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Theodore Roosevelt's Shaping of America Essay

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Theodor Roosevelt, our 26th president, was a gruff politician who had a huge impact on America. He is known for his accomplishments in the political, social, and business world during the Progressive Era. His accomplishments helped shape America, and because of this influence, he is one of the faces found on Mount Rushmore. Theodor Roosevelt was born on October 27, 1858, in New York, New York. As a child he was frail and timid, and as a result, most of his education was through tutors in his home before he went to college. Around the age of 13 he became determined to learn how to defend himself, because while on a stage coach two other boys started to beat him up and he could not defend himself. He knew that his efforts in learning how …show more content…

On one occasion when he was against a bill to make manufacturing cigars in one’s home illegal. He however promptly changed his mind when he saw the conditions of the homes. “The tobacco was stowed about everywhere, alongside the foul bedding, and in a corner where there were scraps of food.” His disgust and shock validated his changing vote. During Roosevelt’s third term, he received a telegram that stated that both his wife and mother were very ill. They both died within hours of each other. In his diary, Roosevelt drew an X across most of the page, and wrote,” The light has gone out of my life.” After this tragic loss, he decided to go to a ranch that he had purchased in 1883 and become a rancher. Unfortunately, Roosevelt was not taken seriously by the locals as a real rancher, because they thought of him as a city New Yorker, who was not tough enough for the Dakota Badlands. He had to initially put up with their ridicule. But in the end, he proved them all wrong. On one occasion, he apprehended two criminals and watched them for hours before the authorities came. A newspaper wrote “Theodore is a Dakota Cowboy. When he first went on the range, the cowboys took him for a dude, but there is no man who inspires such enthusiastic regard among them as he.” Shortly after his return to New York, Roosevelt was elected governor. Later, Roosevelt was chosen as the running mate to William

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