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Essay / Theodore Roosevelt's Most Influential Achievements – The 26th President of the United States
Theodore Roosevelt served as President of the United States of America from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt was born into a wealthy family on the 27th October 1858 in Manhattan, New York, NY and was a very ill child. He died on January 6, 1919, and is buried at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site in Cove Neck, New York. It is believed that Roosevelt's illness as a child was the reason he became a risk-taker and adventurer as an adult. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get the original essay Roosevelt ran for governor of New York in 1898 and won in part because of his exploits as leader of “Rough Riders.” In 1899, Roosevelt was nominated for vice president by William McKinley and was confirmed by majority votes in the House and Senate (elected November 6, 1900; served as vice president from March to September 1901) (insert quote – mom 2), when the vice president, Garret Hobart, died while in office. Roosevelt then became president after the assassination of President William McKinley and became the youngest president of the United States at the age of forty-two (1901 to 1909). His career path to public office included: graduating magna cum laude from Harvard in 1880 and marrying; attending Columbia Law School, but turned to a political career in 1882 by joining the Republican Party. He was also a prolific writer (articles, speeches, and books (over 40 of them from 1882 to 1919). Of the many great things our 26th President accomplished, the most notable are: Lieutenant Colonel of the Rough Riders ( July 1, 1898) ) Advancement of National Monuments and Parks (1901 – 1909) Square Deal's slogan for his 1906 presidential campaign. Winning the Nobel Peace Prize (1906). Creation of the Progressive Party (Bull Moose) – 1912) Construction of the Panama Canal (1903-1914). Before Roosevelt's presidency, he served in the Navy and rose through the ranks to deputy secretary. When the Spanish Civil War broke out, many urged Roosevelt to retain his position as assistant secretary of the Navy. Roosevelt ignored the request of his family and peers and declared: "...I have always said that if my country got into a war, I should participate in it, so I am leaving tomorrow..." Roosevelt was a colonel of the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry in 1898. in the Spanish-American War. They were nicknamed the Rough Riders. The Rough Riders received applications for membership from across the country from men who admired Roosevelt and wanted to serve under him. The Rough Riders were made up of a very diverse group including college graduates, cowboys, miners, law enforcement, Jewish Americans, and Native Americans. The Rough Riders' most important victory was at San Juan Hill. The Rough horsemen joined up with the black soldiers and stormed the hill. The United States lost approximately eighty-nine soldiers wounded or killed. The horrific capture of San Juan caused the Spanish to retreat, and the United States was declared victorious shortly afterward. Roosevelt's presidency is immortalized on Mount Rushmore as a spectacular reminder of the accomplishments he accomplished throughout his tenure for all who visit Keystone National Monument. , South Dakota (the sculptor was Gutzon Borglum). The monument is very fitting as Roosevelt spearheaded the creation of many national parks and monuments during his time in office. Although Ulysses S. Grant was the very firstpresident to create a national park in 1872 (Yellowstone National Park), Theodore Roosevelt's advocacy for nature conservation is one of the most admired. Roosevelt loved the outdoors and spent a lot of time hunting. During his hunting expeditions, he often took notes on the animals he hunted and the surrounding habitat. Roosevelt observed that the resources around him were depleting and concluded that humans were the cause. During his presidency, the American Antiquities Preservation Act was created in 1906. It stated: "...declare by proclamation historic monuments, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historical and scientific interest...as national monuments." To help conserve natural habitats and resources, Roosevelt used this law to create five national parks, eighteen national monuments, four national game refuges, 51 bird sanctuaries, and 100 million acres of national forest (National Geographic). Although Roosevelt's obvious passion was the outdoors, he was able to build more monuments than parks because monuments did not require Congressional approval. Roosevelt's fascination with the outdoors included animals and began when he was very young. Roosevelt learned taxidermy, and at the age of twelve he began donating some of his animals to the American Museum of Natural History. Ultimately, Roosevelt donated a total of 622 birds to the Smithsonian during his lifetime. Roosevelt was also called a “trust breaker”; a phrase that arose from Roosevelt's negative sentiment toward the wealthy trust titans (Wall Street financiers) of industry. He believed that too many wealthy citizens felt more important than their elected officials and that the public would start a violent uprising if nothing changed. He also wanted to end the big railroad monopoly, and later, when the Sherman Anti-Trust Act was signed into law, more restrictions were placed on big business. The Square Deal was essentially an oath from President Roosevelt to the American people, promising that he would not favor any group of Americans. “A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to get a fair deal afterwards. No man is entitled to more of this, and no man is entitled to less. – Theodore Roosevelt This was the primary motivating factor for Roosevelt's Square Deal policy, which was also the slogan of his successful 1906 presidential campaign. Roosevelt's Square Deal policy is easily remembered by summarizing it with the three C: Square Deal: Business ControlSquare Deal: Consumer ProtectionSquare Deal: Conservation of natural resources. Corporate control was born from the “Laisser-Faire” economic system. The system in place had no regulations on businesses, large or small. Laissez-faire discouraged government interference with business and prohibited equitable distribution of wealth. Roosevelt had no legal authority over large corporations, but he threatened those that treated their employees unfairly. In 1903, after a coal strike, Roosevelt created the Department of Commerce and Labor which regulated healthy and safe working conditions for all Americans. Another part of the Square Deal included consumer protection, enacted after Upton Sinclair's novel "The Jungle." Roosevelt signed the Meat Inspection Act which mandated federal inspection of the meatpacking industry. The Meat Inspection Act was then followed by the Pure Food and Drug Act which included: "sanitary standards for slaughterhouses andmeat processing plants, authorized the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conduct ongoing monitoring and inspection of slaughter and processing operations, mandatory pre-slaughter livestock inspection and post-slaughter inspection obligatory mortem of each carcass after slaughter. The final segment of the Square Deal was the conservation of natural resources. As previously discussed, conservation of natural resources began with the National Forest Service, the creation of new national parks and monuments, and bird sanctuaries. Theodore Roosevelt was the first American to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906. Roosevelt's victory has caused much controversy since it was awarded due to the Treaty of Portsmouth. The Treaty of Portsmouth ended the war between Japan and Russia, but Roosevelt was often criticized for his appetite for war and for his conquest of the Philippines. Roosevelt also wanted America to move forward and progress as a strong nation. He was considered the leader of the progressive movement. Progressivism is often associated with science, engineering, technology, and the social sciences. The Progressive movement was focused on modernizing America, which included ending corruption and removing ineffective branches of government. The Bull Moose Party was an alternative name for the progressive movement and came into existence following an assassination attempt on his life during Roosevelt's presidential campaign in Milwaukee. After the failed assassination, Roosevelt announced that "...it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose...", giving the Progressive Party an additional name to be known as the "Bull Moose." The Progressive Party was created to reform the Republican Party in opposition to William Howard Taft's conservative ideals for Republicans. The Progressive Party platform of 1912 gave a detailed description of a complete overhaul of the Republican Party; they declared that their top priority was justice. The following partial list of talking points for the party program gives a good idea of the direction the party was heading: "...the old parties, an alliance with the people, government by the people, amendment of the constitution, the nation and the state, equality the right to vote, corrupt practices, advertising and public service, the courts. In addition, the platform also discussed Administration of Justice, Social and Industrial Justice, Ministry of Labor, Country Life, High Cost of Living, Health, Business, Patents …” The Republican Party has split between progressives and conservatives. When Roosevelt came to power, he believed he had to support McKinley's policies and refused to change the position of anyone in the cabinet. Roosevelt also expanded the power of the future president legally and encouraged foreign policy. The Panama Canal was an idea that had been implemented for centuries. Ulysses S. Grant planned field expeditions to see if building a canal was a good investment for the Americans. The French began digging the canal in 1881. They quickly realized that the risk of disease and death was ever-present. Thousands of people were dying from mosquito-borne diseases. In addition to deaths and inappropriate hospitalizations of patients, rumor had it that the canal was facing fraud. French investors lost around $287 million. When Theodore Roosevelt took office, he also wanted to take over the massive canal project. Roosevelt thought he could be the one to complete the canal, which would constitute.