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Theodore Roosevelt Born: October 27, 1858 Died: January 6, 1919 Political Party: Republican Terms in Office: 1901-1904 and 1905-1909 Vice President: Charles Warren Fairbanks

Theodore Roosevelt, referred to by many as "TR", was William McKinley’s Vice President and on September 14, 1901, he was sworn in as President by U.S. District Court Judge John R. Hazel after the assignation of McKinley. At 43, Roosevelt was the youngest president the country had ever had. Throughout his presidency, much was accomplished for America. He created the Panama Canal, he signed a Gentlemen’s Agreement with Japan, and he made a huge conservation movement. Overall, Theodore Roosevelt deserves an A for his terms as President because he did a lot for our country. There were many more positive outcomes then negative outcomes.

Upon taking over the presidency in 1901, Roosevelt had three primary concerns for the County, they were known as the Square Deal or the three C's: Control of corporations, consumer protection and conservation. In 1902 workers were demanding greater rights and protection, while corporations expected labor to remain cheap and plentiful. This led to a strike by the coal workers in Pennsylvania. With one of his goals being to control corporations, Roosevelt stepped in and summoned the mine owners and union representatives to meet with him in Washington. He threatened to seize the mines and operate them with federal troops. His efforts resulted in the striking workers receiving a 10 percent pay increase and a nine-hour working day. Roosevelt's goal to implement consumer protection began when Upton Sinclair published a book called "The Jungle." The book described in graphic detail the Chicago slaughterhouse industry. Roosevelt had the power to do something about the sickening practices described in "The Jungle", so he pressured Congress into passing the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. Theodore Roosevelt’s main goal as president was to carry out the conservation of America’s western lands. TR passed the Reclamation Act of 1902, which channeled funds from the sale of western lands into the construction of great dams to irrigate the arid regions of the West. He accomplished this goal very well as he was later titled, "the Great Conservationist."

Theodore Roosevelt’s relationship with Congress, in general, was strained. Roosevelt consistently insulted them, often times calling members "scoundrels, crooks and fools". Roosevelt felt that Congress was "indecisive and irresolute as an institution", and as the first "Progressive" President, he refused to allow his actions to be held up by Congress' debate. Although the majority of Congress was Republican, the Senators and Representatives resented the steady growth of presidential power that had been occurring. They resented even more TR’s usual tone of command. Even though Roosevelt never addressed the whole Congress, he had sent nearly 400 presidential messages to them.

There were many positive actions taken by Theodore Roosevelt and his administration. The most positive was the construction of the Panama Canal. Roosevelt himself considered this his greatest accomplishment. Construction of the Panama Canal began in 1878 by the French engineer who built the Suez Canal, Ferdinand de Lesseps. Construction was halted due to disease and engineering problems, and Roosevelt offered to buy the rights to the canal from a French business for 40 million dollars. Roosevelt then instructed Secretary of State, John Hay, to negotiate the purchase of a fifty mile strip of land from Columbia. Columbia did not agree to the terms, and during the stalemate Panama revolted from Columbia. Roosevelt immediately sent the battleship //Nashville// and a detachment of marines to Panama to support the new government. With the assistance from the United States, Panama succeeded in establishing its independence which then allowed the United States to negotiate virtually the same treaty Columbia had rejected. The building of the canal cut 7,800 miles off the voyage from New York to San Francisco by eliminating the necessity to sail around South America.

The most negative action during Roosevelt’s presidency were his antitrust policies that led to the Panic of 1907. Prior to Roosevelt becoming President, politicians were unwilling to use the Sherman Antitrust Act. This Act required the Federal government to investigate and pursue companies and organizations suspected of violating the Act, which was enacted to prohibit trusts and abusive monopolies. As a result of President Roosevelt's "trust-busting" campaigns, the Sherman Act began to be used with some success, and in 1904 the Supreme Court upheld the government in its suit for dissolution of the Northern Securities Company. The Panic began with the failure of the Knickerbocker Trust Company of New York and the Westinghouse Electric Company in October 1907. After the initial business collapses, stock market prices plummeted and depositors began withdrawing money from nation’s banks. The crisis passed, but the finger-pointing began. Both political parties believed that the American banking system was fundamentally flawed and needed change. Business leaders, however, believed that Roosevelt's progressive legislation had upset the natural order of the economy and the government should stop its meddling.

The decision made by TR that influenced future lives of people was the Gentleman’s Agreement. The issue of Japanese immigrants had been brewing for sometime in San Francisco, California. Japan had planned to limit immigration to the United States, but was upset by San Francisco's discriminatory law aimed at Oriental people. Japanese and Korean students were ordered by the San Francisco School Board to join the Chinese at a segregated Oriental School. Roosevelt was concerned about diplomatic relations with Japan and intervened. While the American ambassador reassured the Japanese government, Roosevelt summoned the San Francisco mayor and school board to the White House for a meeting in February 1907. He persuaded them to rescind the segregation order, and he promised that the federal government would address the question of immigration. On February 24, the Gentlemen's Agreement with Japan was concluded in the form of a Japanese note agreeing to deny passports to laborers planning to enter the United States, and it recognized the United States right to exclude Japanese immigrants that held passports originally issued for other countries. On March 13, 1907 the San Francisco School Board formally withdrew its order. This influenced the future lives of people because having fewer Japanese immigrants in the United States meant more jobs would be available for Americans, and it also calmed tensions between Japan and the United States, possibly preventing a war with Japan.

In conclusion, Theodore Roosevelt deserves an A for his combined terms as president. He did many good things for our country. Most of his actions as President positively impacted America. He created the Panama Canal, giving America a strategic shortcut between the Atlantic and the Pacific. He signed the Gentlemen’s Agreement with Japan that restricted immigrant workers into the United States and relieved tensions between the two countries. Last, he conserved more then 125 million acres or national forests, 68 million acres of coal lands, and created 2,500 water-power sites. This was a huge environmental movement that, overall, opened the eyes of many people about the environment. It is noteworthy to mention that Teddy Roosevelt was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906. He was awarded the prize for his negotiations that led to the Treaty of Portsmouth, which ended the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. Negatively speaking, throughout his terms, the Panic of 1907 arose and caused stock prices to plummet and many banks to close. The positive actions, however, greatly out-weigh the negative actions done by Theodore Roosevelt and his Administration. America was, for the most part, in much better condition after his presidency then before. Therefore, TR clearly deserves an A for his efforts as President.

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Degregorio, William A.. //The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents, Seventh Edition (Complete Book of Us Presidents)//. 7 ed. Fort Lee: Barricade Books, 2009. Print.======

"Gentlemen's Agreement — History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts." //The History Channel — Home Page//. Web. 22 Apr. 2010. [].

//HippoCampus - Homework and Study Help - Free Help with Your Algebra, Biology, Environmental Science, American Government, US History, Physics and Religion Homework//. Web. 22 Apr. 2010. [].