Bully! Guide - AUBREY CALDWELL MFA

January 19-February 5
STUDY GUIDE FOR TEACHERS
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3 Actors’ Summit –Who We Are
4 Bully! Play Synopsis & The Actor
5 Theodore Roosevelt Biographical Timeline
TR – The Soldier
7 TR & The Navy
9 Spanish American War and Rough Riders
TR- The Politician
12 Conservationist - National Parks and Forests
14 Trust Busting
15 Square Deal
16 The Pennsylvania Coal Strike
19 Bull Moose Party
19 Involvement in WWI
TR – The Statesman
10 Russo Japanese War & Nobel Peace Prize
11 Panama Canal
20 TR’s Children
22 Discussion Questions and Activities
Actors’ Summit Support for Teachers
Student Matinees
School Visits
Post Performance Discussions
Take-Your-Parent-To-A-Show Program
If you would like more onformation on these services, please contact Actors’ Summit at 330-374-7568 and ask to
speak with our Education Coordinator, Aubrey Caldwell
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
2
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
3
BULLY
Introduction to the Play and Synopsis*
Military Hero, cowboy, President, Secretary of the Navy, Nobel Peace Prize Winner, conservationist,
trust buster, police commissioner, Vice President, explorer, big game hunter, author, governor. This
could be a list of things a child might want to be when they grow up. It is actually a list of some of
the things Teddy Roosevelt did become in the course of his 60 years.
Enjoy T.R.'s adventures as rancher, Rough Rider and father of six in the White House. Relive the
establishment of America's great National Parks, Forests, Monuments and Wildlife Reserves.
Hear the amazing stories of the frail young boy who built his body and dedicated himself to the
strenuous life and the Square Deal.
From bear hunts to the Panama Canal, from Africa to the Amazon, T.R.'s story comes to vibrant life,
one actor, Neil Thackaberry, attempts to explore some of the roles Teddy lived.
Neil Thackaberry
The Actor
A. Neil Thackaberry (Founder/Coartistic Director of Actors’ Summit)
Neil and MaryJo Alexander founded
Actors’ Summit in 1998 as a way of
assuring that professional actors in Northeast Ohio had an artistic home. In addition to his
work as an actor and director for Actors’ Summit, he writes grants, supervises the
administrative aspects of the theater, and occasionally
sweeps the stage. Neil has served as General Manager of
Cleveland Signstage Theatre and Executive Director of
Weathervane Community Playhouse. Academic credentials
include an MBA from Kent State University, and an MA from
the University of New Orleans. He completed his doctoral
work at Wayne State University as a member of the Hilberry
Theatre Company, and did post graduate work at the Yale
School of Drama. Neil is a member of Actors’ Equity, SAG,
and AFTRA, the unions for professional stage, film and
television actors. In addition to his work onstage at Actors’
Summit, he has appeared locally at Ensemble Theatre in
Kentucky Cycle, the Cleveland Play House in Room Service
and The Importance of Being Earnest, at Great Lakes Theatre
Festival in Richard III and in several roles at Oberlin
College’s professional summer theater.
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
4
THEODORE ROOSEVELT BIOGRAPHICAL TIMELINE (1858-1919)
1858
1873
1876
1878
1880
1882
1884
1885
1886
1889
1894
1895
1897
1898
1899
1900
1901
October 27, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., born at parental home, 28 East 20th Street, New York City.
After home schooling because of poor health, Theodore begins preparation for his college
education at the Cutler School, New York City.
Young Theodore enters Harvard.
October 18, first meeting between Theodore and Alice Hathaway Lee of Chestnut Hill,
Massachusetts.
Theodore graduates from Harvard and prepares to study law at Columbia University. October
27, Theodore Roosevelt marries Alice Hathaway Lee.
Theodore, disillusioned with the Law, abandons his studies and is elected to the New York
State Legislature at the age of 22.
February 12, a daughter is born to Alice and Theodore Roosevelt. She is named Alice Lee.
February 14, double tragedy strikes the Roosevelt residence at 6 West 57th Street in New
York City. In the early morning hours, Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, Theodore's mother, dies.
Shortly after noon, Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt, Theodore's wife, dies. Teddy, overcome by
grief and ill health, leaves the East and settles in North Dakota, taking up the life of a cattle
rancher.
Theodore Roosevelt completes his home, Sagamore Hill.
Teddy Roosevelt returns to the East, and runs unsuccessfully for Mayor of New York City.
December 2, marries Edith Kermit Carow in London, and spends next three years pursuing
literary and historical work.
Appointed by President Harrison as member of the Civil Service Commission in Washington,
D.C. (annual salary $3,500). Soon becomes its President and conducts the Commission's
business that it becomes one of the most important Government offices. Theodore Roosevelt
achieves national prominence by serving on the Commission until 1895.
W. L. Strong is elected Mayor of New York City. He asks Theodore Roosevelt to become
Police Commissioner.
Mayor Strong inaugurated; Teddy Roosevelt becomes New York's Police Commissioner
(until 1897). He completely reorganizes the Department, making it one of the most efficient
Departments in the country; he breaks a long existing system of police graft, yet gains the
goodwill and admiration of the rank and file.
April 19, President McKinley nominates T.R. Assistant Secretary of the Navy.
May 10, resigns position to become Lieutenant-Colonel of the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry,
popularly called the "Rough Riders."
May 11, Rough Riders land in Cuba. Roosevelt's unorthodox military exploits, especially his
impetuous charge up Kettle Hill (San Juan), make him a hero.
September 27, returning from the Spanish-American War, T.R. is nominated as the Republican
Gubernatorial candidate.
November 8, T.R. is elected Governor of New York by a majority of 20,000 votes.
January 2, T.R. takes oath of office as Governor of New York. Among his accomplishments during
the two years he serves is a new Civil Service Law, and a revision of the Tenement House Law.
T.R. refuses nomination to second term as Governor.
June 21, nominated at Republican Convention as Vice-Presidential candidate in McKinley's
second term.
November 13, McKinley and Roosevelt are elected with 849,000 plurality.
March 4, T.R. takes office as Vice President.
September 14, upon the assassination of President McKinley in Buffalo, N.Y. Theodore Roosevelt
is sworn in as the 26th President, the youngest man ever to reach that office, 42 years, 10
months, 18 days. As President, T.R. fights corruption of politics by big business, vigorously uses
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
5
1904
1905
1908
1909
1910
1912
1913
1914
1917
1918
1919
the Sherman Anti-Trust Law to oppose giant corporations, intervenes in coal strike on behalf of
the public, threatening to send the Army into the mines, to keep the people from freezing. He
institutes the Department of Commerce and Labor, obtains laws to forbid rebates to favored
corporations, and laws to regulate railroad rates. Roosevelt obtains passage of the Pure Food
and Drug Act, the Reclamation Act and Employers' Liability Laws; above all, he strenuously
concentrates his efforts on conservation, and the establishment of preserves for future
generations.
November 8, elected President over Alton B. Parker.
March 4, Inauguration.
Roosevelt mediates peace between Russia and Japan, is awarded Nobel Peace Prize.
T.R. recognizes the new Republic of Panama, thus ensuring an American built Panama Canal.
T.R. personally endorses William Howard Taft as his successor, securing his election.
March 4, Theodore Roosevelt leaves the Presidency. March 23, T.R. sails for Africa, to hunt.
March 14, T.R. arrives in Khartum.
April - June, travels in Europe.
February 25, Roosevelt announces his candidacy for the Republican nomination for the
Presidency.
June, defeated for nomination by the convention, which again chooses Taft.
August 7, nominated for President by the Progressive Party, commonly called the Bull Moose
Party.
October 14, while campaigning, Theodore Roosevelt is shot and wounded.
November 5, defeated by Democratic nominee, Woodrow Wilson.
Roosevelt explores the Brazilian wilderness, including the River of Doubt, which will later be
named in his honor, the Roosevelt River.
Archduke Ferdinand assassinated in Sarajevo, starting World War I.
April 6, U.S. declares war on Germany.
President Wilson refuses Roosevelt's request to raise and equip a division of volunteers, for
service in France.
July, Theodore Roosevelt's son, Lt. Quentin Roosevelt, dies in France.
January 6, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., dies in his sleep in Sagamore Hill, at Oyster Bay, Long Island,
New York
***
Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., 26th President, had 6 children. By his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt,
one daughter, Alice Lee. By his second wife, Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt, one daughter, Ethel, and four
sons, Theodore, Kermit, Archie and Quentin. All four served in World War I. One son was killed, and two
were wounded. The three surviving sons served in World War II. Two died while on active duty.
List of Political Offices held by Theodore Roosevelt at a Glance:
 New York State Legislature at the age of 22
 Head of U.S. Civil Service Commission
 Appointed and Elected New York City Police Commissioner
 Assistant Secretary of the Navy
 Governor of New York
 Vice President of the United States
 26th President of the United States
Compiled by Bryan Sterling, edited by Actors’ Summit
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
6
TR & The Navy
(TR Naval College picture, 1897)
In April of 1897, Roosevelt was appointed Assistant
Secretary of the Navy as a reward for his staunch
and tireless campaigning for the newly elected
President, William McKinley. The Secretary of the
Navy, John D. Long, a former Governor of
Massachusetts and Congressman, was an able
administrator. However, he did not favor the heat of
Washington in the summer and would return to New
England, leaving Roosevelt in Washington.
Roosevelt took full advantage of the opportunity. He continued to provide Long an ongoing dialogue
by letter of all goings-on. The letters were long and detailed, and tedious as far as the Secretary of
the Navy was concerned. Roosevelt suggested that, as summer turned to fall, that the Secretary
should not be in any hurry to return, or even answer Theodore's letters. Roosevelt had things well
in hand.
One of the places where the Assistant Secretary of the Navy would go to escape the heat of
Washington in the summer was the Metropolitan Club. Here he met the president of the Naval
Board of Inspection and Survey and the attending surgeon to the president, George Dewey and
Leonard Wood respectively. As he got to know these men socially, he began to determine would he
could trust and who reflected his views on personal initiative and naval expansion. He would use
this information to his advantage when the need arose. Dewey became the hero of the Battle of
Manila Bay, and Wood, the Colonel of the "Rough Riders", and Roosevelt's commanding officer.
Roosevelt also got to know the commander and executive officer of the USS MAINE, Charles
Sigsbee and Richard Wainwright.
(President Theodore Roosevelt addressing officers and men onboard U.S.S Connecticut of the Great White Fleet)
Roosevelt knew that war could develop with Spain. He
considered Spain's holdings in the Caribbean to be a
thorn in the side of the country and its desire to control
the hemisphere. There were ongoing conflicts between
the Cuban revolutionaries and the Spanish authorities in
Cuba, and this lack of stability was not good for the U.S.
The lack of stability could bring a stronger Spanish
presence to the hemisphere. He wanted to remove
foreign control, from the hemisphere, not increase it.
Roosevelt also thought that Cuba would be necessary for
U.S. to control as it became a world power. Lastly, the
Assistant Secretary of the Navy knew that an action against Spain at such a close proximity would
give the U.S. military, an untried force, necessary experience. For these reasons, he began making
contingency plans for the Navy, should war erupt between the United States and Spain. If such a
crisis arose, he planned to send naval forces to Cuba and the Philippines, a Spanish possession in
the Pacific. He maneuvered to have Commodore George Dewey placed in charge of the Asiatic
Squadron, in spite of the fact that other officers had greater seniority. Roosevelt was not concerned
about the deaths that may result from any upcoming war. Such sentimentality had no part in his
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
7
visions of war, however, the romantic and noble notions of war did. He did believe strongly that a
strong defense and military would reduce deaths in the long run.
Tensions continued to rise between the United States and Spain, with the United States demanding
that the actions against the Cuban people cease and peace be established.
On February 15, 1898, at about 9:30 p.m., the USS MAINE exploded in Havana Harbor after Lee
requested that the warship be sent on a friendly visit. The cause was not known, but over 260
sailors were lost. Immediately, rescue boats were launched by various vessels in the Harbor,
including the Spanish cruiser ALFONSO XII. From this moment, Theodore Roosevelt believed that
trying to prevent the war would be "impossible."
Unlike Roosevelt, McKinley, who had seen war firsthand during his service in the American Civil
War, did not want to act rashly. On February 25, Secretary Long, weary from the stress of the
situation, took the day off.
When Long was absent Roosevelt sprang into action moving ammunition, coal, ordering the repair
of various ships, and readying of them for action, moving to have Congress allow for enlisting
unlimited men, and for the purchasing of auxiliary cruisers, etc. Significantly, Roosevelt cabled
Dewey to be ready if war were to break out, and gave him his objectives.
Roosevelt told the Navy worldwide to prepare for war, ordered ammunition and supplies, brought
in experts, and went to Congress asking for authority to recruit as many sailors as he wanted, thus
moving the nation toward war. Roosevelt was instrumental in preparing the Navy for the SpanishAmerican War and was an enthusiastic supporter of testing the U.S. military in combat, at one point
saying, "I should welcome almost any war, for I think this country needs one".
The Great White Fleet
In the twilight of Roosevelt’s presidency, he sought to demonstrate growing American military
power and Navy capability. Hoping to enforce
treaties and protect overseas holdings, U.S.
Congress appropriated funds to build up the
American sea power. Beginning with just 90 small
ships, over 1/3 of them wooden, the navy quickly
grew to include new modern steel fighting vessels.
The hulls of these ships were painted a stark white,
which is why the armada was known as the Great
White Fleet. President Roosevelt dispatched
sixteen U.S. Navy battleships of the Atlantic Fleet on
a worldwide voyage of circumnavigation from
16 December 1907 to 22 February 1909. The purpose of the grand endeavor was multifaceted. At
home and on the world stage it demonstrated that the US had become a major seapower, it
provided an opportunity to improve the seaworthiness of the fleet, and it served as a showpiece of
American goodwill visiting numerous countries and harbors.
Information provided by Jeffers, H. Paul, Colonel Roosevelt: Theodore Roosevelt Goes to War, 1897-1898, John Mack Faragher [el al.]. Out
of Many: A History of the American People. Prentice Hall, 2012. p. 574, The Peaceful Sea. "The Great White Fleet Visits Japan 1908".
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
8
Spanish American War
And the Rough Riders
The First United States Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was
organized by Theodore Roosevelt and Leonard Wood, M.D.
TR, who was Assistant Secretary of the Navy in the McKinley
administration, and a leading advocate of the liberation of Cuba,
the Spanish colony then fighting for its independence, asked the
Department of War permission to raise a regiment after Spain
declared war on the United States on April 24, 1898. Wood, an
Army doctor who had won the Medal of Honor fighting the
Apaches in the 1880s, was President William McKinley's
physician, and a close friend of Theodore Roosevelt.
Because he lacked military experience, Roosevelt suggested that
Leonard Wood be given command of the volunteer cavalry
regiment; and accordingly Wood became colonel, and TR was made lieutenant colonel, of the First
U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, soon popularly known as the "Rough Riders." The regiment, consisting of
over 1,250 men, from all over the United States was mainly composed of cowboys, Indians, and
other Wild West types, and Ivy League athletes and aristocratic sportsmen from the East. What did
these two very different groups have in common?
They could ride and shoot and were in shape, and thus could be ready for war with little training.
On July 1, 1898 TR on horseback led the Rough Riders and elements of the Ninth and Tenth
Regiments of regulars, African-American "buffalo soldiers," and other units up Kettle Hill. After that
hill was captured, TR, now on foot, led a second charge up the San Juan Heights. This was what TR
called his "crowded hour," his great moment.
Virgil Carrington Jones, in his book Roosevelt's Rough Riders (1971), writes of Roosevelt's
regiment: "In the period of about four and a half months they were together, 37 percent of those
who got to Cuba were casualties. Better than one out of every three were killed, wounded, or
stricken by disease. It was the highest
casualty rate of any American unit that
took part in the Spanish-American
War campaign."
Information provided by The Theodore Roosevelt
Association
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
9
Russo Japanese War & Nobel Peace Prize
Theodore Roosevelt’s involvement in the peace talks which lead to the conclusion of the RussoJapanese War was a natural outgrowth of his experience and foreign policy. Perhaps the most
widely traveled U. S. President since John Quincy Adams, Roosevelt had spent large portions of his
life overseas. His much celebrated exploits in Cuba as Colonel of the Rough Riders completed his
pre-presidential international travels.
Roosevelt’s diplomacy was always calculated to advance American interests, usually by maintaining
a balance of power which would permit American trade. The American interest in maintaining a
balance of power in East Asia and China played a major role in his intervention in the RussoJapanese War.
By the time that the Russo-Japanese War started, Roosevelt was hoping for, and expected, a
Japanese victory, but one which would leave a balance of power which left room for American trade
in the region. With a view to the security of Hawaii and the Philippines, Roosevelt said “I like to see
the war ending with Russia and Japan locked in a clinch, counter weighing one another, and both
kept weak by the effort”. His expectations were betrayed by his statement that “The Russians think
only with half a mind...I think that Japanese will whip them handsomely.”
As neither belligerent wanted to be seen as asking for peace, Roosevelt maneuvered an invitation to
intervene. While Roosevelt was vacationing in
Colorado, French peace initiatives were spurned by
Japan which distrusted France due to its alliance with
Russia. Japanese Ambassador Takahira extended
feelers to Secretary of War William Howard Taft,
regarding American involvement in the peace
process. Roosevelt agreed with the proviso that Japan
must continue her support of the Open Door in
Manchuria and for the restoration of the province to
China. On April 24, 1905, Japan agreed to Roosevelt’s
conditions. Roosevelt’s offer of mediation, transmitted
through Ambassador George von Lengerke Meyer, was
ignored by Czar Nicholas II. Although Nicholas seemed
to be out of touch with the perilous condition of his
empire, Roosevelt tried to save Russia from collapse and Japan from bankruptcy. Roosevelt told
Russian Ambassador Arturo Cassini to convey to the Czar that the situation was “absolutely
hopeless for Russia.” He relayed that, if the Czar was receptive to the concept of a peace conference,
he thought that he could obtain Japan’s participation.
His participation in the process, lead Theodore Roosevelt to become, in 1906, the first American to
receive the Nobel Peace Prize. America had advanced its standing as a great power of the
world. The Romanov dynasty had bought itself a little time before dissolving in revolution in
1917. Japan had ratified its place as a power in the Orient. In the process of all this, Japanese
resentment over its treatment introduced a wedge into relations between the United States and
Japan, a wedge which would grow for 36 years before erupting in the blast and fire of Pearl
Harbor. That is for another story, and another Roosevelt.
Information provided by James M. Gallen who is an attorney practicing in St. Louis, Missouri. He is also an amateur historian who has taught
continuing education classes on Theodore Roosevelt and other topics through the St. Louis Community College.
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
10
Panama Canal
As travel and trade in the Western hemisphere
increased, the need for a canal across Central
America grew increasingly more obvious. To
sail from Atlantic to Pacific, ships navigated
around Cape Horn, the treacherous southern
extremity of South America. A New York to San
Francisco journey measured some 13,000 miles
and took months. A canal across Panama would
save incalculable miles and man-hours. It would
also, Ferdinand de Lesseps believed, make its
stockholders rich, just as the Suez had done for
its investors.
Shortly after ascending to the presidency, Roosevelt spoke of the Panama Canal in a speech to
Congress. "No single great material work which remains to be undertaken on this continent,"
Roosevelt said, "is as of such consequence to the American people."
Roosevelt acted quickly. In 1902, the United States reached an agreement to buy rights to the
French canal property and equipment for a sum not to exceed $40 million. The U.S. then began
negotiating a Panama treaty with Colombia. The U.S Department of War would direct excavation.
When Colombia grew reticent in its negotiations, Roosevelt and Panamanian business interests
collaborated on a revolution. The battle for Panama lasted only a few hours. Colombian soldiers in
Colón were bribed $50 each to lay down their arms; the U.S.S. Nashville cruised off the Panamanian
coast in a show of support. On November 3, 1903, the nation of Panama was born.
The canal's engineering also changed. After nine months of Capitol Hill lobbying, the push for a
"lake and lock" canal, favored by Roosevelt, succeeded. Stevens would dam the mighty Chagres to
create the vast Gatun Lake in Panama's interior. A series of locks would raise ships from the
Atlantic side to the level of the lake. The boats would cross the lake, then descend by another set of
locks to the Pacific. Ironically, the plan was nearly identical to one proposed by the French engineer
Godin de Lépinay in 1879, at the same meeting in which M. de Lesseps promoted his sea-level plan.
By December 1905, yellow fever had been
officially eradicated on the Isthmus. In
November, 1906, Roosevelt himself visited
the canal, posing at the controls of a Bucyrus
shovel
The Panama Canal opened officially on
August 15, 1914. The world scarcely noticed.
German troops were driving across Belgium
toward Paris; the newspapers relegated
Panama to their back pages. The greatest
engineering project in the history of the
world had been dwarfed by the totality of
World War
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
11
Conservationist
National Park and Forests
"We have fallen heirs to the most glorious heritage a people
ever received, and each one must do his part if we wish to
show that the nation is worthy of its good fortune." Theodore
Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt first came to the badlands in September
1883. The prospect of big game hunting had initially
brought him to the West, but, by the time he arrived, the last
large herds of bison were gone, having been decimated by
hide hunters and disease. As time passed and he was able to
spend more time in the area, he became increasingly
alarmed by the damage that was being done to the land and
its wildlife. He witnessed the virtual destruction of some big
game species. Overgrazing severely
impacted the grasslands which also affected the habitats of
small mammals and songbirds. Conservation increasingly
became one of Roosevelt's main concerns. After he became
President in 1901, Roosevelt used his authority to protect wildlife and public lands by creating
the U.S. Forest Service and establishing 51 Federal Bird Reservations, 4 National Game
Preserves, 150 National Forests, 5 National Parks, and enabling the 1906 American
Antiquities Act which he used to proclaim 18 National Monuments. During his presidency,
Theodore Roosevelt protected approximately 230,000,000 acres of public land.
Theodore Roosevelt was the nation's 26th President and is considered by many to have been
our country's "Conservationist President."
Roosevelt is also represented on Mt. Rushmore (SD). Two of his homes are part of the
National Park Service: Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace
National Historic Site (NY) and Sagamore Hill National
Historic Site (NY), as is the site where he was sworn in as
president (Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National
Historic Site in Buffalo, NY) and a park in Washington
D.C., Theodore Roosevelt Island.
"We have become great because of the lavish use of our
resources. But the time has come to inquire seriously what will
happen when our forests are gone, when the coal, the iron, the
oil, and the gas are exhausted, when the soils have still further
impoverished and washed into the streams, polluting the rivers,
denuding the fields and obstructing navigation." Theodore
Roosevelt
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
12
National Parks and Monuments
Established by Theodore Roosevelt
National Parks
Crater Lake National Park (OR) - 1902
Wind Cave National Park (SD)- 1903
Sullys Hill (in ND)- 1904 (now managed by US Fish &
Wildlife Service)
Platt National Park (OK) - 1906 (now part of Chickasaw
National Recreation Area)
Mesa Verde National Park (CO)- 1906
Also added land to Yosemite National Park
National Monuments
Roosevelt signed the "Act for the Preservation of American Antiquities," also known as the
Antiquities Act or the National Monuments Act, on June 8, 1906. The law authorized the
President, at his discretion, to "declare by public proclamation historic landmarks, historic and
prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic and scientific interest that are situated
upon lands owned or controlled by the Government of the United States to be National
Monuments."
Devil's Tower - 1906
El Morro - 1906
Montezuma Castle - 1906
Petrified Forest - 1906 (now a National Park)
Chaco Canyon - 1907
Lassen Peak - 1907 (now a National Park)
Cinder Cone - 1907 (now part of Lassen Volcanic National Park)
Gila Cliff Dwellings - 1907
Tonto - 1907
Muir Woods - 1908
Grand Canyon - 1908 (now a National Park) TR fought unsuccessfully to make it a National
Park.
Pinnacles - 1908
Jewel Cave - 1908
Natural Bridges - 1908
Lewis & Clark (MT) - 1908 (later given to the state of Montana)
Tumacacori - 1908
Wheeler (Colorado) - 1908 (given to the Forest Service in 1950)
Mount Olympus - 1909 (now Olympic National Park)
Roosevelt also established Chalmette Monument and Grounds in 1907, the site of much of the
Battle of New Orleans. It is now a part of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park.
Information provided by National Park Service web page
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
13
Trust Busting
Teddy Roosevelt was one American who believed a revolution
was coming.
He believed WALL STREET FINANCIERS were acting foolishly.
While they were eating off fancy china on mahogany tables in
marble dining rooms, the masses were roughing it. There seemed
to be no limit to greed. If docking wages would increase profits, it
was done. If higher railroad rates put more gold in their coffers, it
was done.
The Sherman Anti-Trust Act
Although he himself was a man of means, he criticized the wealthy class of Americans on two
counts. First, continued exploitation of the public could result in a violent uprising that could
destroy the whole system. Second, the captains of industry were arrogant enough to believe
themselves superior to the elected government. Now that he was President, Roosevelt went on the
attack.
The President's weapon was the SHERMAN ANTITRUST ACT, passed by Congress in 1890. This
law declared illegal all combinations "in restraint of trade." For the first twelve years of its
existence, the Sherman Act was a paper tiger. United States courts routinely sided with business
when any enforcement of the Act was attempted.
The only time an organization was deemed in restraint of trade was when the court ruled against
a labor union
Roosevelt knew that no new legislation was necessary. When he sensed that he had a sympathetic
Court, he sprang into action.
The Good, the Bad, and the Bully
The core of Theodore Roosevelt's leadership was that he boiled
everything down to a case of right versus wrong and good versus
bad. If a trust controlled an entire industry but provided good
service at reasonable rates, it was a "good" trust to be left alone.
Only the "bad" trusts that jacked up rates and exploited consumers
would come under attack. The occupant of the White House trusted
only himself to make this decision in the interests of the people.
The American public cheered Roosevelt's new offensive and as he
landed blows on "bad" trusts, his popularity grew.
Information provided by USHistory.org
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
14
Square Deal
“When I say I believe in a square deal I do not mean [that it is] possible to give every man the best
hand…. All I mean is that there shall not be any crookedness in the dealing…. We must treat each man
on his worth and merits as a man. We must see that each is given a square deal, because he is entitled
to no more and should receive no less….” —Dallas, Texas, April 5, 1905
Through his presidency, Roosevelt invoked the Sherman Act to dissolve 44 monopolies, including
those held by Standard Oil and American Tobacco. He believed in “good trusts,” companies that
controlled an entire industry but did so responsibly, but rallied against those that existed only to
increase profits and that exploited workers and consumers to do so.
Boosted by his landslide re-election victory in 1904 (he won by 2.5 million popular votes, more
than any candidate before him), he set to work taking power away from the greediest corporations.
The cornerstone of Roosevelt’s Square Deal policies are a series of acts designed to undercut
monopolies and protect workers and consumers: the Elkins and Hepburn Acts, the Pure Food &
Drug and Meat Inspection Acts, and the Antiquities Act.
Elkins and Hepburn Acts
In a blow to railroad robber barons, the 1906 Hepburn Act gave more power to the organization
that regulated the railroads, the Interstate Commerce Commission—so much power that the U.S.
government then became the controllers of the country’s largest industry. The 1903 Elkins Act had
already empowered the ICC to fine railroads that offered rebates and the companies that extorted
those rebates. Now the ICC, and not railroad companies, was able to set rates for the transporting
both people and goods. Corporations were also forced to sell off the steamship lines and coal mines
they owned, dismantling their hold on such a huge segment of the industry. Together the Elkins and
Hepburn Acts gave farmers and small business men a more level playing field when it came to
shipping their goods cross-country. No longer could oversized trusts bully their way out of standard
shipping rates and pad own their pockets with the savings.
Pure Food & Drug and Meat Inspection Acts
Jacob Riis, Roosevelt’s press ally from his days as the New York City police commissioner, was just
one of the early 20th-century reporters
known as muckrakers. Roosevelt himself
inspired the term when he dismissively
likened these investigative, progressive
journalists to the “Man with the Muckrake” in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress,
always with their heads down looking at
the filth. In popular middle class
magazines and tabloid newspapers, Ida
Tarbell exposed the Standard Oil
Company, Riis cast a light on inner-city
slums, and Upton Sinclair exposed
revolting conditions in the meatpacking
plants of Chicago, directly leading to the
1906 Meat Inspection Act.
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
15
The allegations Sinclair made in The Jungle horrified Roosevelt, but he mistrusted Sinclair’s Socialist
agenda and called him a crackpot, “hysterical, unbalanced, and untruthful.” He sent his own
commissioners to inspect Chicago’s meatpacking plants, who returned believing that all but the
worst atrocities in Sinclair’s novel were based on bleak reality. Roosevelt didn’t release this report,
but it did form the basis of the 1906 Meat Inspection Act, which mandated that the U.S. Department
of Agriculture inspect all livestock prior to and after slaughter, and established mandatory safety
and sanitary conditions in slaughterhouses.
The Pure Food and Drug Act, passed the same year, was the precursor to the modern-day Food and
Drug Administration. It called for all habit-forming drugs to be correctly labeled with exact
ingredients and dosages. Licensed physicians now had to write prescriptions for the strongest
drugs. Not only did this curb the misleading claims of patent medicine sellers, but it also prevented
the meatpacking industry from adding unknown preservatives, such as formaldehyde, to
slaughtered meat.
Information provided by www.squaredeal.com
The Pennsylvania Coal Strike
On Friday, October 3, 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt called a precedent-shattering meeting at
the temporary White House at 22 Lafayette Place, Washington, D.C. A great strike in the anthracite
coal fields of Pennsylvania threatened a coal famine. The President feared "untold misery . . . with
the certainty of riots which might develop into social war." Although he had no legal right to
intervene, he sent telegrams to both sides summoning them to Washington to discuss the problem.
Roosevelt, who had been injured a month earlier when his carriage was hit by a trolley car, sat in
his wheelchair pleading with representatives of management and labor. "With all the earnestness
there is in me . ..," the President urged, "I ask that there be an immediate resumption of operations
in the coal mines in some such way as will . . . meet the crying needs of the people." He appealed to
the patriotism of the contestants to make
"individual sacrifices for the general good."
The Coal Strike of 1902
The strike of 1900 was the prelude to a larger
drama--the great anthracite coal strike of 1902.
Restless miners demanded more pay and shorter
hours, while the mine operators complained that
profits were low, and that the union destroyed
discipline. When the owners refused to negotiate
with the union, miners appealed to President
Roosevelt to call a special session of Congress.
The operators, on the other hand, resented the
Federal mediation which had brought about the
shotgun agreement of 1900, and they bristled at
the idea of renewed Federal interference.
The miners struck on May 12, 1902. There was
hope for a settlement as long as firemen,
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
16
engineers, and pumpmen remained at work. But when these maintenance crews walked out on
June 2, both sides settled down for a long and bitter fight. Commissioner of Labor Carroll D. Wright
wrote that of 147,000 strikers, 30,000 soon left the region, and of these 8,000 to 10,000 returned to
Europe. Theodore Roosevelt, who stepped into the breach, believed that both capital and labor had
responsibilities to the public.
Carroll Wright's Mission
President Roosevelt was an activist who itched to enter
the fray. On June 8, 1902, he asked his Commissioner of
Labor, Carroll D. Wright, to investigate the strike and
report back to him. Wright avoided going to the
coalfields because he felt that as the President's
representative his "presence there would do more harm
than good." Instead, he headed for New York City, where
he interviewed presidents of coal roads, independent
mine operators, financiers, mine foremen, and
superintendents.
Wright reported that both parties cooperated with his investigation and that sharply different
opinions arose out of different positions and not out of misrepresentation. Then Wright proceeded
to reduce the highly emotional claims to a factual account. The strike, he observed, had more
varying conditions, conflicting views, and irritating complaints than any he had encountered. He
then explained the origins of the strike, the demands of the workers, the claims and complaints of
the employers, a dispute over weighing coal, wages, and the cost of production, profits, and the
question of freights.
Roosevelt's Quandary
As the strike dragged on, Roosevelt became more and more restless. His attorney general, Philander
Knox, told him that the strike was not his concern. Roosevelt repeatedly raised the issue, but Knox
continued to advise the President that he had no right to intervene. The coal operators were
determined to break the strike and rejected all union offers to conciliate on the grounds that there
was nothing to talk about.
President Roosevelt was in a quandary. "There is literally nothing . . . the national government has
any power to do," he complained to Senator Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts. "I am at wit's end
how to proceed." Lodge too was worried. He did not understand the folly of the operators which
would cause great suffering and probably defeat the Republican party. As winter neared and coal
prices soared, Roosevelt feared "the untold misery . . . with the certainty of riots which might
develop into social war." Although the President agreed with his advisers that he had no legal right,
he determined to bring both sides together and see whether he could bring about an agreement.
The Anthracite Coal Strike Commission
On October 23, 1902, the 163-day anthracite coal strike ended. The following morning President
Roosevelt met briefly with the commissioners and asked them to try to establish good relations
between the employers and the workers in the anthracite fields. The commissioners refused to
comment to reporters, and then met for almost 2 hours at Wright's office, one block from the White
House. There photographers took pictures, and the room became so saturated with smoke from
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
17
their flash powder it had to be aired out. After organizing and scheduling future sessions, the
commissioners lunched with the President, and then began their arduous task of settling the strike.
At that meeting the union president, John Mitchell, outlined the union’s case while the railroad
bosses asserted the impossibility of compromise. The conference disbanded without resolving the
crisis and Roosevelt formed a commission to investigate the strike. Secretary of War Elihu Root and
banker J. P. Morgan convinced railroad leaders to abide by the findings of the presidentially
appointed commission. The union also accepted the commission and, on October 20, voted to end
the anthracite strike.
The anthracite-coal commission recommended in March 1903 a ten-percent pay increase for
miners (one-half of their demand), reducing the working day from ten to nine hours, and other
concessions. By negotiating with organized labor Roosevelt championed a new approach to
relations between capital and labor, often cited as an example of his Square Deal.
Roosevelt's efforts to end the strike were successful. Both sides finally agreed to the findings of the
Anthracite Coal Strike Commission, and peace was restored in the coalfields. More important in the
long run, a new role was established for the Federal Government in labor disputes. During the
dramatic confrontation with the mine operators and workers on October 3, 1902, Roosevelt had
said, " I speak for neither the operators nor the miners but for the general public." He made labor
and industry accept the fact "that the third party, the great public, had vital interests and
overshadowing rights" and so set a precedent for the Federal Government to intervene in labor
disputes, not as strikebreaker but as a representative of the public interest.
Jonathan Grossman was the Historian for the U.S. Department of Labor. This article originally
appeared in the Monthly Labor Review of October 1975.
Bull Moose Party
The Bull Moose Party was the Progressive Party of 1912
nicknamed from a quote by Theodore Roosevelt when he was
asked whether he was fit to be president. He responded that
he was as fit as a "bull moose."
Theodore Roosevelt was president of the United States until
1909. When he left office, William Howard Taft was chosen to
run and won the presidency for the Republican Party. In 1912,
Roosevelt was unhappy with Taft's time in office and put his
name forward to become the Republican Party's nominee
again. The Party chose to stick with Taft. This angered
Roosevelt who walked out of the convention and then formed
his own party, the Progressive Party in protest. True to
Roosevelt's progressive beliefs, the platform of the party called
for major reforms including women's suffrage, social welfare
assistance for women and children, farm relief, revisions in
banking, health insurance industries and worker's compensation. The party also wanted an easier
method to amend the constitution.
In 1912, voters could choose between William Howard Taft who was the incumbent Republican
president, Roosevelt who had previously been the Republican president or Woodrow Wilson, the
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
18
Democratic candidate. Roosevelt shared many of the progressive policies of Wilson yet his core
support came from Republicans who defected from the party. Taft and Roosevelt came away with a
combined popular vote of 50% whereas Wilson ended with 43% of the vote. Many historians
believe that the Bull Moose Party split the Republican vote there by leading to Wilson's victory
although there are some who believe he would have won anyway.
While the Bull Moose Party lost at the national level in 1912, it continued putting candidates on the
ballot at the state and local elections. However, these candidates did poorly in 1914. The party did
hold a convention in 1916 and nominated Roosevelt to run again. When he refused, the party tried
to give the nomination to Charles Evan Hughes which caused the party to be entirely dissolved.
Information provided by American History on About.com
TR’s Involvement in WWI
When World War I began in 1914, Roosevelt strongly supported the Allies and demanded a harsher
policy against Germany, especially regarding submarine warfare. Roosevelt angrily denounced the
foreign policy of President Wilson, calling it a failure regarding the atrocities in Belgium and the
violations of American rights. In 1916, he campaigned energetically for Charles Evans Hughes and
repeatedly denounced Irish-Americans and German-Americans who Roosevelt said were
unpatriotic because they put the interest of Ireland and Germany ahead of America's by supporting
neutrality. He insisted one had to be 100% American, not a "hyphenated American" who juggled
multiple loyalties. When the U.S. entered the war in 1917, Roosevelt sought to raise a volunteer
infantry division, but Wilson refused.
Roosevelt's attacks on Wilson helped the Republicans win control of Congress in the off-year
elections of 1918. Roosevelt was popular enough to seriously contest the 1920 Republican
nomination, but his health was broken by 1918, because of the lingering malaria. His family and
supporters threw their support to Roosevelt's old military companion, General Leonard Wood, who
was ultimately defeated by Warren G. Harding.
His son Quentin, a daring pilot with the American forces in France, was shot down behind German
lines in 1918. Quentin was his youngest son and probably his favorite. It is said the death of his son
distressed him so much that Roosevelt never recovered from his loss.
Information provided by Wikipedia: article on Theodore Roosevelt
Teddy’s Children
Alice
The oldest child of President Roosevelt, and the
only child of his first marriage to Alice Hathaway
Lee Roosevelt. Infant Alice was born only two
days before her mother died of Bright's disease,
a kidney ailment that had not been diagnosed as
it was masked by the pregnancy.
Shortly after baby Alice's birth, Theodore
Roosevelt retreated to his ranch land in the
Badlands of North Dakota. In his grief, and his
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
19
ranching profession, and by the standards of the day, he could hardly be expected to tend to his
infant daughter himself. So Alice's earliest years were spent living in Cove Neck, in the capable care
of her Aunt Bamie, also called "Auntie Bye", TR's older sister.
After an appropriate mourning period when TR married his childhood companion and sweetheart,
Edith Carrow, Edith insisted that the now 3 year old toddler Alice must come to live with them.
At the time her father became President, Alice was a teenager. She was cool and spirited and
possessed a quick wit. From the time of her "debut" to her death, Alice remained a high profile
society figure. Hundreds of Americans sang or listened to the songs, "Alice Blue Gown" and "Alice,
Where Art Thou?" Alice became a popular baby name. The color, "Alice Blue" was highly
fashionable, a light blue with a hint of gray to match her eyes.
Teddy, Jr.
The first born son and namesake of President Roosevelt, "Ted" lead a very distinguished life in his
own right. Ted was the first child of Theodore and his second wife Edith.
Like his father before him, Ted attended Harvard, worrying his father by cutting classes, but
graduated with excellent grades. He married Eleanor Alexander in 1910 and began his political
career with election to the New York Assembly. He later became Assistant Secretary of the Navy. In
1929, Hoover appointed him Governor of Puerto Rico, from which post he was named Governor
General of the Philippines.
He saw active duty in both World War I (receiving the Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver
Star) and World War II (winning the Congressional Medal of Honor). As a Brigadier General in
World War II, Ted Jr. led the first assault at Normandy. A few weeks later, he died of a heart attack.
Kermit
Born October 10, 1889 and educated at Groton and Harvard, Kermit — like all the boys — shared
his father's love of the outdoors and physical activity. He accompanied TR on his post-presidential
safari in Africa, and later joined the 1914 exploration of the River of Doubt (subsequently renamed
Rio Roosevelt) in the heart of the Amazon. After returning from South America in 1914, TR credited
Kermit with saving his life during the course of that expedition.
Along with being a fine writer, Kermit was also a courageous soldier. Unwilling to wait for
American entry into World War I, he fought first with the British in the Middle East and
subsequently served with the American Expeditionary Force in France. He later wrote a splendid
memoir of his time fighting with the British entitled War in the Garden of Eden. During World War
II, he once again served briefly with the British in the days before the United States entered the
fracas. He subsequently received a commission in the United States Army, this despite the fact that
his recent years of hard-drinking and hard-living had rendered his body useless for the type of
service he most craved: front-line action, the absence of which made him feel inadequate .
Ethel
Theodore Roosevelt's younger daughter was the only daughter of his marriage to Edith.
Ethel's indomitable spirit in the face of tragedy has been chronicled, and a number of triumphs.
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
20
During World War I, Ethel, now a nurse served in France in the same hospital as her husband
served as a surgeon. When the Red Cross brought her Fifty Year Service Pin to Sagamore Hill, they
had to correct themselves - it was not fifty years of service, it was sixty. When it came time to have
her portrait painted, she did not choose to wear an evening gown and jewels, she wore her Red
Cross uniform.
Archie
Archie, the fifth child, spent much of his childhood in
Washington where he became a favorite of the reporters.
MILITARY SERVICE
In World War I, as a Captain, he was wounded three times.
Archie also served in the Second World War, in the South
Pacific, coming out as a Lt. Colonel with many decorations. A
ridge in New Guinea was named for him, the first to be named
for an American in the Pacific during the war.





Awarded the Bronze Star, two Silver Stars and the Purple Heart
Awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French Government
World War I Captain
World War II Lt. Colonel
Only U.S. Soldier in history that was 100% disabled from two wars
Quentin
Quentin, the youngest Roosevelt, quickly became known for his humorous, and sometimes
philosophical, remarks. To a reporter trying to trap the boy into giving information about his father,
Quentin admitted, "I see him occasionally, but I know nothing of his family life."
Quentin was a sophomore when World War I broke out. He join the Air Force Army Air Corps.
On July 14, he was shot down by two German fighters, and he died behind enemy lines. There his
body was buried, though his grave was later moved to rest beside that of his brother Ted, in France.
Information provided by The Theodore Roosevelt Association
Information provided by PBS, American Experience, TR: The Story of Theodore Roosevelt.
Discussion Questions & Activities
1. Now that students have developed a portrait of American life at the turn of the century, have
them consider whether or not TR was the embodiment of his time. In what ways was he the right
president for his time? How was he a product of his time or ahead of his time? Would his policies
and philosophies make TR a good president for our time? Why or why not?
2. Using the students' list of ideal presidential qualities, have them evaluate TR as president. Which
qualities did TR have? Which did he lack? In what situations were certain characteristics beneficial?
In what instances might these characteristics be detrimental? Are there qualities students now
want to add or remove from the list? Overall, how would they rate TR's presidency?
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
21
3. Compare TR's experience with the media with that of the current president. Encourage students
to speculate on how modern media, such as television and the Internet, might have helped or
hindered TR if he were president today. For example, how might TR have fared under the close
scrutiny now given to all presidents and presidential candidates? How did TR make "modern" use
of the media to foster a particular image of himself? Ask students to come up with ad copy, a slogan,
or a theme song TR might have chosen.
4. Ask students to work in small groups to create two eulogies for TR -- one composed at the time of
his death and one composed now. Have the groups incorporate the answers to the following
questions: What were TR's lasting contributions to the office of the presidency and the United
States in general? How was TR viewed by his contemporaries? How is he viewed now? Would TR
have been a successful president today? Why or why not?
5. How did Roosevelt's childhood and early adulthood influence his personal values and political
agenda? How did his values and agenda reflect or differ from society's values during different
stages of his political career? In your opinion, was Roosevelt admirable? Why or why not?
6. How did Roosevelt use the media? What do the political cartoons and photographs in the series
tell you about how the media presented him to the public? What similarities and differences do you
see in the role of the media in politics today?
7. Think about the policies you discussed before watching. How were Roosevelt's domestic and
foreign policies similar to or different from those of the current administration? Discuss the
political motivations and historical context of the policies in each time period.
8. How did the goals of the Progressive Party differ from the goals of the Republican and
Democratic parties in the early 1900s? How did the Progressive Party's goals influence Roosevelt's
political career? mainstream politics? How did the third parties you researched influence
mainstream politics?
9. How did Roosevelt challenge the political system? How did he make changes within the system?
As a class, choose a school policy that students would like to change. Divide the class into small
groups to outline plans for making this change within the existing system or by challenging the
system.
Activities
Early Career -- Self-Improvement Plan
TR was an early advocate of self-improvement. He overcame ill health as a child through hard work
and commitment to increasing his physical strength, and he continued to "reinvent" himself
throughout his life. Have students discuss TR's various transformations throughout his life -- from
sickly child to hardy outdoorsman -- from aristocrat to reformer -- from grief-stricken widower to
happy family man, etc. What obstacles did he have to overcome to achieve his goals? What qualities
helped him persevere? Ask students to read the beginning of TR's 1899 speech on The Strenuous
Life, which outlines his philosophy about working hard, despite being born into a life of privilege.
Ask students to choose something about themselves that they would like to improve, and create a
plan outlining how they would go about reaching their goal. Whose help will they need? What
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
22
obstacles will they have to overcome? What resources or tools will they need? Have students write
their plan as an outline, journal entry, letter, or brief essay.
Domestic Policy -- Make a Political Cartoon
Review political cartoons and books, magazines, etc. showing TR involved in different areas of
domestic policy: trust busting, women's suffrage, the rights of African Americans, policies
concerning Native Americans, conservation, government regulations, etc. Have pairs of students
analyze the meaning of one TR cartoon and a cartoon about a similar topic from current
newspapers or magazines. Then, have them create their own cartoon about the same aspect of
current domestic policy.
Ask students to present the historical cartoon, contemporary cartoon, and their own cartoons to the
class, comparing the way we view the particular issue today with how it was perceived in TR's time,
and including their own thoughts and opinions about the issue.
Foreign Affairs -- The "Big Stick" Research
TR's famous quotation, "Speak softly and carry a big stick" succinctly summarizes the Roosevelt
Corollary, which was an important development in U.S. foreign policy. This attitude and policy
seems to have lasted beyond TR's presidency.
After students explain the quotation, have them research one international crisis since TR's
presidency, and write or prepare an oral report on how the U.S. response did or did not reflect TR's
philosophy. Research topics might include various stages of World Wars I and II, the Korean War,
the Berlin Airlift, the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the war in Vietnam, Nicaragua, the
invasion of Grenada, the Persian Gulf War, the war in Bosnia, or Operation Iraqi Freedom. Ask
students to outline the actions taken by the U.S. -- the effects of those actions; and whether or not
armed force, or the threat of it, was an appropriate response.
Legacy -- Conservation Map
Ask individual students to choose one of the national parks or forests existing today, either in your
state, your region, or elsewhere in the national system. Have students prepare a brochure and a fact
sheet for that park. The fact sheet should include when the park was created, its location, major
features, current status, and any problems, controversies, etc. (See the Annotated Web Links for
more information about the National Park Service.) Ask students to predict what might have
happened to the land if it hadn't been designated as a conservation site.
In the classroom, have students locate the park they chose on a large map of the U.S. with pushpins,
flags, or other devices. They might also outline the area covered by their various parks. Design a
display of the students' brochures.
Terms to Know
Bull Moose Party: The nickname for TR's Progressive Party, formed against Taft in the 1912
election. The name derives from the selection of the "bull moose" as the party symbol, taken from a
speech in which TR proclaimed that he felt "as strong as a bull moose."
Expansionism: the policy or practice of territorial expansion by a nation
Imperialism: the attempt by a nation to build an empire either through direct conquest or
economic and political control of other countries or territories.
Monroe Doctrine: a major U.S. foreign policy based on the ideas of then Secretary of State John
Quincy Adams and delivered in a speech by President James Monroe to Congress in 1823.
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
23
The Monroe Doctrine basically stated that the U.S. would consider hostile any European
interference or attempts at further colonization in the Western Hemisphere.
Muckrakers: the term applied to a group of American writers active in the first decade of the
twentieth century, who tried to expose through their writings the abuses of business and
corruption in politics. The term, derived from the word "muckrake", was coined by TR in the
speech The Man With the Muck Rake, 1906.
Political machine: an unofficial, widespread political organization usually centered in a particular
city or state and under the control of a "boss." The "machines" focused their activities on
maintaining political power and influence, and were often corrupt in their methods.
Populist Party: U.S. political party formed in 1891 to represent agrarian interest and to advocate
for coinage of free silver and government control of monopolies.
Progressive: describes the largely middle-class reform movement begun at the turn of the
twentieth century. The Progressives advocated reform in child labor laws, the prohibition of
alcohol, regulation of business, direct election of senators, and conservation, among other causes.
Socialism: system or theory of social organization in which the workers possess both political
power and the means of production and distribution.
Square Deal: TR's general philosophy and program for fairness in government and society, which
he attempted to implement through legislation controlling big business, reforming industry
practices to protect consumers, and conserving natural resources.
Trust: a large-scale business combination formed to prevent competition in the particular market.
Further Reading
Andrews, Wayne, ed. The Autobiography of Theodore Roosevelt. New York: Octagon Books, 1975.
Second edition of the life of TR in his own words, including letters and other documents.
Cutright, Paul Russell. Theodore Roosevelt: The making of a Conservationist. Chicago: University of
Illinois Press, 1985.
Gable, John Allen. The Bull Moose Years: Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive Party. Port
Washington, New York: Kennikat Press, 1978.
Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle. New York: New American Library, 1990.
Originally published in 1906, this famous exposé of the meat-packing industry caused TR to launch
an investigation that led to the Pure Food and Drug Act in that same year.
Websites
The Rough Riders
http://www.bartleby.com/51/
Access the full text of TR's 1899 bestseller, The Rough Riders online, courtesy of Bartleby.com.
TR Speeches
http://www.presidentialrhetoric.com/presidents/roosevelt_teddy.html
Read four famous speeches by TR archived by Presidential Rhetoric.
About Theodore Roosevelt
http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org
This Web site dedicated to TR includes sound files and images, links to other TR sites, anecdotes,
and quotations, and provides information about the Theodore Roosevelt Association.
White House Biography
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/tr26.html
Explore the White House's official biography of Theodore Roosevelt.
Discussion questions and activities provided by PBS, American Experience, TR: The Story of Theodore Roosevelt.
Actors’ Summit Theatre Bully! Teacher Study Guide
24