Teddy Roosevelt
by
findingDulcinea Staff
He's one of the most memorable conservationists in our country's history. He also happened to be our president, and an eccentric one at that.
Foreseeing Green
“Is there any law that prevents me declaring Pelican Island a National Bird Sanctuary?" Teddy Roosevelt once asked his brain trust. “Very well, then,” reaching for his pen, “I do declare it.” Roosevelt shaped the United States’ perceptions about the environment, establishing some of the rules and regulations that we hold most valuable today. While everyone might not have shared Roosevelt’s political views, his work as a conservationist was long-lasting and unprecedented for a United States president.
For a bite-size biography of Roosevelt, Time magazine’s “Time 100” profile covers the political milestones and diplomatic relationships of Roosevelt’s tenure. Also included are some poignant descriptions of the president’s character; according to many people (enemies as well as friends), a “life force,” eccentric, and ambitious.
Source: Time Magazine
The Theodore Roosevelt Association was founded a year after Roosevelt’s death in 1920 in order to “perpetuate the memory and ideals” of the president, donate awards, and grant funds to organizations and people who embody Roosevelt’s ethics. Its Web site has a great photo-biography of T.R.’s life from childhood to death.
The association also has a page of quotes that will reveal the original contexts of some of T.R.’s famous lines and theories, including the phrase, “carry a big stick”.
The association also has a page of quotes that will reveal the original contexts of some of T.R.’s famous lines and theories, including the phrase, “carry a big stick”.
Source: Theodore Roosevelt Association
Squidoo, another open-source Web site, features one writer’s biography of Roosevelt before his famous presidential years. Roosevelt boasted several high-ranking civil and political positions before he rose to the presidency; many of these jobs are discussed here.
Source: Squidoo
At Project Gutenberg, you can view or print out works written by Roosevelt and his colleagues, including Henry Cabot Lodge. The texts include his 1901 State of the Union address following the assassination of President McKinley, and an immense autobiography covering a long stretch of his life.
Source: Project Gutenberg
A potentially controversial aspect of Roosevelt’s career was his tour in Africa, a hunting sojourn between his first presidency and his second run against Republican William Taft. Roosevelt was commissioned to write a series of articles about his trip for Scribner’s magazine, and he also donated his animal trophies to the Smithsonian. You can read more about his trip from the Smithsonian site.
Source: The Smithsonian/National Portrait Gallery
Theodore Roosevelt’s greatest accomplishment, a symbolic move for posterity, was his establishment of five national parks, each of which is given its own profile on the National Parks Service’s official site. T.R.’s parks and their NPS links are listed below:
Crater Lake, Oregon
Sully’s Hill, North Dakota
Wind Cave, South Dakota
Mesa Verde, Colorado
Platt National Park, Oklahoma
Crater Lake, Oregon
Sully’s Hill, North Dakota
Wind Cave, South Dakota
Mesa Verde, Colorado
Platt National Park, Oklahoma
© 2012 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
