Video of Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt became the 26th president of the United States in 1901. He was 42 years old at the time, making him the youngest person ever to become president. He was known for his progressive reforms and his bold involvement in world affairs. Roosevelt grew up in a wealthy family in New York City. From an early age, he displayed a wide-ranging intellectual curiosity, but he was especially interested in natural history. Sickly as a boy, Roosevelt suffered from severe asthma and was physically weak. As he grew older, he developed a strong physique through exercise. He became a lifelong advocate of vigorous physical and mental activity, advising everyone to lead what he called the strenuous life. This attitude influenced Roosevelt both as an outdoorsman and as a politician. Roosevelt entered politics as a Republican representative in the state legislature of New York. In 1897, President William McKinley named him assistant secretary of the Navy. When the Spanish-American War broke out the next year, Roosevelt organized the First Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. They were called the Rough Riders because many of them were cowboys. Roosevelt was acclaimed a national hero when he led a daring charge up Kettle Hill in Cuba. Roosevelt came home to be elected governor of New York in 1898. He became an energetic reformer, sweeping out corrupt officials and enacting legislation to regulate corporations and the civil service. Roosevelt's reforms made Republican Party leaders wary. To prevent him from winning a second term as governor, the Republicans nominated him as vice president to William McKinley. McKinley won the election, but he was assassinated in 1901, elevating Roosevelt to the presidency. In 1904, President Roosevelt was elected to a full term. Roosevelt invented the term bully pulpit to describe his view of the presidency. This means that he used his office to speak out on important issues in an effort to shape public opinion. Building on his reputation as a reformer, Roosevelt stressed economic fairness and social justice. He called his domestic program the Square Deal. The principles for which we stand are the principles of fair play and a square deal for every man and every woman in the United States. A square deal politically, a square deal in matters social and industrial. Roosevelt's Square Deal policies were a key part of the growing progressive movement. As industry had expanded in the United States after the Civil War, businesses had grown larger and more powerful, often at the expense of their workers and the public. Roosevelt wanted to end abuses by trusts, big companies that controlled entire industries such as railroads and oil. Roosevelt became known as the trust buster for his efforts to break up these companies. Another priority of Roosevelt's presidency was the conservation of America's natural resources. Roosevelt had spent some of his happiest times on his ranch in North Dakota, rounding up cattle and hunting big game. These experiences deepened his commitment to preserving the country's forests and wildlife. As president, he set aside vast tracts of public land as national forests. He also created several national parks and monuments. Roosevelt's presidency is also notable for establishing the United States as a major presence in world affairs. Roosevelt described his foreign policy with the phrase, speak softly and carry a big stick. He used the forceful big stick approach to become involved in the affairs of Latin America and build the Panama Canal. Roosevelt showed the soft-spoken side of his foreign policy in 1905 by mediating an end to a war between Russia and Japan. His peacemaking efforts won him the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize, the first given to a U.S. president. Roosevelt's actions at home and overseas had a lasting impact on the powers and responsibilities of the presidency. A less momentous but still enduring part of his legacy was a beloved toy. While on a hunting trip in 1902, Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear that his guides had tied to a tree. A political cartoon depicting this story inspired a toy maker to create a stuffed bear named after the president. And the teddy bear was born.