foundation for what became the progressive and booming America of the 1910's and 20's. He also boasted America's newfound power to the world with his Great White Fleet, and did an excellent job handling foreign conflict, and the Roosevelt Corollary, while not necessarily a good decision, did not negatively effect America in any huge way. But most importantly, Roosevelt was a conservationist, and made people aware of the conservationist cause. He set up all the national parks we love today, and we embrace these concepts today more than ever. With all this working for him, Roosevelt most definitely deserves an A for his job as president, and is well-deserving of his spot on Mt. Rushmore.


 * __Bibliography__**

"In His Own Words: Quotations from the speeches and other works of Theodore Roosevelt." //About Theodore Roosevelt//. Theodore Roosevelt Association. Web. 27 Nov. 2009. . The Nobel Foundation. "Theodore Roosevelt- The Nobel Peace Prize 1906." //Nobelprize.org//. The Nobel Foundation. Web. 27 Nov. 2009. . "Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt." //Wikipedia- The Free Encyclopedia//. Wikimedia Inc., 26 Nov. 2009. Web. 27 Nov. 2009. . "Square Deal." //Wikipedia- The Free Encyclopedia//. Wikimedia Inc., 26 Nov. 2009. Web. 27 Nov. 2009. . "Theodore Roosevelt." //Miller Center of Public Affairs//. University of Virginia. Web. 27 Nov. 2009. . "Theodore Roosevelt." //The White House//. The White House. Web. 27 Nov. 2009. .