Theodore Roosevelt

Bob Riley, former governor of Alabama, said that, “Hard times don't create heroes. It is during the hard times when the 'hero' within us is revealed.” During hard times, society needs a hero to look up to. Though heroes may come and go, as time passes, their essence will carry on, immortalized by their successors. Heroism can be found in a UN ambassador working to encouraging countries to protect the environment, a politician fighting to shelter the homeless, or a volunteer organizing a trip to Africa to give a village access to clean water. Each of these people possess admirable traits that society values: honesty, determination, and compassion. Heroes strive to help wherever they can, with whatever influence they have. A hero is not, however, a person who is only kind in order to gain self gratification or attention. A venerable hero is a person who strives for self improvement, remains true to his/her values, and possesses the determination to achieve one’s goals no matter the sacrifice.

Roosevelt in collegehttps://symonsez.wordpress.com/2010/10/10/when-a-president-threatened-to-abolish-football-in-the-united-states/Over the course of his life, Theodore Roosevelt encountered many hard times, but learned to fight rather than back down from a challenge. Born on 1858 in New York City to a wealthy family, Roosevelt was very sickly, asthmatic, and nearsighted as a boy. Having been inspired by his father to improve himself by becoming strong, Roosevelt began a rigorous training regimen and became a towering figure by the time he reached adulthood. In 1876, Roosevelt entered Harvard, studying a variety of subjects. After he graduated at twenty-three years old, he decided to begin his political career. Roosevelt started as a New York State Assembly member and quickly rose through the ranks, ultimately becoming a two term United States President at the height of his career. Theodore Roosevelt’s unrelenting efforts as well as his dominant personality allowed him to revitalize the federal government and lead many robust charges to solve many different issues. Theodore Roosevelt’s leadership and ambition enabled him to accomplish great feats demonstrating America’s dominance as a global superpower and because of this, he was able to ingrain himself into history as one of the most heroic leaders of America.

Roosevelt on his 1904 presidential campaignhttps://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/examining-n-y-s-fervent-anti-corruption-politician-t-article-1.2858519Theodore Roosevelt’s dynamism and strength as well as his unshakable moral integrity demonstrates both his political and moral leadership. During Roosevelt’s presidency, he acted with a particular energy unmatched by any other leader: “Having reached the highest office in the land at a younger age than anyone before or since, he displayed a degree of vigor and impatience far greater than his predecessors had done” (Mahoney). The word, “ impatience” has a positive connotation in this case, implying that Roosevelt was aggressive in his efforts and was always active, never remaining idle. Because of his impatience, Roosevelt was able to act swiftly and efficiently against the occurrence of injustices. As a result of his vigor, Roosevelt was able to gain the support of the people as well as the government and successfully implement his acts into  laws. Roosevelt not only possessed political leadership, but moral leadership as well: “[Henry Clay Frick] had given the Republican campaign one hundred thousand dollars… When Roosevelt continued on his progressive political path, as signaled by his victory statements and, later, in his messages to Congress, Frick commented, ‘We bought the son of a b**** and then he did not stay bought’” (Donald). Roosevelt’s political decisions were not in the slightest affected by monetary influence, as shown through Frick’s comment, “We bought the son of a b**** and then he did not stay bought.” Despite receiving a large amount of money from Frick, Roosevelt still chose to continue on his “trust-busting” progressive path, turning against one of his financial backers in order to do what he thought was best for the country. As a result of his strength in his ethics, Roosevelt was able to encourage others to follow in his example, becoming a leader in morals and ethics. Because of his moral leadership, Roosevelt was able to gain the trust and support of the people, contributing to his strength as a leader. Theodore Roosevelt, because of his political initiative and incorruptibility, proved himself to be a strong, venerable leader.

Theodore Roosevelt managing the construction of the Panama Canalhttps://news.asce.org/remembering-john-f-stevens-chief-engineer-of-the-panama-canal-and-architect-for-u-s-western-railroads/Through his unrelenting ambition, Theodore Roosevelt was able to accomplish world renown feats of ingenuity on an unimaginable scale. Upon learning that England, France, and Germany thought that the United States would lose in a war against Japan, Roosevelt wanted to prove Europe and Japan wrong so he performed an act demonstrating America’s military dominance: “He decided to do something that no country had ever attempted. He would send a naval fleet around the world. He had most of the fleet painted a light gray, a color that looked lighter in the sun, and so the soon-to-be famous White Fleet was born” (Donald). Roosevelt could not tolerate America being anything but the greatest. Instead of allowing other countries to continue thinking that America was weaker than another nation, Roosevelt immediately demonstrated America’s military dominance by sending the White Fleet around the world. By choosing to prove America’s dominance rather than allow America to be viewed as weak, Roosevelt displays his relentless ambition. He never settles for anything less than the best and because of this, America under Roosevelt’s lead was able to accomplish what no other country ever attempted. In search of more projects to benefit America, Roosevelt spread American influence to Panama in order to construct a canal that would greatly decrease sea travel time between the Eastern and Western parts of the country: “He arranged by treaty for America to take over the British interest in construction of a canal across the Isthmus of Panama and subsequently fomented a revolt of Panamanians against the government of Colombia so that a favorable PANAMA CANAL TREATY could be negotiated (1903) and work on the canal begun” (Mahoney). Theodore Roosevelt, despite knowing the amount of work it would take, oversaw the construction of the Panama Canal, which would require the joining of two oceans. Roosevelt was never a man to follow in the footsteps of others. Instead, Roosevelt chose to be a leader, undertaking a project of a near impossible scale and through his ambition and hard work, successfully completed it. By managing and completing the construction of the Panama Canal, Roosevelt demonstrated that with ambition comes the ability to achieve the impossible. Theodore Roosevelt never settled for mediocrity and always strove for greatness and as a result, he was able to accomplish what no one else was able to.

Because Theodore Roosevelt utilized his leadership skills and possessed an innate ambition to achieve greatness, he was able to prove America’s global dominance in all aspects, thereby cementing Roosevelt’s place in history as a heroic leader. Through his leadership and ambition, Roosevelt was able to gain the trust and support of the citizens and spearhead massive projects to prove America’s greatness. Gargantuan obstacles never daunted Roosevelt. In fact, they only made him want to get past them even more. Roosevelt, being the leader that he is, always took the first step and always managed to get supporters along the way as he marched toward making his ambitious vision of America a reality. Theodore Roosevelt inspires me because he was able to transform himself from a weak, sickly child into one of the greatest and most accomplished leaders in American history. I admire Theodore Roosevelt because of his many accomplishments in nature conservation, trust busting, and consumer protection and his unwavering strength in his moral values.

Works Cited

“Bob Riley Quotes.” BrainyQuote, Xplore, www.brainyquote.com/quotes/bob_riley_167773.

Donald Aïda DiPace. Lion in the White House: a Life of Theodore Roosevelt. Basic Books, 2008.

MAHONEY, DENNIS J. "Theodore Roosevelt." Encyclopedia of the American Constitution,

Gale, 2000. Biography in Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K3425002195/BIC1?u=powa9245&xid=de174e7b. Accessed 21 Dec. 2017.

Roosevelt, Theodore. An Autobiography. BiblioBazaar, 2007.