What Are Theodore Roosevelt's Achievements

The African proverb, “Speak softly but carry a big stick,” was a personal mantra of sorts for Teddy Roosevelt. Although burdened by poor health as a child,
Roosevelt was an expert when it came to living, maybe even because of his seemingly perpetual illness (Whitelaw). He was an exceptionally motivated person, and he let nothing stand in the way of his many ideas and aspirations. Roosevelt is known for many things, but some of his most notable achievements include his fighting with the Rough Riders, his preservation of western wilderness, and his tireless work as president. The Spanish-American War was a tough time for all, but Roosevelt swooped in and saved the day. He organized a volunteer regiment nicknamed the “Rough Riders” because of
their diversity (Whitelaw). “Roosevelt’s regiment lost seven times more men than any other volunteer regiment,” Nancy Whitelaw wrote in her book, Theodore Roosevelt takes charge. The Rough Riders went to Cuba and succeeded in taking over Kettle Hill (Whitelaw). But that wasn’t enough to satisfy Roosevelt, and soon after that his men took San Juan Hill, a major port (Whitelaw). A few days later, the Spanish fled from Cuba and the war was won (Whitelaw). Roosevelt felt a sort of fondness for the west; he has a ranch out there that ultimately sucked him dry, but he loved it nonetheless (Whitelaw). In 1905, he formed the U.S. Forest Service to help protect these wildlands (Whitelaw). The National Park service stated, “Roosevelt signed the . . . National Monuments Act . . . on June 8th, 1906.” This act gave Roosevelt the ability to turn objects of historic or scientific interest into national monuments (“United States. National Park Service”). Roosevelt turned 150 million acres into national forests (“United States. National Park Service”). Without him, we would be forced to battle overpopulation and industrialization of our beautiful and majestic homeland. Roosevelt became president when McKinley was tragically assassinated (Whitelaw).
But perhaps this was a blessing in disguise, for many wonderful things sprung from Roosevelt’s presidency, such as the Panama Canal, cleaner food, and the teddy bear. Colombia wouldn’t let Roosevelt build a canal in their country, so Roosevelt and France helped some locals start a rebellion and thus Panama was born, along with the Panama Canal (“Digital History”). One of Roosevelt’s many palindromes was used to boost the canal’s popularity, a man, a plan, a canal, Panama (“Digital History”). Roosevelt didn’t only improve things in other countries, because in June 1906, he passed the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act (Whitelaw). These acts drastically improved the quality of the food and drugs sold commercially (Whitelaw). The tale of the teddy bear is perhaps one of Roosevelt’s greatest deeds. When Roosevelt was on a hunting trip, his friends tied an exhausted bear cub to a tree for Roosevelt to shoot (Whitelaw). Well, he refused to shoot the poor bear cub for mere sport, and when news of this spread, the teddy bear was born (Whitelaw). Maybe it was because of these reasons that he was reelected. Or maybe it was just his sparkling
personality. Theodore Roosevelt has forever bettered our lives because of his bravery in Cuba, his vast preservation of our beloved homeland, and his long years of tireless work as one of our country’s greatest presidents. Truly, our lives would be rather dreary without the Food and Drug Act or the numerous national forests that help prevent overpopulation in the west. So the next time you cruise through the Panama Canal or hug your beloved teddy bear, make sure to acknowledge Teddy Roosevelt and all that he’s done for our sacred land of the free, our beloved home of the brave.