Activities: Guided Reading/Secondary
Theodore Roosevelt
1858–1919
Theodore Roosevelt was an American hero
at the end of the Spanish-American War. He
mostly was remembered for leading the 1st United
States Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, or the “Rough
Riders,” in charges up Kettle and San Juan hills.
After the war Roosevelt was ready to run for
political office.
Roosevelt returned home to New York after
the war ended. At the same time, a Republican
senator from New York, Thomas C. Platt, was
looking for the perfect candidate to run for
governor. Platt had his doubts about giving
Roosevelt the Republican nomination. Platt wanted
a candidate whose campaign he could control. He believed Roosevelt was too
outspoken. Roosevelt promised he would not disrupt Platt’s political machine, and
easily won the gubernatorial election. His term as governor was extremely
productive. Roosevelt’s greatest accomplishment was removing corrupt politicians
from office. His support for a corporation franchise tax and a civil service system
angered Platt. Roosevelt was too outspoken, and Platt learned that he could not
control the governor. Platt wanted Roosevelt out of New York state politics, so he
schemed to have Roosevelt nominated for vice president when William McKinley
was the Republican presidential nominee in 1900.
McKinley and Roosevelt won the race for president and vice president.
Soon, Roosevelt became bored with his position as vice president because it did
not give him political power. However, on September 6, 1901, Roosevelt’s life
changed. Leon Czolgosz shot President McKinley, and the president died eight
days later. Roosevelt was sworn in as the twenty-sixth President of the United
States. Once in office, Roosevelt stated there would not be any immediate changes
in policy. His statement, however, proved to be false. Roosevelt would allow any
and all to visit him in the White House: cowboys, prizefighters, explorers, and
artists. He appointed young, college-educated men to his Cabinet. Even though
Roosevelt was enjoying his time as president, there was always the feeling that he
was president because of the death of his predecessor. This made him strive to be
elected in the 1904 presidential election.
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Activities: Guided Reading/Secondary
Starting in 1902, Roosevelt took steps to bolster his run for president. He
persuaded Republican conservatives to create the Bureau of Corporations. This
made it possible for businesses to be investigated if they engaged in any
questionable interstate commerce. The government, however, still was without any
regulatory powers. He then brought back the Sherman Antitrust Act after he sued
the Northern Securities Company for monopolizing the railroad industry. Also in
1902, Roosevelt had to contend with a coalminers’ strike. Without coal, heat to
homes, schools, and hospitals would be cut. He offered to mediate the negotiation
of a compromise between labor leaders and the company representatives. He talked
about bringing in the army to work in the mines to keep them running. In the end,
Roosevelt was able to secure a pay increase for the miners. This was the first time
that a president became involved in a labor dispute and sided with the workers.
Roosevelt’s economic reforms were known as the “Square Deal,” which
became his campaign slogan in 1904. It meant that he wanted each American to be
treated fairly. Roosevelt won the 1904 election against Democratic candidate Alton
B. Parker. After his victory, he asked Congress to help control the interstate
railroad rates. The Hepburn Act was passed in 1906. The act gave the Interstate
Commerce Commission the power to set maximum rates. It also created the first of
the government’s regulatory agencies. Roosevelt pressured Congress to pass the
Pure Food and Drug and Meat Inspection acts; these acts provided consumer
protection.
Roosevelt believed more powerful countries should take responsibility for
the smaller, less powerful countries. He asked for additional funds for the army and
navy every year. By the end of his term, he made the United States Navy a world
power.
During Roosevelt’s presidency powerful European countries threatened to
return to Latin America. They wanted to collect the debts weaker governments
owed to them. To counter these threats, Roosevelt wrote a new policy in 1904.
This policy became known as the Roosevelt Corollary of the Monroe Doctrine.
The corollary stated that the United States prohibited outside intervention in Latin
America. In addition, the U.S. would monitor the area to assure that all countries
were meeting their international responsibilities. Thus, the United States assumed
more power in the world.
Roosevelt believed that, in matters of foreign policy, it was imperative to
“speak softly and carry a big stick.” Roosevelt demonstrated that belief when he
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Activities: Guided Reading/Secondary
helped Panama win independence in order to gain control of the Panama Canal
Zone. The United States began construction of the canal immediately. Roosevelt
was the first United States President to travel outside of the country when he
visited to construction site in 1906. President Roosevelt considered the Panama
Canal a symbol of the American spirit of determination and hard work. Of the
men working on the canal, Roosevelt said,
“A finer body of men has never been gathered by any nation
than the men who have done the work of building the Panama
Canal; the conditions under which they have lived and have
done their work have been better than in any similar work ever
undertaken in the tropics; they have all felt an eager pride in
their work; and they have made not only America but the whole
world their debtors by what they have accomplished.”
Panama Canal under construction, 1907
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Activities: Guided Reading/Secondary
Name: ________________________________
Date: ____________________
Theodore Roosevelt
1858–1919
Discussion Questions:
1. What doubts did Senator Thomas C. Platt have when he nominated
Theodore Roosevelt for governor of New York?
2. How did Roosevelt anger Platt, thus proving Platt’s earlier reservations to be
true?
3. How did Platt remove Roosevelt from state politics?
4. How did Roosevelt originally become president?
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Activities: Guided Reading/Secondary
5. What was Roosevelt’s reason for bringing back the Sherman Antitrust Act?
6. What became Roosevelt’s campaign slogan in the election of 1904?
7. What is the Roosevelt Corollary of the Monroe Doctrine?
Open-Ended Question
8. How did Roosevelt’s success in the Spanish-American War affect his career
in American politics?
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