Transcript Theodore Roosevelt the 26th President of the United States

Theodore Roosevelt
the 26th President of the
United States
Theodore Roosevelt
was more than just
the 26th
President of the
United States.
He was a writer, historian,
explorer, big-game hunter,
soldier, conservationist,
rancher, and Nobel Peace
Prize winner.
Even Theodore
Roosevelt, who
became a very
famous
President
of the United
States, was a
child once.
Theodore Roosevelt
was born into a
wealthy and
socially prominent
New York family on
October 27, 1858,
in a brownstone house
on Twentieth Street in
New York City.
Although blessed
with a quick mind,
he was not blessed
with a strong body.
He suffered from
life-threatening
asthma attacks
throughout his childhood.
Theodore began to
build up his body
with strenuous
exercise, and by
adulthood he had
become a model
of physical courage
and toughness.
Here he appears
in his sculling
outfit.
Rowing and
boxing
were two of the
"organized"
sports in
which TR
participated.
He was president
of the Boone and
Crockett Club of
New York,
Honorary member
of the London
Alpine Club,
etc., etc.
1888
Ranch Life
brought him
a profound
love of the
open land,
unique
geography
and animal
species that
were fast
disappearing.
In 1895, at the
age of 36, TR
had already had
more careers than
many men. He had
been a legislator
in New York State,
a rancher, the
author of several
books, and was now
Civil Service Commissioner.
From 1895 to
1897,
TR became
President of the
NYC Board of
Police
Commissioners.
After two years,
he was back in
Washington,
this time as
Assistant
Secretary of
the Navy.
The press coverage
of the charismatic
character "Rough Rider
Roosevelt" propelled
TR back into politics,
next to be Governor
of New York State.
By now there were six children.
The oldest, Alice, holds baby
Quentin on her lap in this
1899 family portrait.
1899
family
portrait.
TR, out of
New York
State, was
recommended
for the Vice
Presidency.
Roosevelt won
the nomination
in the prior
election.
In 1901, TR
became the
youngest
person ever
to become
President.
He was only 42.
In Sept. 1902,
TR is speaking to people in
Asheville, North Carolina.
A famous bear
hunt in 1902
would forever
link Theodore
Roosevelt
and the
"Teddy" bear
in political
cartoons,
children's stories
and toys.
This 1903 photo
shows the
President, his wife
Edith, and their
six children.
TR loved his
family and spent
hours roaming
the hills and
rowing the shores
with the children.
TR had spent
time learning
about how
people lived from
the ranchers and
small farmers in
the west.
Soldiers
in battle helped
him identify with
ordinary citizens.
Here he speaks
to an audience
in Evanston,
Illinois
(near Chicago)
in 1903.
TR's legacy:
Conservation
of natural
wonders and
natural resources
Here we find
President
Theodore
Roosevelt
with naturalist
John Muir
at Yosemite
in 1903.
Roosevelt started
his efforts to
preserve National
Parks as early as
1894. The resulting
legislation provided
new levels of
protection from
commercial
development and
"ecological
destruction".
Can you imagine
a tree so big
that a whole
group of
grown-ups
look so tiny?
"There can be nothing
in the world more
beautiful than the
Yosemite, the groves
of giant sequoias and
redwoods, the
Canyon of the Colorado,
the Canyon of the
Yellowstone, the Three
Tetons; and our people
should see to it that they
are preserved…”
“…for their
children and their
children's children
forever, with their
majestic beauty all
unmarred.“
Outdoor Pastimes of an
American Hunter, 1905.
The demands of
the Presidency
made vacation
travel difficult.
Edith took
charge of finding
a retreat for
the family in
this simple cabin
in the woods of
Albemarle County, VA.
Roosevelt was
awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize
(not Noble) in
1906 for his work
in the negotiations
that led to the
Treaty of Portsmouth,
ending the Russo-Japanese
War in 1905.
The Treaty of
Portsmouth
resolved the
Russo-Japanese
War and earned
Theodore
Roosevelt
recognition
by the
Nobel Prize
Committee.
This made
him the first
American to win a
Nobel Prize in any
of the categories.
The Prize consisted of:
•a large gold medal,
•a diploma in a fancy case
•and a cash award
He intended to give
away the prize money,
explaining to his
children that, to accept
it, would be like
taking money for
saving a drowning man.
On January 8, 1907,
he wrote to the Nobel
Prize Committee:
"The medal and
diploma will be
prized by me
throughout my life,
and by my children
after my death.
I have turned over
the money to a…”
committee, including
the Chief Justice
of the Supreme
Court of the United
States and the
Secretaries of Agriculture
and Commerce and Labor,
in trust, to be used as a
foundation for promoting the
cause of industrial peace
in this country. In our modern
civilization.”
Theodore
Roosevelt
with incoming
President William
Howard Taft on
the day of Taft's
inauguration
in 1909.
The Roosevelts leaving the
White House in 1909.
Commemorations
to
Theodore Roosevelt
after
his death
Mount Rushmore is carved
on the side of a mountain in
South Dakota
and commemorates the
first 150 years of
American history. The project
began on August 10, 1927,
and spanned 14 years.
Four presidents were selected
on the basis of what each
one symbolized.
George Washington
represents the struggle for
independence,
Thomas Jefferson,
the idea of government
by the people,
Abraham Lincoln ,
for his ideas on equality and
the permanent union of the
states, and
Theodore Roosevelt ,
for the 20th century role of the
United States in world affairs.
TR was awarded the
Medal of Honor
for his bravery on
July 1, 1898, during
the Spanish-American War.
MEDAL OF HONOR AWARD
The quest to secure the
Medal of Honor for
Theodore Roosevelt
ended after 103 years
when President
William J. Clinton, in 2001,
presented the nation's highest
military award to Theodore
Roosevelt posthumously.
MEDAL OF HONOR AWARDED
TO THEODORE ROOSEVELT
Posthumous Honor
Presented at
White House
on January 16, 2001