Kelsey Smith

Mr. Widenhofer

AP U.S. History

May 17, 2018

Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt was born in New York City to a wealthy family and grew up to

become very successful. As an adult he became the lieutenant colonel of the Rough Rider

Regiment during the Spanish-American War, making him a veteran and war hero. Once he

became president after the assassination of President McKinley, this war hero status made

Roosevelt popular in the eyes of the people. As president, Roosevelt handled foreign affairs,

domestic affairs, and the military very well, giving him an above average rating.

Theodore Roosevelt’s approach to foreign policy was very appropriate for the time.

Roosevelt took the position of president very seriously, which was especially important because

of the situations he inherited. As president, Roosevelt had to deal with governing the Philippines,

which were gained by the United States during the Spanish-American War. Roosevelt also was

able to establish the Panama Canal during his presidency, an essential move for increasing US

trade. With the canal built, the amount of time for merchant ships to travel back and forth was

drastically lowered, allowing for a much more efficient trade route between both coasts of the

United States as well as between the U.S. and other countries. A third important yet controversial

piece of Roosevelt’s foreign policy, the Roosevelt Corollary, dealt with the United States’ role in

Latin America. During Roosevelt’s first term as president, Venezuela’s dictator refused to pay

back loans from Germany and Britain, leading to the two European countries blockading
Venezuela. This prompted Roosevelt to create his Roosevelt Corollary, stating that “the United

States would intervene in any Latin American country that manifested serious economic

problems.”2 This policy, while having good intent, created tension in Latin America as the

people began to resent the United States.

Theodore Roosevelt’s handling of domestic affairs also contributes to his above average

rating. Roosevelt saw conservation as being extremely important to the United States and worked

to preserve natural resources, which would benefit the nation as a whole. Through this standpoint

Roosevelt was able to “create 150 new national forests, increasing the amount of protected land

from 42 million acres to 172 million acres.”1 As well as being a devoted advocate for

conservation, Roosevelt wanted to make sure that competing interests in the economy were

balanced, which he achieved through his Square Deal domestic program. This deal, started as a

response to a coal shortage, was seen by Roosevelt as a way to “intervene more actively on

behalf of the general public to ensure economic opportunity for all.”1 He also worked as a “trust

buster,” going after big businesses for setting unfairly high prices. This benefitted the common

people, making things more affordable for them.

Lastly, Theodore Roosevelt’s military advances help to give him an above average rating.

During his presidency Roosevelt worked to expand the US military, particularly the navy. He

saw having a powerful navy as being essential to the United States’ defense and status as a major

world power, so he worked with Congress to increase the amount of men enlisted in the navy.

This military expansion backed up Roosevelt’s idea of “speak softly but carry a big stick.”

In conclusion, Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign affairs, domestic affairs, and military

advances make him an above average president. While having some controversial decisions, like

the Roosevelt Corollary, Roosevelt’s decisions overall highly benefitted the United States.
 Works Cited

1. Miller Center. “Theodore Roosevelt: Domestic Affairs,” accessed May 22, 2018.

https://millercenter.org/president/roosevelt/domestic-affairs

2. Miller Center. “Theodore Roosevelt: Foreign Affairs,” accessed May 22, 2018.

https://millercenter.org/president/roosevelt/foreign-affairs

3. The American Presidency. “Theodore Roosevelt 1858-1919,” accessed May 22, 2018.

http://americanhistory.si.edu/presidency/home.html

4. The White House. “Theodore Roosevelt,” accessed May 22, 2018.

https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/1600/presidents/theodoreroosevelt