The were lifelong passions of his;writing was a

The were lifelong passions of his;writing was a

The life of Theodore Roosevelt (18581919)was one of constant activity, immense energy,and enduring accomplishments.

As thetwenty-sixth President of the United States,Roosevelt was the wielder of the Big Stick, thebuilder of the Panama Canal, an avidconservationist, and the nemesis of thecorporate trusts that threatened to monopolizeAmerican business at the start of the century.His exploits as a Rough Rider in theSpanish-American War and as a cowboy in theDakota Territory were indicative of his spiritof adventure and love of the outdoors. Readingand hunting were lifelong passions of his;writing was a lifelong compulsion. After graduating magna cum laude, from theHarvard University, Theodore began to lay thebuilding blocks for his public career. He beganone of the most historic political careers ever.Roosevelt put his early political years in theseAfter being a New York Assemblyman, UnitedStates Civil Commissioner, Assistant Secretaryof the Navy, Roosevelt played a significant rolein the Spanish-American War. The Spanish, whoonce thrived in the new world, really onlycontrolled Cuba now.

But the Cubans attemptedseveral times to receive their independence. TheCubans were mistreated, so the United Statesstepped in. War was declared against Spain bythe United States.

As the war went on Rooseveltbegan a group called the Rough Riders. Thisgroup consisted of largely cowboys, Indians, andcollege athletes. The group was led by Teddy andOn June 30, the Rough Riders marched toSantiago. Then On July 1, the Rough Ridersplayed a huge role in the American victory atSan Juan Hill. Now with the Hills, Teddy theRough Riders and the rest of the Americantroops, were ready to attack Santiago.

Later,because Spain could not fight anymore, Spainasked for a peace agreement. Now Teddy was awar hero, this is nothing but help his chancesAfter holding the governor spot over NewYork, Theodore ran as Vice President withWilliam McKinley. On September 6, 1901 PresidentMcKinley was assassinated by, a anarchist namedLeon Czolgosz.

And the Rough Rider, cowboy, wasnow the President of the United States. Although only 42, by far the youngest presidentin the nations history up to that time,Roosevelt brought solid qualifications to theoffice. No event had a more profound effecton Theodore Roosevelts political career.As the President, Roosevelt look out for thebest interest of the United States. In dealingwith business, President Roosevelt wasdetermined to see that no Big Business had amonopoly. As a result in early 1902, theattorney-general was ordered by Teddy to file asuit against The Northern Securities Company,which was a railroad investment company.

Thecompany controlled 3 major railroads in theNorthwest. The Northwest Securities Company wascharged with being a monopoly, under the ShermanAntitrust Act. The Supreme Court later ruled onthe case a said the Northern Securities Companymust be broken up because they were combinationin restraint of trade. Because of the successthat Roosevelt won in this case, he broughtcharges on over 40 more Big Businesses. Themost important businesses broken up by theSupreme Court, as a result of Rooseveltsactions were the Standard Oil Company and theAmerican Tobacco Company. Because the antitrustcases were took so long to get to the SupremeCourt, Roosevelt asked Congress to pass theExpedition Act, which sped the process. Roosevelt did not discriminate big businessessimply because they were big, he looked for thebusinesses that posed a threat to the public.

Roosevelts action against big businesses wonOne of the biggest challenge Roosevelt tookon was getting the Panama Canal built. TheUnited States and Great Britain signed a treatywhich gave the U.S. exclusive rights to build,and operate a canal in Central America.

Therewas some disagreement where the canal would bebuilt, but the final decision was Panama, wherea French company had been digging but wentbankrupt. In June of 1902 congress passed theIsthmian Canal Act, which authorized thepurchase of the French land for $40 million. But the United States also had to get control ofthe canal zone from what was then Colombia.

Secretary of State made an agreement with ThomasHerran to purchase, the right to control theland, for $10 million plus $250,000 yearly. TheU.S. Senate accepted it but, the Colombiansenate rejected the offer, hoping to get moremoney.

At this point Roosevelt consideredtaking the land by force. He calledthem(Colombian senate) corrupted, and he saidthey were trying to black-mail the UnitedStates. But the people who lived in Panama wereresentful to Colombia government, and a revoltwas inevitable. The revolt was funded by theFrench Company. Roosevelt ordered the U.

S. Navelforces to keep Colombian troops from gettinginto Panama, to end the revolt. Panamasucceeded, mainly due to the help of the U.

S.Navy. An agreement was made and the U.S. beganRoosevelt was an outdoorsman, he enjoyedeverything about the outdoors. He wasdetermined to conserve nature.

He made hugesteps to conserve nature. He called NationalConservation Conference at the White House. Which resulted in many states creating aconservative commission.

He also added 150million acres to the national forest reserve.And passed several acts to conserve and benefitthe United States natural resources. Conservingnature is just a part of his great legacy. Teddy Roosevelt led a highly successfullife, until his last day.

He will be foreverremembered as one of the United States greatestBibliography: