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Theodore Roosevelt

October 27, 1858 New York City, New York- January 6, 1919 Oyster Bay, New York

Political Party: Republican

Terms: September 14, 1901- March 3, 1909

Vice President: No VP his first term, Charles Fairbanks (1905-1909)

Theodore Roosevelt was a big part of the Progressive movement in the United States. He made contributions to social, political, and economical reform. But in all of this, the free blacks still didn’t have all of the rights they wanted. They could now vote and be counted as a citizen, but they still were viewed as lower class citizens. Racial hostility from a majority of the population made it hard to get jobs. Laborers in want of the ability to form unions would go on strike, leaving their jobs wide open for their employers to fill. The company would fill the spots with cheaper labor, free blacks. This enraged those who went on strike. Though Roosevelt and his administration didn’t do much to help the blacks, they did help laborers in general, but not by allowing them to form Unions.
 * Thematic Context **

In 1906, racial tensions between whites and blacks broke out into violence. Black infantrymen stationed at Fort Brown were treated poorly and discriminated against in Brownsville, Texas. Shooting broke out one night and one white bartender died. The mayor and white people of the town put blame on the black infantry claiming that they saw soldiers. The infantry was questioned and they all didn’t know anything. Despite lack of evidence, President Roosevelt dismissed 167 black infantrymen. Some of the men were close to retiring and the dismissal didn’t allow them to get their pensions. This enraged the black community and since they still didn’t have all of their rights, they couldn’t do anything to bring justice for the innocent infantrymen.

Theodore Roosevelt was a force of nature as President. He made America a world power, spreading democracy and expanding trade and naval power all through his big stick policy. Roosevelt was also a huge advocate for progressivism. His largest contribution was environmental conservation. He also contributed other successes in reforming the united states like trust-busting and consumer protection. All in all, Theodore roosevelt deserves a grade of A for his stubbornness to get things done.
 * Thesis **

Theodore Roosevelt’s main goals were to expand the United States and reform the Federal government. Roosevelt believed that he needed to enforce the Monroe Doctrine because of other European nations imperializing smaller countries. This resulted in the delivering of the Roosevelt Corollary. He said that the United States had the right to intervene when smaller countries were feeling oppressed. This lead to Roosevelts Big Stick Diplomacy. His goal of expansion was achieved through his control over parts of Latin America and the Caribbean. Roosevelt managed to reform major parts of the United States. The passing of the Meat Inspection Act protected American consumers from bad slaughtering practices. Also his intervention in trust busting helped the U.S too. Roosevelt was a huge nature person and took great interest in conservation. Theodore Roosevelt managed to accomplished most of his goals through his Big Stick Policy and stubborn attitude.
 * Goals **

Roosevelt had a fairly good relationship with congress considering that both the majority in the House and Senate was Republican. Congress supported Roosevelt’s decisions even when the nation didn’t. When the United States wanted to build a canal across the Central American isthmus they were presented with two options: the Nicaraguan and Panama routes. Congress chose the Panama route and Roosevelt went ahead and found a way to get the canal built. Roosevelt’s force and Congress’ agreement allowed various bills to be passed during his presidency. Roosevelt had very few vetoes during his presidency.
 * Roosevelt and Congress **

**Positive Decision** One positive decision Theodore Roosevelt made was the construction of the Panama canal. When the U.S wanted to build the canal, Columbia rejected their idea. Panama revolted against Columbia and won their independence, granting the United states access to the isthmus. The construction of the canal open up trade across Central America not only for the U.S but also for other nations.

The Panic of 1907 put many banks and railroads out of business. The majority of people said that Roosevelt’s antitrust and prolabor policies were to blame, but Roosevelt blamed big business. Private investors, like J.P. Morgan, were called in to help save the crisis in Wall Street. All Roosevelt did during this time was approve the idea that private trust owners would help.
 * Negative Decision **

Roosevelt took great interest in nature. His conservation efforts kept the United States from over using all of their natural resources. It also kept America beautiful and less greedy. If he were to allow Americans to expand into all areas of the U.S they would run out of resources. He opened up the first wildlife refuge during his presidency. This impacted future administrations by keep the people humble by not letting them settle into all of the available land.
 * Influential Decision **

Theodore Roosevelt was stubborn with his idea’s on expansion and reform in America. This made America was better off in the end with Theodore Roosevelt as president. He went as far as starting a revolution in Columbia to build the Panama Canal and the Canal was used often by all nations. He also began trust-busting to show that the federal government did have control over private business. Roosevelt accomplished most of his goals even though he was viewed as a radical, therefore he deserves a grade of an A.
 * Conclusion **

** Works Cited  **
 * DeGregorio, William A. "Theodore Roosevelt." __The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents__ . Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books, 2005. 372-91. **
 * "The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow." __PBS__ . PBS. 02 Dec. 2012 . **
 * "Teddy Roosevelt and Progressivism." __PBS__ . PBS. 28 Nov. 2012 . **
 * "THEODORE ROOSEVELT BIOGRAPHY." __THEODORE ROOSEVELT BIOGRAPHY__ . 02 Dec. 2012 . **
 * "U.S. Office of Personnel Management." __Theodore Roosevelt__ . 03 Dec. 2012 . **