Реферат: Theodore Roosevelt Essay Research Paper The second

Theodore Roosevelt Essay, Research Paper

The second of the four children of Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. and Martha Bulloch Roosevelt,

Theodore Roosevelt (hereafter TR), was nicknamed “Teedie”. TR suffered from asthma and terrible nearsightedness, conditions which his father urged him to supercede by saying, “You have the mind, but not the body; you must make your body.” To help his son, Theodore Sr. built a gym at their home where “Teedie” developed a constitution, which would later be referred to as “strong as a Bull Moose”. In his youth, Theodore (who disliked being called Teddy), traveled with his family throughout Europe where he perfected his command of French and German.

At this time, the Civil War raged between the Northern and Southern states. Martha Bulloch, a Southerner

by birth and heritage, played a decisive factor in Theodore Sr.’s decision to hire an army substitute

(quite common in those days). It is alleged that rather than fight against his brothers-in-law, Theodore Sr. chose to instead focus his wealth and connections on procuring supplies for and administrating the logistics of

delivering those supplies to the Union Army. It is further acknowledged that this decision was a driving force for TR to enlist to fight in the Spanish American War (perhaps as a way to become even greater than his father, whom TR held in the greatest of esteem).

An amateur ornithologist, TR would often kill small birds for purely scientific purposes; thereafter dissecting and embalming them. A few original specimens survive today and can be seen at the

Theodore Roosevelt National Historic Birthplace. TR’s education was via private tutors, which was quite common for an individual of his socioeconomic position. A voracious reader with a photographic memory,

TR had no trouble completing his studies and was ultimately admitted to the Harvard College in 1876,

at age eighteen.

At Harvard, TR majored in science, yet received the bulk of his education in history and literature. He was admitted to the prestigious Porcellian Club, the O.K. Club, The Big Six Club, and was a staff member of

The Harvard Advocate. His athletic pursuits included rowing, boxing, horseback riding, and camping. TR was an attentive and somewhat enthusiastic student who participated energetically during lectures. In one instance, a professor of his is quoted as saying: “See here, Roosevelt; I am the one teaching this course!”

In 1878, TR met Alice Hathaway Lee, the daughter of a prominent Boston family. After a lengthy courtship and a marriage proposal rebuff, Alice and TR were married on October 27, 1880. Around this same time, Theodore Sr. died of stomach cancer on February 9, 1878. The death of his father dealt a crushing blow to a twenty one year old TR who suddenly found himself head of his family. Heartbroken yet resolute, TR graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard in 1880 and was promptly admitted to Columbia University’s

School of Law. Also in 1880, TR joined the Republican Party Club of New York. In 1881 he embarked on a vacation/honeymoon to Europe where amongst his many outdoor adventures he climbed the Matterhorn.

Upon his return from Europe, Roosevelt decided to dedicate his life to politics, especially after his

local Republican Club nominated him to a State Representative candidacy. Leaving Columbia University, he won the election easily, thus becoming, at age 23, the youngest State Representative in the history of

New York. TR made his mark in State politics by exposing the corrupt relationship between a New York Supreme Court Justice and railroad magnate Jay Gould. With his whirlwind enthusiasm and calculating mind, TR was easily reelected in 1882 and 1883, eventually being elected the youngest Speaker of the Assembly in the history of New York.

In 1882, TR published his seminal work, The War of 1812, which espoused the maintenance of a strong navy as a pressing matter of national security. In 1883, TR invested part of his inheritance in a working ranch in the Dakota Territory abutting the Little Missouri River, near the city of Medora. Naming the establishment

The Elkhorn Ranch, he left his property in charge of Will Dow and Bill Sewall, two experienced ranch hands. In April 1884, TR was appointed Chairman of the Committee on Cities, whose efforts resulted in vital changes in the Charter of New York City.

It seemed that nothing could stop TR’s comet from rising even higher and faster. In 1884, however, TR’s life fell completely apart. After the joyful birth of Alice Roosevelt Lee on February 12, his wife was diagnosed with Bright s disease and died two days later, on Valentine’s Day. TR’s mother, Martha, was also very ill; having caught typhoid fever, she too died later that same evening of February 14, 1884. In despair and inconsolable, TR wrote in his journal “the light has gone out of my life.” The newborn was left in the care of TR’s sister Anna (affectionately called Bamie). Despite his grief, TR proceeded to conclude his duties as Chairman of the New York Delegation to the 1884 Republican National Convention.

Still inconsolable and unwilling to return to his home in New York, TR contracted the firm of Joseph Wood & Sons to build a new home for him and baby Alice atop a hill overlooking Oyster Bay in Long Island. Originally named Leeholm, in honor of Alice Lee Roosevelt, the house would eventually be renamed Sagamore Hill. Leaving baby Alice in the care of Bamie, TR ventured west and tried his hand at ranching in the Dakotas; hoping the desolate landscape would help him overcome his intense grief. Enduring the scorn and taunts of western roughnecks who called him “four eyes” and “tenderfoot”, TR eventually gained everyone’s respect by thrashing each offender with both his sharp wit or steel fists, depending upon the offender and the offense committed. No one came to know the wrath of TR better than Mike Finnegan and his gang of thieves who, after stealing TR’s fishing boat, were chased for two weeks through the Dakota Badlands and were eventually apprehended by the “tenderfoot dude from up East.”

Throughout this time, TR also embarked on a long-distance courtship of his childhood friend,

Edith Kermit Carow. In 1885, TR published his experiences in the Dakotas in a book titled

Hunting Trips of a Ranchman. In 1886, TR ran as the Republican candidate for Mayor of New York City,

but was defeated by Abram S. Hewitt; coming in third out of three candidates. Just when things couldn’t get worse, a terrible blizzard over the winter of 1886-1887 wiped out TR’s entire cattle herd back in the Dakotas. Heartbroken, financially ruined, and inconsolable, he embarked on a trip to Europe and married Ethel on December 2, 1886, in London, England. The couple would eventually have five children: Theodore, Kermit, Ethel, Archibald, and Quentin. Edith also raised Alice Roosevelt, nicknamed Princess Alice by the press. This would prove to be the turning point in the life of Theodore Roosevelt.

Not being a very good businessman, and with his political days apparently over, TR dedicated himself to writing professionally. In 1888 alone he published three books: Gouverneur Morris, Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail, and Essays in Practical Politics. In 1889, he published the first two volumes of the seminal

The Winning of the West, with the last two volumes published in 1894 and 1896. In 1888, however, his enthusiastic and tireless campaigning for Republican Presidential candidate Benjamin Harrison was rewarded with an appointment to the U.S. Civil Service Commission, an office in which he served for six years. TR’s efforts in reforming the U.S. Civil Service are still felt today. TR continued to write extensively, especially since his meager salary was not enough to support his growing family. In 1891 he published

The History of New York, and in 1893 he published The Wilderness Hunter, followed the next year by

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