WEBVTT

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Welcome, deep divers. Okay, picture this. A man

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just moments after being shot right in the chest.

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Bullet still lodged deep inside him. He assesses

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his own wound, decides it's not serious enough

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to stop him, and then goes on to deliver a 90

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-minute speech before getting any medical help.

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It sounds like something out of a movie, doesn't

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it? Exactly. But that's not some fictional hero.

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That was Theodore Roosevelt. And that, well,

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that's just one of these incredible, almost unbelievable

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stories from the life of the 26th. President

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of the United States. He was a figure of just

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immense energy, sharp intellect, and as we're

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definitely going to discover, some really profound

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contradictions. Yeah, contradiction is a good

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word for him. Born in 1858, passed away in 1919,

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Roosevelt lived a life so packed with experiences,

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it honestly feels like several lifetimes crammed

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into one. So today, our mission is to take a

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real deep dive into all the diverse sources we've

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gathered. You know, biographical accounts, policy

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details, personal reflections, historical analysis,

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the whole lot. And we want to uncover the most

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fascinating insights into this Well, this American

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icon, this isn't just going to be a surface level

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glance. We're really going to unpack the pivotal

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moments, the key policies that shaped him and

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crucially, fundamentally reshaped the nation

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he led. So get ready to really try and understand

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the man behind the legend. And that's exactly

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what makes this particular deep dive so, so compelling.

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We're talking about a transformation that's.

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It's almost mythological, isn't it? You go from

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this sickly asthmatic kid to a revered war hero,

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a brilliant naturalist, to a commanding president,

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a trollific author, to a daring explorer. It's

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quite the arc. It really is. And our goal isn't

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just to list his accomplishments. It's to try

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and figure out why he did what he did and maybe

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why it mattered so much. Making those connections

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between his early formative experiences and his

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later really impactful leadership. So as we journey

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through his personal life, tragedies and there

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were some big ones his meteoric political rise

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is really transformative presidency and it's

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lasting and let's be honest often debated legacy

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we're really hunting for those aha moments those

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surprising connections that hopefully bring history

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to life for you our curious listener okay let's

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really unpack this journey then starting right

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at the beginning Theodore Roosevelt born in New

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York City October 27 1858 and surprisingly he's

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the striking contrast to the robust you know,

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vigorous figure we all picture. He was a sickly

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child plagued by these debilitating asthma attacks

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that were, well, terrifying for him, obviously,

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but also left his parents feeling pretty helpless.

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Doctors back then, they just didn't have a cure.

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Yeah, it must have been terrifying for the whole

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family. Yeah. You know, seeing your child struggle

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to breathe like that. Absolutely. Yet, despite

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these really severe physical limitations, young

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Theodore, or TD, as they called him, had this

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almost boundless energy and a mischievously inquisitive

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spirit. His lifelong fascination with zoology,

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for instance, it sparked when he was just seven,

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after seeing a dead seal at a local market. Simple

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encounter, but profound for him. Right. Just

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seeing seal. Yeah. He didn't just look at it.

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He was so captivated. He actually got the seal's

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head. And with his cousins, they started what

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they called the Roosevelt Museum of Natural History.

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Wow. By age nine, he's already writing down his

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observations meticulously in a paper he called

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The Natural History of Insects. This wasn't just,

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you know, a kid's hobby, was it? Absolutely not.

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No way. This is a deep, enduring passion. It

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really laid the groundwork for so much later

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on that early sort of hands -on scientific curiosity.

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It wasn't just about collecting things. Right.

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It was about observing, classifying, trying to

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understand the natural world in detail. It shows

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this intense intellectual drive, this desire

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to impose order on chaos, which, if you think

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about it, is kind of a pattern you see throughout

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his life, whether it's science or politics. That's

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a fantastic point. And his path to that famous

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physicality, the whole strenuous life idea, that

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also started quite early. In 1869, during a family

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trip, hiking in the Alps, he makes this remarkable

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discovery. physical exertion actually seemed

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to minimize his asthma symptoms? and it boosted

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his spirits significantly. This was like a light

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bulb moment. Ah, so that was the trigger. Yeah,

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it ignited this fierce dedication to exercise.

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He later talked about this incident during a

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camping trip where he was manhandled by older

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boys, felt humiliated. That became a pivotal

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moment. He gets home, immediately finds a boxing

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coach, commits himself to this really rigorous

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training regimen. So this wasn't just about getting

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healthy, was it? This was a conscious, almost

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defiant choice to, like, forge himself into a

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stronger person. Oh, definitely. It was way more

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than just health. It was about building character,

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that early determination, you know, to conquer

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his asthma, to deliberately build himself up

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physically. It wasn't just a physical transformation.

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It directly shaped his whole worldview, his future

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strenuous life philosophy. It instilled this

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core belief. You meet challenges head on with

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relentless effort. And that really became the

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bedrock of his public persona, didn't it? setting

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the stage for all his later political and military

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ambitions. He literally decided to fight his

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own body. It's incredible when you think about

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it that way. He was mainly homeschooled, which

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resulted in an uneven, but remarkably strong

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education. He was great at geography, history,

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biology, French, German. But he did struggle

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with math, Latin, Greek, the classics. He then

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entered Harvard in 1876, already a young man

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with this deep intellectual curiosity and this

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growing physical strength. Quite the combination

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already. During his time at Harvard, though,

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a really profound personal tragedy struck. His

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father, Theodore Roosevelt, died suddenly in

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1878. This loss just devastated him. Mm. A huge

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blow. Huge. Despite this emotional blow, Roosevelt

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inherited a significant amount of money, $60

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,000 back then, which, you know, for context,

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is like $1 .66 million today. Wow. OK. So he

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was set for life, basically. Exactly. Enough

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money to live comfortably forever. Yet he chose

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this path of relentless public service. He didn't

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want a life of leisure. It also highlights his

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moral compass. Even then, he was a dedicated

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Sunday school teacher at Harvard. And when the

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Episcopal minister insisted he converts to Episcopalianism

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to keep teaching there, Roosevelt said no. Instead,

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he chose to teach a mission class in a poor part

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of Cambridge. Shows his commitment to service

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over, well, dogma. That decision really speaks

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volumes, doesn't it? It underscores his independence,

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his moral priorities. He wasn't just comfortable

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with his privilege. He felt this profound responsibility

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to serve and rejecting a requirement that clashed

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with his conscience. Choosing instead to teach

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somewhere less prestigious, but maybe more impactful.

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That tells you a lot about the man he was becoming.

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driven by a personal sense of duty, not just

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social expectations. Absolutely. His academic

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life at Harvard continued to show that same mix

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of intellectual brilliance and very specific

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interests. He'd excelled in science, philosophy,

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rhetoric, still struggled with Latin and Greek.

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Still the classics, huh? Still the classics.

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But he was an incredibly accomplished naturalist,

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even published as an ornithologist. And he had

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this almost photographic memory, apparently,

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which led him just to devour books. What are

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you saying? graduated Phi Beta Kappa, ranked

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22nd out of 177, magna cum laude. Pretty impressive.

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Yet, surprisingly, he felt he obtained little

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from Harvard, expressed disappointment with the

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formalistic treatment of many subjects. Too much

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focus on tiny details, maybe not enough on the

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big picture. Interesting. So even then, he was

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looking for something more practical, more connected

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to the real world. Seems like it. After Harvard,

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he initially thought about studying natural science,

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but then changed course, went to Columbia Law

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School. Okay, law school. Seems more conventional.

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Right. But he quickly found the study of law

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irrational, not grounded enough in tangible results

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for him, I guess. So he dropped out. Dropped

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out. Yeah. Which was an incredibly unorthodox

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move for someone of his social class back then.

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Most of his peers avoided politics, saw it as

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kind of a dirty business. But Roosevelt was determined

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to jump in. Right into the fray. He found allies

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in New York's 21st District Republican Association,

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got elected to the New York State Assembly, and

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he made an immediate impact. Blocked the financier

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Jay Gould's corrupt attempt to lower his taxes,

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exposed collusion. His anti -corruption stuff

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was so popular he won reelection by more than

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two to one. So he hit the ground running. No

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fear. None at all. And it wasn't just current

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politics that grabbed him. While he was still

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at Harvard, Roosevelt started this really systematic,

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extensive study of the U .S. Navy's role in the

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War of 1812. OK, naval history now. He had broad

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interests. Very broad. This scholarly work led

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to his 1882 publication, The Naval War of 1812,

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a book that was widely praised for its scholarship,

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its style. And remarkably, it's still considered

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a standard study of the war today. That's genuinely

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remarkable. He's already thinking strategic.

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strategically about naval power and not just

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historically. How much do you think that early

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systematic interest, maybe even before Mahon's

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famous work on sea power came out, how much did

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that shape his later actions, you know, as Assistant

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Secretary of the Navy, as president? It had to

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be significant. It speaks to a very long -term,

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almost visionary strategic mind, doesn't it?

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thinking decades ahead, really. Absolutely. It

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wasn't just a historical interest. It feels like

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it was a foundational piece of his whole view

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on geopolitics, which definitely came out later.

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Now we get to one of the most poignant, just

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devastating periods of his life. OK. In 1880,

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Roosevelt married Alice Hathaway Lee, a socialite.

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Their daughter, Alice Lee Roosevelt, was born

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February 12, 1884. Just two days later, February

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14th, Valentine's Day, a day he'd forever mark

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with a big X in his diary. Oh, no. Tragedy struck

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twice, brutally. His wife, Alice, died of undiagnosed

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kidney failure. And on the very same day, his

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mother, Martha, died of typhoid fever. On the

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same day, both his wife and mother. On the exact

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same day, it's almost unimaginable the double

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loss was just crushing. In his diary, he just

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wrote, the light has gone out of my life. The

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grief was so intense he rarely spoke of his first

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wife, Alice, again. And he conspicuously left

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her out of his autobiography that tells you something.

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Wow. Just unbearable grief. Totally. Distraught,

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needing some kind of outlet, he left baby Alice

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with his sister and sought this really radical

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form of recuperation. What did he do? He went

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west, headed straight for the untamed wilderness

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of the Dakota Territory, invested $14 ,000, which

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is like $390 ,000 today in a cattle ranch. Complete

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change of scene. Complete change. The raw, challenging

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western lifestyle turned out to be exhilarating

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for him. He learned to ride western style, rope,

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hunt. fully embraced the whole rancher persona.

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He even wrote books like Hunting Trips of a Ranch

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Man and Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail. and

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in them he really praised the stern manly qualities

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of cowboys. Seems like a clear reflection of

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his own need for resilience for strength after

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that terrible loss. It's almost like he was consciously

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trying to forge a new version of himself through,

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you know, sheer physical effort and facing these

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harsh realities out there. How much do you think

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that period, that raw frontier living shaped

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by such intense personal loss really molded his

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character and truly imbued him with that strenuous

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life philosophy that became so central later,

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it wasn't just an escape, was it? No, not at

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all. I think you're right. It was where he really

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honed those ideas about manliness, resilience,

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the value of facing harsh realities head on.

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This was the... the crucible that forged the

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strength, the moral vigor he'd show throughout

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his public life. Makes sense. And it wasn't just

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personal development either. Beyond his own pursuits,

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he quickly got involved in the early conservation

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movement and frontier law enforcement. He organized

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local ranchers into the Little Missouri Stockmans

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Association to deal with issues like overgrazing.

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Ah, early conservationist stirrings. Definitely.

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He also formed the Boon and Crockett Club, dedicated

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to conserving large game animals and their habitats,

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a clear sign of his later environmental policies.

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And, you know, testament to his man -of -action

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thing, he even served as a deputy sheriff in

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Billings County, North Dakota, famously hunted

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down some boat thieves. Wow, a deputy sheriff

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too. He really threw himself into it. He did.

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But the harsh realities of the West eventually

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caught up. The severe winter of 1886, 1887 wiped

00:12:40.830 --> 00:12:43.230
out a huge chunk of his cattle herd. He lost

00:12:43.230 --> 00:12:46.049
over half of his $80 ,000 investment. Ouch, that's

00:12:46.049 --> 00:12:49.330
a big loss. Big loss. With his ranching dreams

00:12:49.330 --> 00:12:52.330
kind of dashed, he returned to New York, shedding

00:12:52.330 --> 00:12:55.450
that potentially damaging label of being an ineffectual

00:12:55.450 --> 00:12:58.110
intellectual and ready to get back into politics.

00:12:58.429 --> 00:13:01.070
So the West forged him, but ultimately sent him

00:13:01.070 --> 00:13:04.009
back east. Pretty much. Back in York, a new chapter

00:13:04.009 --> 00:13:07.159
of his personal life started. In London in 1886,

00:13:07.639 --> 00:13:10.039
he married his childhood friend, Edith Kermit

00:13:10.039 --> 00:13:12.980
-Carrow, despite some initial family resistance,

00:13:12.980 --> 00:13:15.820
you know, because of timing after his first wife's

00:13:15.820 --> 00:13:17.620
death. Right, that must have been delicate. Yeah.

00:13:18.139 --> 00:13:21.080
Together they had five children. And Edith also

00:13:21.080 --> 00:13:22.820
raised his daughter from his first marriage,

00:13:23.100 --> 00:13:25.440
Alice, who, it has to be said, often clashed

00:13:25.440 --> 00:13:27.879
with her stepmother, made for a rather complex

00:13:27.879 --> 00:13:30.399
family dynamic, apparently. Hmm, blended families

00:13:30.399 --> 00:13:33.840
are never simple. True. Upon his return, Republican

00:13:33.840 --> 00:13:35.559
leaders approached him out running for mayor

00:13:35.559 --> 00:13:39.120
of New York City in 1886. Roosevelt accepted,

00:13:39.340 --> 00:13:41.019
even though he didn't have much hope of winning

00:13:41.019 --> 00:13:43.159
against some tough opponents. Okay, back into

00:13:43.159 --> 00:13:45.440
the political ring. Campaigned hard, but finished

00:13:45.440 --> 00:13:49.220
third with 27 % of the vote. Fearing his political

00:13:49.220 --> 00:13:52.460
career might be over, he once again turned to

00:13:52.460 --> 00:13:55.039
writing. Ah, the writing fallback again. Yep.

00:13:55.129 --> 00:13:57.789
penned The Winning of the West, this big four

00:13:57.789 --> 00:14:00.169
-volume narrative exploring the American character

00:14:00.169 --> 00:14:02.950
forged on the frontier. It turned out to be a

00:14:02.950 --> 00:14:05.769
huge success, got great reviews, sold out its

00:14:05.769 --> 00:14:08.440
first printing. You know, this really highlights

00:14:08.440 --> 00:14:10.620
that recurring theme in his life, doesn't it?

00:14:10.860 --> 00:14:13.740
When politics goes sour or he faces personal

00:14:13.740 --> 00:14:16.659
setbacks, he often turns to writing. It's true.

00:14:16.759 --> 00:14:19.000
And it's not just a hobby, right? It's a way

00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:22.259
to solidify his intellectual side, his historical

00:14:22.259 --> 00:14:26.120
credentials, process things, articulate his philosophies.

00:14:26.649 --> 00:14:28.809
His books became a really significant part of

00:14:28.809 --> 00:14:31.309
his public identity, often laying the groundwork

00:14:31.309 --> 00:14:33.909
for his future political ideas. He was building

00:14:33.909 --> 00:14:36.149
his intellectual foundation even when his political

00:14:36.149 --> 00:14:39.850
career seemed, well, stalled. Theodore Roosevelt's

00:14:39.850 --> 00:14:41.809
path towards the White House, it was absolutely

00:14:41.809 --> 00:14:44.970
marked by this relentless drive for reform, often

00:14:44.970 --> 00:14:47.970
putting him directly against the entrenched political

00:14:47.970 --> 00:14:49.990
machines of the time. He wasn't afraid of a fight.

00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:53.320
Not at all. After supporting Benjamin Harrison's

00:14:53.320 --> 00:14:56.580
successful 1888 campaign, Roosevelt got appointed

00:14:56.580 --> 00:14:58.580
to the United States Civil Service Commission

00:14:58.580 --> 00:15:03.559
in 1889. He served there until 1895. Now, unlike

00:15:03.559 --> 00:15:06.379
a lot of guys before him who saw the job as a

00:15:06.379 --> 00:15:08.899
sinecure, basically, you know, a cushy job with

00:15:08.899 --> 00:15:10.899
little work. Right, just collect the paycheck.

00:15:11.379 --> 00:15:14.820
Roosevelt immediately fought the spoilsmen. demanded

00:15:14.820 --> 00:15:17.320
strict enforcement of civil service laws, replacing

00:15:17.320 --> 00:15:20.259
political favors with merit -based hiring. The

00:15:20.259 --> 00:15:23.620
Sun newspaper called him irrepressible, belligerent,

00:15:23.740 --> 00:15:27.419
and enthusiastic. He even famously clashed with

00:15:27.419 --> 00:15:30.019
the postmaster general, John Wanamaker, over

00:15:30.019 --> 00:15:32.399
appointments. But President Harrison backed him

00:15:32.399 --> 00:15:34.679
up. His commitment was so clear that even the

00:15:34.679 --> 00:15:36.940
Democratic president, Grover Cleveland, reappointed

00:15:36.940 --> 00:15:39.950
him later. That's a really crucial detail, actually,

00:15:40.429 --> 00:15:42.789
because it shows his unwavering commitment to

00:15:42.789 --> 00:15:45.350
merit over patronage. That became a defining

00:15:45.350 --> 00:15:47.429
characteristic for his whole career. Yeah. He

00:15:47.429 --> 00:15:50.009
was willing to cross party lines, even stand

00:15:50.009 --> 00:15:53.190
up to his own party for these principles. This

00:15:53.190 --> 00:15:56.070
early experience really cemented his reputation

00:15:56.070 --> 00:16:00.210
as this incorruptible reformer, someone who put

00:16:00.210 --> 00:16:02.610
good government above politics. It set a precedent

00:16:02.610 --> 00:16:05.149
for everything that came later. He was laying

00:16:05.149 --> 00:16:07.700
the groundwork for his square deal. way before

00:16:07.700 --> 00:16:10.779
he called it that. He absolutely was. His reformist

00:16:10.779 --> 00:16:14.220
energy then took him to New York City. In 1895,

00:16:14.759 --> 00:16:17.100
Mayor William Lafayette Strong appointed him

00:16:17.100 --> 00:16:19.139
president of the New York City Board of Police

00:16:19.139 --> 00:16:21.620
Commissioners. Okay, tackling the NYPD, that's

00:16:21.620 --> 00:16:24.779
a big job. Huge job. And he brought radical change,

00:16:25.159 --> 00:16:27.700
implemented regular firearms inspections, required

00:16:27.700 --> 00:16:30.519
physical exams for officers, pushed for merit

00:16:30.519 --> 00:16:32.600
-based recruitment, not political connections,

00:16:33.220 --> 00:16:35.639
established meritorious service medals, closed

00:16:35.639 --> 00:16:38.179
down corrupt police lodging houses, even had

00:16:38.179 --> 00:16:41.159
telephones installed in station houses, modernizing

00:16:41.159 --> 00:16:43.399
a system that desperately needed it. Wow, he

00:16:43.399 --> 00:16:45.840
really shook things up. He did. And during this

00:16:45.840 --> 00:16:49.259
time, in 1894, Roosevelt met Jacob Rees, who

00:16:49.259 --> 00:16:51.059
you could call one of the original muckraking

00:16:51.059 --> 00:16:53.740
journalists, a term Ironically, Roosevelt himself

00:16:53.740 --> 00:16:56.139
would later make famous. Right, the irony. Reese's

00:16:56.139 --> 00:16:59.220
powerful book, How the Other Half Lives, had

00:16:59.220 --> 00:17:01.539
exposed the terrible living conditions of New

00:17:01.539 --> 00:17:04.200
York's immigrants, especially in crime -ridden

00:17:04.200 --> 00:17:07.279
Mulberry Street. Reese famously said about Roosevelt,

00:17:07.599 --> 00:17:09.480
No one ever helped as he did. For two years,

00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:11.240
we were brothers in Mulberry Street. For the

00:17:11.240 --> 00:17:13.220
first time, a moral purpose came into the street.

00:17:13.380 --> 00:17:16.220
That's high praise. It is. And Roosevelt wasn't

00:17:16.220 --> 00:17:18.700
just sitting in an office, right? He was out

00:17:18.700 --> 00:17:21.380
on the streets, often walking officers' beats

00:17:21.380 --> 00:17:23.349
later. at night, early morning, making sure they

00:17:23.349 --> 00:17:26.049
were actually on duty, seeing the problems firsthand.

00:17:26.710 --> 00:17:30.490
This direct immersion in the city's underbelly

00:17:30.490 --> 00:17:33.029
profoundly shaped his understanding of urban

00:17:33.029 --> 00:17:35.809
poverty and the need for social reform. It's

00:17:35.809 --> 00:17:37.869
an incredible image, isn't it? A man like Roosevelt,

00:17:37.890 --> 00:17:39.990
from his background, walking police beats at

00:17:39.990 --> 00:17:42.150
night, engaging directly with the struggles of

00:17:42.150 --> 00:17:44.509
the poor. Yeah. It really highlights his fundamental

00:17:44.509 --> 00:17:46.829
belief in direct action and experiential learning.

00:17:47.130 --> 00:17:49.230
He did just read reports about problems. He wanted

00:17:49.230 --> 00:17:51.490
to live them, understand them the ground up.

00:17:51.809 --> 00:17:54.210
That hands -on approach to reform, it defined

00:17:54.210 --> 00:17:57.470
his leadership for years. It really cemented

00:17:57.470 --> 00:18:01.130
that man of action image. Roosevelt's national

00:18:01.130 --> 00:18:03.430
profile kept rising, which led to his appointment

00:18:03.430 --> 00:18:06.730
as Assistant Secretary of the Navy in 1897 by

00:18:06.730 --> 00:18:09.170
President McKinley. Okay, moving up to the federal

00:18:09.170 --> 00:18:12.049
level. Yep. With Secretary Long often in poor

00:18:12.049 --> 00:18:14.859
health, Roosevelt gained significant influence.

00:18:15.359 --> 00:18:17.700
Deeply influenced by naval theorist Alfred Thayer

00:18:17.700 --> 00:18:20.420
Mahan, he became this vocal advocate for a big

00:18:20.420 --> 00:18:22.740
naval buildup, especially battleships. And he

00:18:22.740 --> 00:18:24.779
was adamant that Spain had to get out of Cuba.

00:18:25.160 --> 00:18:27.099
Already pushing for a strong foreign policy.

00:18:27.240 --> 00:18:30.339
Very much so. His foreign policy views back then

00:18:30.339 --> 00:18:33.700
were quite provocative. He openly talked about

00:18:33.700 --> 00:18:36.380
his priorities, interfering for the Cubans on

00:18:36.380 --> 00:18:39.460
grounds of humanity and self -interest, freeing

00:18:39.460 --> 00:18:42.269
America from European dominance and critically,

00:18:42.490 --> 00:18:44.930
the benefit done our military forces by trying

00:18:44.930 --> 00:18:48.069
both the Navy and Army in actual practice. Wow,

00:18:48.210 --> 00:18:50.769
trying them in actual practice. He saw war as

00:18:50.769 --> 00:18:52.690
almost necessary training. It sounds like it,

00:18:52.730 --> 00:18:55.450
doesn't it? He saw a direct link between national

00:18:55.450 --> 00:18:58.250
strength and military experience, and this philosophy

00:18:58.250 --> 00:19:01.609
soon got put to the test. February 15, 1898,

00:19:01.950 --> 00:19:04.690
the USS Maine explodes in Havana Harbor. The

00:19:04.690 --> 00:19:07.509
flashpoint. Exactly. While McKinley was trying

00:19:07.509 --> 00:19:10.269
for a diplomatic solution, Roosevelt famously,

00:19:10.369 --> 00:19:12.769
and without approval from his boss or the president,

00:19:13.349 --> 00:19:15.970
unilaterally sent orders to several naval vessels

00:19:15.970 --> 00:19:18.809
to prepare for war. He just did it. Just did

00:19:18.809 --> 00:19:21.500
it. George Dewey, who Roosevelt had helped get

00:19:21.500 --> 00:19:24.160
appointed to lead the Asiatic squadron, later

00:19:24.160 --> 00:19:26.359
credited Roosevelt's unauthorized orders for

00:19:26.359 --> 00:19:29.880
his huge victory at Manila Bay. Eventually, McKinley

00:19:29.880 --> 00:19:32.740
declared war. The Spanish -American War began.

00:19:33.140 --> 00:19:35.519
So Roosevelt kind of forced the issue, in a way.

00:19:35.759 --> 00:19:38.089
You could argue that. With the war starting,

00:19:38.549 --> 00:19:40.589
Roosevelt promptly resigned from the Navy Department,

00:19:40.829 --> 00:19:43.210
much to the dismay of his wife and friends, to

00:19:43.210 --> 00:19:46.069
form the first U .S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment

00:19:46.069 --> 00:19:48.990
with Army Colonel Leonard Wood. The Rough Riders.

00:19:49.109 --> 00:19:51.109
The Rough Riders, yep, nicknamed that by the

00:19:51.109 --> 00:19:53.710
press. This incredibly diverse unit was flooded

00:19:53.710 --> 00:19:57.089
with applications. Ivy Leaguers, athletes, frontiersmen,

00:19:57.470 --> 00:20:00.190
Native Americans, you name it, all eager to join

00:20:00.190 --> 00:20:02.769
their charismatic leader. Quite the mix. They

00:20:02.769 --> 00:20:07.099
landed in Decary, Cuba, June 23, 1898. Roosevelt

00:20:07.099 --> 00:20:09.599
got his first taste of combat at the Battle of

00:20:09.599 --> 00:20:13.480
Las Cuasimas. But most famously, July 1st, the

00:20:13.480 --> 00:20:15.619
Rough Riders became legendary for their charges

00:20:15.619 --> 00:20:18.460
up Kettle Hill and San Juan Hill. The famous

00:20:18.460 --> 00:20:21.299
charge. The famous charge. Roosevelt, apparently

00:20:21.299 --> 00:20:23.779
the only soldier on horseback, rode back and

00:20:23.779 --> 00:20:25.819
forth right at the front. urging the advance,

00:20:25.940 --> 00:20:28.539
even without direct orders. He later called it

00:20:28.539 --> 00:20:31.700
the great day of my life. This military experience

00:20:31.700 --> 00:20:34.140
just catapulted him to national hero status.

00:20:34.220 --> 00:20:36.240
I mean, being the only soldier on horseback charging

00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:38.660
up that hill. How much do you think that specific

00:20:38.660 --> 00:20:41.759
moment solidified his image and just propelled

00:20:41.759 --> 00:20:44.339
him forward politically? Oh, hugely. Immensely.

00:20:44.460 --> 00:20:46.819
That San Juan Hill charge became the absolute

00:20:46.819 --> 00:20:49.400
cornerstone of his public image. It solidified

00:20:49.400 --> 00:20:52.220
this warrior persona in his own mind and definitely

00:20:52.220 --> 00:20:54.460
in the public's mind. He even preferred being

00:20:54.460 --> 00:20:56.740
called Colonel Roosevelt after he came back to

00:20:56.740 --> 00:20:59.079
civilian life. It ingrained this whole idea of

00:20:59.079 --> 00:21:01.859
decisive, direct action, physical courage, which

00:21:01.859 --> 00:21:03.559
served him incredibly well politically, didn't

00:21:03.559 --> 00:21:05.759
it? It became a defining characteristic people

00:21:05.759 --> 00:21:08.779
expected from him. So that heroic return meant

00:21:08.779 --> 00:21:11.279
he was practically unstoppable in New York politics,

00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:13.660
right? Pretty much. He was quickly approached

00:21:13.660 --> 00:21:16.180
by the Republican Party boss, Thomas C. Platt,

00:21:16.599 --> 00:21:19.160
about running for governor of New York in 1898.

00:21:19.759 --> 00:21:22.019
Now, Platt personally didn't like Roosevelt's

00:21:22.019 --> 00:21:25.099
ambitious reform agenda. I bet he didn't. But

00:21:25.099 --> 00:21:28.759
he knew he needed a strong candidate. And Roosevelt's

00:21:28.759 --> 00:21:31.619
war record made him unbeatable. He campaigned

00:21:31.619 --> 00:21:34.460
hard, won the governorship, though by a pretty

00:21:34.460 --> 00:21:37.960
narrow 1 % margin. Still a wins a win. As governor,

00:21:38.279 --> 00:21:40.299
Roosevelt really started to develop what would

00:21:40.299 --> 00:21:43.660
become his square deal principles. He dove into

00:21:43.660 --> 00:21:46.460
complex economic issues, tackling trusts, labor

00:21:46.460 --> 00:21:49.720
relations, conservation. His program, he said,

00:21:49.900 --> 00:21:51.740
rested firmly upon the concept of the square

00:21:51.740 --> 00:21:54.680
deal by a neutral state, emphasizing honesty,

00:21:55.039 --> 00:21:57.160
equitable sharing, putting state interests above

00:21:57.160 --> 00:21:59.759
party concerns. So the ideas were forming. They

00:21:59.759 --> 00:22:02.200
were. He pioneered political innovations, too.

00:22:02.680 --> 00:22:05.119
Held twice daily press conferences to connect

00:22:05.119 --> 00:22:07.980
directly with his middle class base. Successfully

00:22:07.980 --> 00:22:11.019
pushed the Ford franchise tax bill, which taxed

00:22:11.019 --> 00:22:13.380
public franchises held by corporations. Taking

00:22:13.380 --> 00:22:16.269
on corporate power early. Definitely. He often

00:22:16.269 --> 00:22:18.269
clashed with Platt, who expected to be consulted

00:22:18.269 --> 00:22:20.710
on big appointments. Roosevelt kind of played

00:22:20.710 --> 00:22:22.809
along, appeared to comply, but ultimately made

00:22:22.809 --> 00:22:25.529
his own decisions, often appointed really first

00:22:25.529 --> 00:22:27.789
straight people, even if Platt also approved

00:22:27.789 --> 00:22:30.730
them. His governorship was a real proving ground,

00:22:30.869 --> 00:22:32.789
wasn't it, for so many of the principles that

00:22:32.789 --> 00:22:35.150
would define his presidency? Absolutely. You

00:22:35.150 --> 00:22:37.809
know, public responsibility of big corporations,

00:22:38.569 --> 00:22:42.250
transparency for trusts, railroad rate regulation,

00:22:42.809 --> 00:22:45.359
mediating capital labor fights, conservation,

00:22:45.700 --> 00:22:48.880
protecting the poor. It really was. His governorship

00:22:48.880 --> 00:22:51.319
served as this vital testing ground for many

00:22:51.319 --> 00:22:53.359
of the progressive policies he'd later champion

00:22:53.359 --> 00:22:56.079
as president. It gave him a practical framework

00:22:56.079 --> 00:22:58.579
for his evolving approach to balancing powerful

00:22:58.579 --> 00:23:01.240
business interests with public welfare. You see

00:23:01.240 --> 00:23:03.400
it directly taking shape with those square deal

00:23:03.400 --> 00:23:06.200
ideas. That period was crucial for him to articulate

00:23:06.200 --> 00:23:08.720
and refine his vision. He basically ran a miniature

00:23:08.720 --> 00:23:10.950
progressive agenda in New York first. That's

00:23:10.950 --> 00:23:13.529
a perfect way to put it. Now, here's where his

00:23:13.529 --> 00:23:16.089
political path takes this incredibly unexpected

00:23:16.089 --> 00:23:20.670
turn. November 1899, Vice President Garrett Hobart

00:23:20.670 --> 00:23:24.509
dies, leaves an open spot on the 1900 Republican

00:23:24.509 --> 00:23:27.250
ticket. Ah, an opening. Thomas Platt and other

00:23:27.250 --> 00:23:30.250
party bosses who were frankly eager to get Roosevelt's

00:23:30.250 --> 00:23:32.049
reformist agenda out of New York. Right. Kick

00:23:32.049 --> 00:23:34.730
him upstairs. Exactly. They saw their chance.

00:23:34.849 --> 00:23:36.910
They pushed him into the vice presidency, which

00:23:36.910 --> 00:23:40.400
back then was seen as a pretty powerless position.

00:23:41.220 --> 00:23:43.119
Roosevelt initially said he would not accept

00:23:43.119 --> 00:23:45.440
the nomination, wanted to stay in New York, keep

00:23:45.440 --> 00:23:47.940
pushing reforms, but he got outmaneuvered at

00:23:47.940 --> 00:23:50.700
the 1900 Republican National Convention and,

00:23:50.700 --> 00:23:52.880
well, ultimately accepted. So they sidelined

00:23:52.880 --> 00:23:54.640
him or thought they did? They thought they did.

00:23:54.660 --> 00:23:56.880
He threw himself into the campaign for the McKinley

00:23:56.880 --> 00:23:59.480
Roosevelt ticket with his usual energy, made

00:23:59.480 --> 00:24:03.420
480 stops in 23 states, used his war heroism

00:24:03.420 --> 00:24:06.559
to contrast what he called William Jennings Bryan's

00:24:06.559 --> 00:24:09.450
radicalism. Play the hero card. Big time. But

00:24:09.450 --> 00:24:12.809
once in office, he found the VP job to be a powerless

00:24:12.809 --> 00:24:15.869
sinecure, uneventful and boring for a guy like

00:24:15.869 --> 00:24:18.609
him. It was during this time actually, September

00:24:18.609 --> 00:24:21.849
2, 1901, that he first publicly used that famous

00:24:21.849 --> 00:24:25.289
line, speak softly and carry a big stick and

00:24:25.289 --> 00:24:28.009
you will go far. Ah, the origin of the phrase.

00:24:28.250 --> 00:24:31.109
Well, Bored is VP. Exactly. And here's where

00:24:31.109 --> 00:24:34.250
fate just steps in dramatically. This office,

00:24:34.309 --> 00:24:36.910
which he found so dull, so constraining, suddenly

00:24:36.910 --> 00:24:38.769
put him right on the edge of the most powerful

00:24:38.769 --> 00:24:41.690
job in the world. Yeah. September 6th, 1901,

00:24:42.250 --> 00:24:45.109
President McKinley is shot by an anarchist. Roosevelt,

00:24:45.150 --> 00:24:47.569
who was vacationing in Vermont, rushes to Buffalo.

00:24:48.170 --> 00:24:50.410
McKinley initially seems to recover, so Roosevelt,

00:24:50.529 --> 00:24:52.690
maybe a bit too optimistically, relumes his vacation.

00:24:52.730 --> 00:24:55.490
Oh, dear. Yeah. But McKinley's condition will

00:24:55.490 --> 00:24:57.990
send dramatically. Roosevelt rushed back, learned

00:24:57.990 --> 00:25:00.769
McKinley had died on September 14. That same

00:25:00.769 --> 00:25:03.609
day at age 42, Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in

00:25:03.609 --> 00:25:06.829
as the 26th president, became and still is the

00:25:06.829 --> 00:25:09.069
youngest person ever to assume the office. Wow,

00:25:09.190 --> 00:25:11.710
just like that. Youngest president ever. Youngest

00:25:11.710 --> 00:25:15.119
ever. His ascension, well... It was met with

00:25:15.119 --> 00:25:18.160
mixed feelings. Conservative Republicans feared

00:25:18.160 --> 00:25:20.539
the impulsive young president would be a bucking

00:25:20.539 --> 00:25:23.900
bronco. Reformers hoped he'd refashion the Republican

00:25:23.900 --> 00:25:26.119
Party into the progressive force it had been

00:25:26.119 --> 00:25:29.319
under Abraham Lincoln. High stakes, high expectations.

00:25:29.779 --> 00:25:32.700
Totally. Roosevelt, for his part, made it clear.

00:25:33.140 --> 00:25:35.819
He aimed to push forward the reactionaries in

00:25:35.819 --> 00:25:38.829
Congress and appeal directly to the people. It

00:25:38.829 --> 00:25:41.250
was a truly pivotal moment in American history.

00:25:41.829 --> 00:25:43.650
So with the weight of the presidency suddenly

00:25:43.650 --> 00:25:46.029
on his shoulders, Theodore Roosevelt didn't waste

00:25:46.029 --> 00:25:47.890
any time putting his vision into action, did

00:25:47.890 --> 00:25:50.950
he? especially through his square -deal domestic

00:25:50.950 --> 00:25:53.910
policies. No time at all. One of his first really

00:25:53.910 --> 00:25:56.309
bold moves, shortly after taking office, was

00:25:56.309 --> 00:25:58.509
inviting Booker T. Washington to dinner at the

00:25:58.509 --> 00:26:01.269
White House. Which was huge back then. Groundbreaking.

00:26:01.470 --> 00:26:03.910
And it sparked this bitter reaction across the

00:26:03.910 --> 00:26:06.569
segregated South. Roosevelt had initially planned

00:26:06.569 --> 00:26:08.529
more dinners like that, but he later avoided

00:26:08.529 --> 00:26:10.750
them to keep crucial political support in the

00:26:10.750 --> 00:26:13.890
White South. A pragmatic choice, maybe, amidst

00:26:13.890 --> 00:26:16.750
that intense backlash. Tough calculation politically.

00:26:16.970 --> 00:26:19.549
Roosevelt quickly became known as the trust buster

00:26:19.549 --> 00:26:22.650
for his aggressive, really unprecedented use

00:26:22.650 --> 00:26:26.549
of the 1890 Sherman Antitrust Act. That was the

00:26:26.549 --> 00:26:28.890
law meant to curb monopolies that hurt trade

00:26:28.890 --> 00:26:31.470
and competition. A big shift from previous presidents.

00:26:31.829 --> 00:26:34.519
Huge shift. He had a nuanced view, though. He

00:26:34.519 --> 00:26:37.960
believed big business was essential, but he aggressively

00:26:37.960 --> 00:26:40.500
went after bad trusts, the ones that restrained

00:26:40.500 --> 00:26:43.440
trade, charged unfair prices, or generally acted

00:26:43.440 --> 00:26:45.960
against the public good. So not anti business

00:26:45.960 --> 00:26:49.799
per se, but anti bad business. Exactly. His administration

00:26:49.799 --> 00:26:53.180
brought 44 antitrust suits. Compare that to just

00:26:53.180 --> 00:26:55.819
18 combined by the three presidents before him.

00:26:56.180 --> 00:26:58.319
He successfully broke up the Northern Securities

00:26:58.319 --> 00:27:01.099
Company, that massive railroad monopoly, and

00:27:01.099 --> 00:27:03.619
regulated Standard Oil, the dominant oil company.

00:27:03.500 --> 00:27:05.980
taking on giants. To boost these efforts, even

00:27:05.980 --> 00:27:07.960
though Congress was skeptical about its antitrust

00:27:07.960 --> 00:27:10.039
powers, he created the Department of Commerce

00:27:10.039 --> 00:27:12.180
and Labor, which included the Bureau of Corporations.

00:27:12.579 --> 00:27:14.500
He skillfully appealed directly to the public

00:27:14.500 --> 00:27:17.119
to pressure Congress, got the bill passed, showed

00:27:17.119 --> 00:27:19.839
his mastery of public opinion. So, yeah, he wasn't

00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:22.279
just blindly attacking all corporations. Not

00:27:22.279 --> 00:27:24.319
at all. And that's the really crucial nuance,

00:27:24.460 --> 00:27:27.119
isn't it? He wasn't anti -business. He was anti

00:27:27.119 --> 00:27:30.019
-bad business. And that distinction, it allowed

00:27:30.019 --> 00:27:32.339
him to champion these aggressive progressive

00:27:32.339 --> 00:27:35.299
policies. which often challenged powerful corporate

00:27:35.299 --> 00:27:37.799
interests while still operating within the Republican

00:27:37.799 --> 00:27:40.420
Party, albeit with, you know, considerable internal

00:27:40.420 --> 00:27:43.259
fights. Right. He understood that a healthy economy

00:27:43.259 --> 00:27:46.119
needed big business, but it also needed oversight.

00:27:46.430 --> 00:27:49.390
to stop abuses of power that hurt the average

00:27:49.390 --> 00:27:52.109
person. It showed a really pragmatic side to

00:27:52.109 --> 00:27:54.430
his progressivism. That pragmatic streak, it

00:27:54.430 --> 00:27:58.309
also extended to labor relations. May 1902, there's

00:27:58.309 --> 00:28:01.170
this big anthracite coal strike, flattened a

00:28:01.170 --> 00:28:03.210
national energy shortage, could have crippled

00:28:03.210 --> 00:28:05.410
the country. Our major crisis. Roosevelt steps

00:28:05.410 --> 00:28:07.970
in, threatens the coal operators with federal

00:28:07.970 --> 00:28:10.509
troops if they refuse to negotiate. This was

00:28:10.509 --> 00:28:13.089
unprecedented presidential intervention. Wow,

00:28:13.289 --> 00:28:16.500
using the military threat. Yeah. It led to arbitration.

00:28:16.920 --> 00:28:19.220
Miners got more pay, fewer hours, though they

00:28:19.220 --> 00:28:21.400
didn't get union recognition. But this marked

00:28:21.400 --> 00:28:24.119
a historic moment. Roosevelt became the first

00:28:24.119 --> 00:28:26.339
president to successfully help settle a labor

00:28:26.339 --> 00:28:29.460
dispute. Famously declared, my action on labor

00:28:29.460 --> 00:28:31.420
should always be considered in connection with

00:28:31.420 --> 00:28:34.279
my action as regards capital, and both are reducible

00:28:34.279 --> 00:28:37.220
to my favorite formula, a square deal for every

00:28:37.220 --> 00:28:39.900
man. A square deal for every man. There it is.

00:28:40.319 --> 00:28:42.900
Beyond corporations and labor, Roosevelt swiftly

00:28:42.900 --> 00:28:45.000
tackled corruption within his own government,

00:28:45.519 --> 00:28:47.440
rooted out misconduct in the Indian service,

00:28:47.599 --> 00:28:49.940
the general land office, the post office department,

00:28:50.200 --> 00:28:52.900
cleaning house. prosecuted corrupt Indian agents

00:28:52.900 --> 00:28:55.599
who cheated tribes out of land, forced out officials

00:28:55.599 --> 00:28:58.380
involved in land fraud. His special prosecutor,

00:28:58.559 --> 00:29:01.400
about 146 indictments in the Oregon Land Office

00:29:01.400 --> 00:29:05.059
bribery ring, 44 postal employees prosecuted

00:29:05.059 --> 00:29:07.619
for bribery and fraud, underscored his commitment

00:29:07.619 --> 00:29:09.440
to clean government. He wasn't messing around.

00:29:09.799 --> 00:29:12.720
He also tackled railroad rates. Merchants had

00:29:12.720 --> 00:29:15.200
long complained they were way too high. Working

00:29:15.200 --> 00:29:18.279
with a Democrat, Senator Benjamin Tillman, Roosevelt

00:29:18.279 --> 00:29:22.640
pushed for the Hepburn Act in 1906. This significantly

00:29:22.640 --> 00:29:24.680
empowered the Interstate Commerce Commission,

00:29:24.900 --> 00:29:28.680
the ICC. Gave it teeth. Exactly. Gave the ICC

00:29:28.680 --> 00:29:31.779
power to set just and reasonable maximum rates,

00:29:32.380 --> 00:29:34.539
extended its regulatory power over pipelines,

00:29:34.900 --> 00:29:37.359
storage contracts, fundamentally changed how

00:29:37.359 --> 00:29:39.500
those industries were overseen. Big regulatory

00:29:39.500 --> 00:29:41.779
expansion. One of his most lasting achievements

00:29:41.779 --> 00:29:44.200
in consumer protection came directly from public

00:29:44.079 --> 00:29:47.200
look outrage, especially after Upton Sinclair's

00:29:47.200 --> 00:29:50.579
book, The Jungle. Ah, yes, The Jungle. Horrifying

00:29:50.579 --> 00:29:53.640
stuff. Detailed those unsanitary, dangerous practices

00:29:53.640 --> 00:29:56.819
in meatpacking, Roosevelt responded, pushed Congress

00:29:56.819 --> 00:30:00.619
to pass two landmark laws in 1906. The Meat Inspection

00:30:00.619 --> 00:30:03.599
Act banned misleading labels, harmful preservatives,

00:30:03.900 --> 00:30:06.019
and the Pure Food and Drug Act banned impure

00:30:06.019 --> 00:30:08.500
or falsely labeled food and drugs. Foundational

00:30:08.500 --> 00:30:10.559
consumer protection laws we still benefit from.

00:30:10.740 --> 00:30:12.240
Absolutely, and showing a broader commitment

00:30:12.240 --> 00:30:14.460
to public welfare, he also convened the first

00:30:14.460 --> 00:30:16.380
White House conference on the care of dependent

00:30:16.380 --> 00:30:19.440
children in 1909. So a wide range of domestic

00:30:19.440 --> 00:30:22.160
reforms. But of all his accomplishments, Roosevelt

00:30:22.160 --> 00:30:24.900
himself was proudest of his work in conserving

00:30:24.900 --> 00:30:27.339
natural resources and extending federal protection

00:30:27.339 --> 00:30:30.200
to land and wildlife. Yes, the conservation legacy

00:30:30.200 --> 00:30:33.700
is huge. He partnered closely with Interior Secretary

00:30:33.700 --> 00:30:36.500
James Rudolph Garfield and the chief of the Forest

00:30:36.500 --> 00:30:39.920
Service, Gifford Pinchot. enacted this sweeping

00:30:39.920 --> 00:30:42.559
series of conservation programs, often facing

00:30:42.559 --> 00:30:44.680
resistance from Western members of Congress.

00:30:44.920 --> 00:30:47.299
Who saw it as federal overreach, probably. Exactly.

00:30:47.799 --> 00:30:50.579
Under him, the U .S. Forest Service was established,

00:30:50.900 --> 00:30:54.180
five new national parks created. He signed the

00:30:54.180 --> 00:30:57.680
1906 Antiquities Act, used it to proclaim 18

00:30:57.680 --> 00:31:00.539
new U .S. national monuments, established the

00:31:00.539 --> 00:31:03.319
first 51 bird reserves, four game preserves,

00:31:03.779 --> 00:31:06.940
150 national forests, ultimately placed about

00:31:06.940 --> 00:31:10.430
230 million acres under public protection. It's

00:31:10.430 --> 00:31:12.650
a staggering amount, isn't it? It really is staggering.

00:31:12.750 --> 00:31:15.250
And it highlights his extensive, often aggressive

00:31:15.250 --> 00:31:17.430
use of executive orders, doesn't it? Yeah. He

00:31:17.430 --> 00:31:19.869
reserves 150 million acres of forestry land during

00:31:19.869 --> 00:31:22.769
his presidency and was completely unapologetic

00:31:22.769 --> 00:31:24.730
about it despite all that congressional resistance.

00:31:24.890 --> 00:31:27.029
There's that memorable story, right? When Senator

00:31:27.029 --> 00:31:29.029
Fulton tried to stop him from reserving more

00:31:29.029 --> 00:31:31.470
land with an amendment, Roosevelt established

00:31:31.470 --> 00:31:33.869
an additional 21 forest reserves at the very

00:31:33.869 --> 00:31:36.980
last minute, just before signing the bill. What

00:31:36.980 --> 00:31:39.200
does that tell us about his views on presidential

00:31:39.200 --> 00:31:43.319
power and his just unyielding dedication to conservation?

00:31:43.799 --> 00:31:46.559
It tells us he saw it as a moral duty, absolutely,

00:31:46.599 --> 00:31:49.759
and he was willing to use every single tool he

00:31:49.759 --> 00:31:52.359
had, even outmaneuvering Congress, to get his

00:31:52.359 --> 00:31:55.160
conservation goals met. Now, beyond domestic

00:31:55.160 --> 00:31:57.759
reforms, Roosevelt's presidency really marked

00:31:57.759 --> 00:32:00.299
America's emergence as a major player on the

00:32:00.299 --> 00:32:02.640
world stage. Right, shifting to foreign policy.

00:32:02.730 --> 00:32:05.049
After the Spanish -American war successes, getting

00:32:05.049 --> 00:32:07.230
a new empire, having the world's largest economy,

00:32:08.109 --> 00:32:10.089
Roosevelt actively sought global recognition

00:32:10.089 --> 00:32:12.269
and influence for the U .S. Stepping onto the

00:32:12.269 --> 00:32:14.369
world stage. He cultivated friendly relations

00:32:14.369 --> 00:32:16.690
with Japan, even though he secretly favored them

00:32:16.690 --> 00:32:19.990
in the Russo -Japanese War. He successfully mediated

00:32:19.990 --> 00:32:22.289
the end of that war at Portsmouth, New Hampshire,

00:32:22.589 --> 00:32:25.549
a huge effort that earned him the 1906 Nobel

00:32:25.549 --> 00:32:28.250
Peace Prize, the first American to win any Nobel

00:32:28.250 --> 00:32:31.309
Prize. Nobel Peace Prize winner. Quite something

00:32:31.309 --> 00:32:34.630
for the big stick. It is. Amidst growing anti

00:32:34.630 --> 00:32:37.529
-Japanese hostility in California, he negotiated

00:32:37.529 --> 00:32:41.230
the Gentleman's Agreement in 1907 and did explicit

00:32:41.230 --> 00:32:43.970
discrimination there in exchange for Japan agreeing

00:32:43.970 --> 00:32:46.730
to limit unskilled immigration. A diplomatic

00:32:46.730 --> 00:32:49.500
solution to a domestic problem. And he projected

00:32:49.500 --> 00:32:51.779
American naval power by sending the Great White

00:32:51.779 --> 00:32:55.819
Fleet on a world tour in 1908. Despite its intimidating

00:32:55.819 --> 00:32:58.940
presence, the fleet got a joyous welcome in Japan,

00:32:59.420 --> 00:33:01.579
helped facilitate the Route Takahira agreement,

00:33:01.779 --> 00:33:04.839
reaffirming the status quo in Korea and the Philippines.

00:33:05.059 --> 00:33:08.180
So projecting power, but also diplomacy. His

00:33:08.180 --> 00:33:11.130
global vision also reached China. After the Boxer

00:33:11.130 --> 00:33:13.950
Rebellion, foreign powers imposed these indemnities.

00:33:14.529 --> 00:33:17.349
In 1908, Roosevelt used these funds for Boxer

00:33:17.349 --> 00:33:19.970
indemnity scholarships, funding tens of thousands

00:33:19.970 --> 00:33:21.990
of Chinese students to study in the U .S. over

00:33:21.990 --> 00:33:25.089
the next 40 years, fostering goodwill, cultural

00:33:25.089 --> 00:33:27.269
exchange. That's a really interesting long -term

00:33:27.269 --> 00:33:29.549
investment in relations. In Europe, Roosevelt

00:33:29.549 --> 00:33:32.690
acted as a key diplomat, a friend, mediated the

00:33:32.690 --> 00:33:35.329
first Moroccan crisis, successfully evoted a

00:33:35.329 --> 00:33:37.349
potential war between France and Germany, playing

00:33:37.349 --> 00:33:39.849
peacemaker again. significantly strengthen ties

00:33:39.849 --> 00:33:42.849
with Great Britain, the great rapprochement period,

00:33:43.410 --> 00:33:45.269
helped by British support during the Spanish

00:33:45.269 --> 00:33:47.569
-American War and their withdrawal from the Caribbean,

00:33:48.289 --> 00:33:51.009
the 1901 Hay Ponce vote treaty, which got rid

00:33:51.009 --> 00:33:54.089
of previous canal limitations, and the favorable

00:33:54.089 --> 00:33:56.890
settlement of the Alaska boundary dispute, which

00:33:56.890 --> 00:33:59.769
Roosevelt called the last serious trouble between

00:33:59.769 --> 00:34:02.069
them, further cemented this alliance. Building

00:34:02.069 --> 00:34:05.410
key alliances. However, Roosevelt's most ambitious

00:34:05.410 --> 00:34:08.389
overseas project and where he really America's

00:34:08.389 --> 00:34:11.730
ambitions was Latin America, especially for the

00:34:11.730 --> 00:34:13.789
defense and construction of the Panama Canal.

00:34:13.989 --> 00:34:18.190
Ah, the canal. big project. Huge. He dramatically

00:34:18.190 --> 00:34:20.610
increased the Navy's size. By the end of his

00:34:20.610 --> 00:34:22.570
second term, the U .S. had more battleships than

00:34:22.570 --> 00:34:24.750
any country except Britain. Building that big

00:34:24.750 --> 00:34:27.869
stick. In 1902, the Venezuelan crisis, Germany,

00:34:28.090 --> 00:34:30.969
Britain, Italy, blockaded Venezuelan ports over

00:34:30.969 --> 00:34:34.110
unpaid loans. Roosevelt deftly defused it, got

00:34:34.110 --> 00:34:36.650
them to agree to arbitration. He was particularly

00:34:36.650 --> 00:34:38.610
worried about German motives. Keeping Europe

00:34:38.610 --> 00:34:41.190
out of the hemisphere. Exactly. This concern

00:34:41.190 --> 00:34:44.269
ultimately led him to issue the Roosevelt Corollary

00:34:44.269 --> 00:34:48.000
to the Roe Doctrine in 1904. This basically stated

00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:50.420
that chronic wrongdoing by Latin American nations

00:34:50.420 --> 00:34:53.400
might require intervention by some civilized

00:34:53.400 --> 00:34:56.619
nation, and the U .S. would exercise an international

00:34:56.619 --> 00:34:59.420
police power in the Western Hemisphere to prevent

00:34:59.420 --> 00:35:04.760
European interference. A controversial doctrine.

00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:07.360
Very controversial. The Panama Canal was his

00:35:07.360 --> 00:35:09.940
crowning achievement in the region, though. Roosevelt

00:35:09.940 --> 00:35:12.000
persuaded Congress to approve the Panamanian

00:35:12.000 --> 00:35:14.840
route. When Colombia rejected the treaty, Roosevelt

00:35:14.840 --> 00:35:17.099
supported a Panamanian rebellion. It succeeded

00:35:17.099 --> 00:35:19.159
quickly, letting him sign a treaty with the new

00:35:19.159 --> 00:35:22.219
Panama government in 1903. Supporting rebellion.

00:35:22.559 --> 00:35:25.360
Also controversial. Highly criticized. Especially

00:35:25.360 --> 00:35:27.719
for the $40 million payment to the Panama Canal

00:35:27.719 --> 00:35:30.679
Company, allegations of undue influence in choosing

00:35:30.679 --> 00:35:33.659
the route. Roosevelt vehemently denied corruption,

00:35:33.960 --> 00:35:35.940
even filed libel charges against newspapers,

00:35:36.360 --> 00:35:38.199
the Roosevelt Panama libel cases, though they

00:35:38.199 --> 00:35:41.639
were dismissed. In 1906, he again showed his

00:35:41.639 --> 00:35:43.820
interventionist stance, sending Secretary of

00:35:43.820 --> 00:35:46.239
War Taft to monitor an insurrection in Cuba,

00:35:46.639 --> 00:35:49.039
believing he could deploy Marines without Congress's

00:35:49.039 --> 00:35:52.329
okay. This was a very active, very decisive approach

00:35:52.329 --> 00:35:55.289
to foreign policy, wasn't it? Absolutely. Roosevelt's

00:35:55.289 --> 00:35:58.730
foreign policy was deeply rooted in this realist,

00:35:58.949 --> 00:36:01.489
even social Darwinist perspective. He really

00:36:01.489 --> 00:36:03.949
viewed the international world as a realm of

00:36:03.949 --> 00:36:06.650
violence and conflict. He genuinely saw the U

00:36:06.650 --> 00:36:09.309
.S. as having a duty to act decisively as the

00:36:09.309 --> 00:36:11.829
policeman of the region to prevent European incursions.

00:36:12.380 --> 00:36:15.079
That idea was rooted in his belief in national

00:36:15.079 --> 00:36:18.099
strength, strategic necessity. For him, power

00:36:18.099 --> 00:36:20.679
imbalances required decisive action, and he wasn't

00:36:20.679 --> 00:36:22.619
afraid to wield that big stick. He certainly

00:36:22.619 --> 00:36:25.059
wasn't. Roosevelt was also a master of media.

00:36:25.309 --> 00:36:27.550
truly transformed the White House into a center

00:36:27.550 --> 00:36:30.309
of news, gave reporters unprecedented access

00:36:30.309 --> 00:36:33.070
interviews, photo ops. The first modern media

00:36:33.070 --> 00:36:35.690
president in a way. You could say that. Famously

00:36:35.690 --> 00:36:37.769
noticed reporters huddled outside in the rain

00:36:37.769 --> 00:36:40.949
one day and brilliant move gave them their own

00:36:40.949 --> 00:36:43.849
room inside, effectively inventing the presidential

00:36:43.849 --> 00:36:47.210
press briefing. Smart move. This grateful press,

00:36:47.309 --> 00:36:50.070
with their better access, rewarded him with tons

00:36:50.070 --> 00:36:53.190
of coverage. While he generally had close relationships

00:36:53.190 --> 00:36:55.840
with the press, he did coined the term muckraker

00:36:55.840 --> 00:36:59.380
in 1906 for those expose journalists, though

00:36:59.380 --> 00:37:02.340
he himself was rarely their direct target. Interesting

00:37:02.340 --> 00:37:04.940
dynamic with the press. As the 1904 election

00:37:04.940 --> 00:37:07.260
neared, Roosevelt faced little real opposition

00:37:07.260 --> 00:37:09.760
for the Republican nomination, secured it easily

00:37:09.760 --> 00:37:13.219
with Charles Warren Fairbanks as his VP. Now,

00:37:13.320 --> 00:37:15.619
incumbents traditionally didn't campaign actively.

00:37:15.800 --> 00:37:18.199
Right, seen as unseemly. But Roosevelt broke

00:37:18.199 --> 00:37:21.230
with tradition. meticulously controlled the campaign's

00:37:21.230 --> 00:37:23.869
message, despite accusations of corporate campaign

00:37:23.869 --> 00:37:25.809
contributions, especially from Standard Oil,

00:37:25.849 --> 00:37:28.510
which he denied, though he did order some returns.

00:37:36.900 --> 00:37:40.039
Huge. However, before his inauguration, he declared

00:37:40.039 --> 00:37:42.619
he would not serve another term, a pledge that

00:37:42.619 --> 00:37:44.980
would significantly impact his power as a lame

00:37:44.980 --> 00:37:48.579
duck president later on. Ah, the lame duck pledge.

00:37:48.599 --> 00:37:51.380
That would come back to bite him. It did. As

00:37:51.380 --> 00:37:54.099
his second term went on, that pledge meant his

00:37:54.099 --> 00:37:56.280
influence in Congress naturally started to wane,

00:37:56.539 --> 00:37:58.659
especially as he moved to the left of his Republican

00:37:58.659 --> 00:38:01.659
Party base. Pushing for more reforms. Yeah. He

00:38:01.659 --> 00:38:03.539
started calling for a whole series of reforms

00:38:03.539 --> 00:38:06.570
that Congress often just failed to pass. national

00:38:06.570 --> 00:38:09.570
incorporation law, a federal income tax despite

00:38:09.570 --> 00:38:12.510
previous Supreme Court rulings against it, an

00:38:12.510 --> 00:38:14.989
inheritance tax, limits on court injunctions

00:38:14.989 --> 00:38:18.010
against unions, an employee liability law for

00:38:18.010 --> 00:38:20.570
industrial injuries, an eight -hour workday for

00:38:20.570 --> 00:38:24.130
federal employees, a postal savings system, campaign

00:38:24.130 --> 00:38:26.670
finance reform. Wow. A very progressive agenda

00:38:26.670 --> 00:38:28.750
for the time, and Congress wasn't buying it.

00:38:28.869 --> 00:38:31.530
Not much of it. His rhetoric during this period

00:38:31.530 --> 00:38:34.550
got really intense, very moralistic, like his

00:38:34.550 --> 00:38:38.000
denunciation of predatory wealth in a 1908 message

00:38:38.000 --> 00:38:40.440
to Congress. What did he mean by that? He defined

00:38:40.440 --> 00:38:43.739
it as the wealth accumulated on a giant scale

00:38:43.739 --> 00:38:46.840
by all forms of iniquity. Accused some wealthy

00:38:46.840 --> 00:38:49.039
men of banding together to discredit government

00:38:49.039 --> 00:38:51.820
policy, maintain freedom from all restraint.

00:38:52.179 --> 00:38:54.539
He believed their actions taught young men that

00:38:54.539 --> 00:38:57.260
success could be built on dishonesty, equated

00:38:57.260 --> 00:38:59.980
their methods with every form of criminality

00:38:59.980 --> 00:39:02.659
on the part of a labor union and every form of

00:39:02.659 --> 00:39:05.639
violence, corruption and fraud. powerful stuff,

00:39:05.659 --> 00:39:07.679
especially for a Republican president back then.

00:39:08.019 --> 00:39:10.179
It really was powerful stuff. And what's fascinating

00:39:10.179 --> 00:39:13.920
here is that tension, isn't it, between his powerful,

00:39:14.079 --> 00:39:16.519
almost moralistic rhetoric and the political

00:39:16.519 --> 00:39:19.059
realities of being a lame duck president. Yeah.

00:39:19.219 --> 00:39:21.300
While his influence might have weakened in Congress,

00:39:21.719 --> 00:39:24.380
this period was crucial for solidifying his progressive

00:39:24.380 --> 00:39:26.860
ideals. It allowed him to articulate this more

00:39:26.860 --> 00:39:29.260
radical vision for government intervention. It

00:39:29.260 --> 00:39:31.760
really set the stage for future ideological battles

00:39:31.760 --> 00:39:34.179
within the Republican Party, showing his evolved

00:39:34.119 --> 00:39:37.000
commitment to social justice even when the political

00:39:37.000 --> 00:39:39.460
winds were against him. He wasn't just reacting,

00:39:39.579 --> 00:39:42.840
he was setting a future agenda. So as his second

00:39:42.840 --> 00:39:45.760
term drew to a close, Theodore Roosevelt decided

00:39:45.760 --> 00:39:49.260
to honor that pledge not to run again. He genuinely

00:39:49.260 --> 00:39:51.940
believed limited terms were vital to prevent

00:39:51.940 --> 00:39:55.099
dictatorship. A principled stand, given his popularity.

00:39:55.239 --> 00:39:58.500
It was. He carefully chose Secretary of War William

00:39:58.500 --> 00:40:01.960
Howard Taft as his successor. Taft had consistently

00:40:01.960 --> 00:40:04.360
supported his policies, been a close friend since

00:40:04.360 --> 00:40:07.760
1890. Roosevelt was so determined to install

00:40:07.760 --> 00:40:10.179
his chosen successor, he famously wrote to Taft,

00:40:10.780 --> 00:40:12.840
Dear Will, do you want any action about those

00:40:12.840 --> 00:40:14.780
federal officials? I will break their necks with

00:40:14.780 --> 00:40:16.480
the utmost cheerfulness if you say the word.

00:40:16.519 --> 00:40:19.420
Wow. Break their necks. That's some strong support.

00:40:19.639 --> 00:40:22.039
Intense support. It ensured Taft's nomination

00:40:22.039 --> 00:40:25.500
and his win in the 1908 election. However, Taft's

00:40:25.500 --> 00:40:27.380
presidency quickly turned out differently than

00:40:27.380 --> 00:40:29.699
Roosevelt had envisioned. How so? Taft, who was

00:40:29.699 --> 00:40:32.199
a constitutional lawyer at heart, preferred promoting

00:40:32.199 --> 00:40:34.380
progressivism through the rule of law, through

00:40:34.380 --> 00:40:37.659
judges. A real contrast to Roosevelt's more political,

00:40:37.659 --> 00:40:40.360
direct action approach. Taft's handling of the

00:40:40.360 --> 00:40:43.219
Payne Aldrich Tariff in 1909 and his conservation

00:40:43.219 --> 00:40:45.960
policies alienated a lot of progressives, including

00:40:45.960 --> 00:40:49.090
Roosevelt himself. Ah, the tariff and conservation

00:40:49.090 --> 00:40:52.590
again. Key issues for TR. Exactly. Roosevelt

00:40:52.590 --> 00:40:55.090
felt Taft was concentrating power with conservative

00:40:55.090 --> 00:40:57.809
party leaders. This growing frustration marked

00:40:57.809 --> 00:41:00.570
the beginning of a really significant ideological

00:41:00.570 --> 00:41:02.710
split between the two former friends. The beginning

00:41:02.710 --> 00:41:04.889
of the end for their friendship. After leaving

00:41:04.889 --> 00:41:07.630
office, Roosevelt didn't exactly retire quietly.

00:41:07.989 --> 00:41:10.630
He embarked on these incredibly ambitious adventures.

00:41:11.179 --> 00:41:14.460
March 1909, he leads the Smithsonian Roosevelt

00:41:14.460 --> 00:41:17.800
African expedition. The famous safari. Yep. A

00:41:17.800 --> 00:41:20.739
well -financed, year -long safari through East

00:41:20.739 --> 00:41:24.000
Africa, the Belgian Congo, collecting an extraordinary

00:41:24.000 --> 00:41:26.340
number of specimens for the Smithsonian and the

00:41:26.340 --> 00:41:29.139
American Museum of Natural History. The team

00:41:29.139 --> 00:41:32.800
killed or trapped something like 11 ,400 animals,

00:41:33.000 --> 00:41:36.739
including 512 big game animals. That number sounds

00:41:36.739 --> 00:41:39.380
shocking today. It does. Roosevelt defended it,

00:41:39.440 --> 00:41:41.599
arguing it was purely for scientific collection,

00:41:41.820 --> 00:41:43.980
comparing it to how natural history museums acquire

00:41:43.980 --> 00:41:46.719
specimens. He meticulously documented the whole

00:41:46.719 --> 00:41:49.400
trip in his book, African Game Trails. Still

00:41:49.400 --> 00:41:51.820
the naturalist, even while hunting on that scale.

00:41:52.199 --> 00:41:54.559
Following the safari, Roosevelt traveled to Europe

00:41:54.559 --> 00:41:58.440
in 1910. embarked on this big diplomatic tour,

00:41:59.139 --> 00:42:02.059
met with various European leaders, Kaiser Wilhelm

00:42:02.059 --> 00:42:05.019
II, King George V. Rumming shoulders with royalty.

00:42:05.360 --> 00:42:08.099
In Oslo, he delivered a speech calling for limits

00:42:08.099 --> 00:42:10.920
on naval armaments, strengthening the permanent

00:42:10.920 --> 00:42:13.920
court of arbitration, and, interestingly, advocating

00:42:13.920 --> 00:42:16.960
for the creation of a League of Peace among world

00:42:16.960 --> 00:42:20.239
powers. A League of Peace? That sounds very familiar.

00:42:20.559 --> 00:42:23.079
like Wilson's idea later. It does sound similar.

00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:25.539
At Oxford, he gave the Romanas lecture, where

00:42:25.539 --> 00:42:27.360
he denounced people trying to draw parallels

00:42:27.360 --> 00:42:29.820
between animal evolution and societal development,

00:42:30.380 --> 00:42:32.340
showed his commitment to scientific accuracy,

00:42:32.539 --> 00:42:35.159
his evolving social views, but that League of

00:42:35.159 --> 00:42:38.039
Peace idea. It sounds like Wilson, but... There's

00:42:38.039 --> 00:42:39.900
a key difference, isn't there? There's a huge

00:42:39.900 --> 00:42:41.159
difference, and that's where it gets really,

00:42:41.159 --> 00:42:43.400
really interesting. Roosevelt's League of Peace

00:42:43.400 --> 00:42:46.420
proposal, years before Wilson's League of Nations,

00:42:46.840 --> 00:42:48.880
it wasn't just about moral pressure or international

00:42:48.880 --> 00:42:52.000
law. His vision explicitly included the idea

00:42:52.000 --> 00:42:54.880
of great powers using force, if necessary, to

00:42:54.880 --> 00:42:58.400
maintain peace. This was a significant departure

00:42:58.400 --> 00:43:01.500
from the more legalistic, idealistic approach

00:43:01.500 --> 00:43:04.719
Wilson would later champion. It reflects Roosevelt's

00:43:04.719 --> 00:43:07.219
deeply ingrained, realist foreign policy views.

00:43:08.000 --> 00:43:10.119
He believed in peace through strength, not just

00:43:10.119 --> 00:43:12.079
through agreements on paper. That distinction

00:43:12.079 --> 00:43:15.199
is so important. Back home, Roosevelt's frustrations

00:43:15.199 --> 00:43:18.840
with Taft's presidency just kept mounting. Taft's

00:43:18.840 --> 00:43:21.719
policies on conservation, the tariff, his perceived

00:43:21.719 --> 00:43:25.340
lack of consultation. It all increasingly alienated

00:43:25.340 --> 00:43:27.659
Roosevelt. He eventually came to believe Taft

00:43:27.659 --> 00:43:31.039
was simply unfit for leadership. Ouch. Strong

00:43:31.039 --> 00:43:33.340
words for a former protégé. The ideological gap

00:43:33.340 --> 00:43:35.440
between them got even wider over the role of

00:43:35.440 --> 00:43:37.920
the judiciary. Roosevelt severely criticized

00:43:37.920 --> 00:43:40.139
the nation's courts, attacked the Supreme Court's

00:43:40.139 --> 00:43:42.679
1905 Lochner v. New York decision that struck

00:43:42.679 --> 00:43:44.980
down a state law limiting Baker's working hours,

00:43:45.360 --> 00:43:47.519
arguing it interfered with freedom of contract.

00:43:47.739 --> 00:43:49.719
Right, controversial decision. Roosevelt accused

00:43:49.719 --> 00:43:52.860
federal courts of undermining democracy. called

00:43:52.860 --> 00:43:55.739
for judicial recall, this radical idea that would

00:43:55.739 --> 00:43:58.619
let popular majorities reverse unpopular judicial

00:43:58.619 --> 00:44:01.980
decisions. This horrified Taft. I can imagine.

00:44:02.300 --> 00:44:05.739
Taft was a judge himself. Exactly. Taft, despite

00:44:05.739 --> 00:44:07.960
privately disagreeing with some court rulings,

00:44:08.079 --> 00:44:10.719
was an adamant believer in judicial authority

00:44:10.719 --> 00:44:13.000
being essential to constitutional government.

00:44:13.239 --> 00:44:15.780
two fundamentally different views on the courts.

00:44:16.260 --> 00:44:18.800
Roosevelt's growing disillusionment finally boiled

00:44:18.800 --> 00:44:22.260
over in his August 1910 New Nationalism speech

00:44:22.260 --> 00:44:25.400
in Osawatomie, Kansas. This was arguably the

00:44:25.400 --> 00:44:28.599
most radical speech of his entire career, marked

00:44:28.599 --> 00:44:30.920
his public break with Taft and the conservative

00:44:30.920 --> 00:44:33.480
Republicans. What do you say? He advocated for

00:44:33.480 --> 00:44:36.280
the priority of labor over capital, strong government

00:44:36.280 --> 00:44:39.460
control of corporations, a ban on corporate political

00:44:39.460 --> 00:44:42.500
contributions, emphasized aggressive government

00:44:42.639 --> 00:44:45.900
to protect the people from, as he saw it, selfish

00:44:45.900 --> 00:44:48.420
interests. Wow, that is radical for the time,

00:44:48.579 --> 00:44:50.380
especially for a republic. The disagreement even

00:44:50.380 --> 00:44:53.920
extended to international relations. Taft believed

00:44:53.920 --> 00:44:56.760
in arbitration as the path to peace, pursued

00:44:56.760 --> 00:44:59.219
treaties with Britain and France to submit disputes

00:44:59.219 --> 00:45:02.099
to the Hague court. Okay, trying diplomacy. But

00:45:02.099 --> 00:45:04.300
Roosevelt, working with his close friend, Senator

00:45:04.300 --> 00:45:07.719
Henry Cabot Lodge, actively sabotaged those treaties

00:45:07.719 --> 00:45:10.500
with amendments. Roosevelt thought arbitration

00:45:10.500 --> 00:45:14.280
was foolhardy idealism, a naive solution for

00:45:14.280 --> 00:45:16.980
serious international conflicts. He preferred

00:45:16.980 --> 00:45:20.639
a realism of war as the ultimate decider of big

00:45:20.639 --> 00:45:23.539
issues. So the party was really being torn apart

00:45:23.539 --> 00:45:25.659
from the inside, wasn't it? Absolutely. This

00:45:25.659 --> 00:45:28.380
highlights a truly significant ideological schism

00:45:28.380 --> 00:45:30.539
within the Republican Party and between these

00:45:30.539 --> 00:45:33.530
two men who were once so close. Roosevelt's new

00:45:33.530 --> 00:45:36.130
nationalism was indeed seen as radical back then,

00:45:36.250 --> 00:45:38.570
emphasizing aggressive government action to protect

00:45:38.570 --> 00:45:41.150
people from what he called selfish interests.

00:45:41.550 --> 00:45:44.349
This deep divide wasn't just personal, it foreshadowed

00:45:44.349 --> 00:45:46.429
a major political earthquake that was about to

00:45:46.429 --> 00:45:49.590
hit in the next election. And the stage was definitely

00:45:49.590 --> 00:45:52.429
set for some unprecedented political drama in

00:45:52.429 --> 00:45:56.469
1912. November 1911, Ohio Republicans endorse

00:45:56.469 --> 00:45:59.190
Roosevelt for the presidential nomination. January

00:45:59.190 --> 00:46:02.289
1912, he famously declares, if the people make

00:46:02.289 --> 00:46:04.969
a draft on me, I shall not decline to serve.

00:46:05.150 --> 00:46:07.809
Throwing his hat back in the ring. The 1912 elections

00:46:07.809 --> 00:46:10.809
saw the first real widespread use of presidential

00:46:10.809 --> 00:46:13.989
primaries. Roosevelt did really well, won many

00:46:13.989 --> 00:46:17.150
states, but Taft, using the support of the party

00:46:17.150 --> 00:46:19.769
regulars, the establishment, secured the Republican

00:46:19.769 --> 00:46:21.969
nomination at the convention. The party machine

00:46:21.969 --> 00:46:24.280
strikes back. Roosevelt felt the nomination had

00:46:24.280 --> 00:46:26.920
been stolen from him. He famously declared to

00:46:26.920 --> 00:46:29.420
his cheering supporters, we stand at Armageddon

00:46:29.420 --> 00:46:31.840
and we battle for the Lord. Romantic language.

00:46:31.940 --> 00:46:33.760
True to his word, he stormed out of the Republican

00:46:33.760 --> 00:46:36.380
Party, founded the Progressive Party, quickly

00:46:36.380 --> 00:46:38.920
nicknamed the Bull Moose Party. The Bull Moose

00:46:38.920 --> 00:46:41.820
Party is born. It attracted a diverse group of

00:46:41.820 --> 00:46:44.320
reformers. Prominent figures like social reformer

00:46:44.320 --> 00:46:46.920
Jane Addams campaigned for him. Gifford Pinchot

00:46:46.920 --> 00:46:49.739
represented the environmentalists. Their platform

00:46:49.739 --> 00:46:53.179
echoed his new nationalism, vigorous government

00:46:53.179 --> 00:46:56.139
intervention to destroy this invisible government,

00:46:56.400 --> 00:46:59.260
an unholy alliance between corrupt business and

00:46:59.260 --> 00:47:02.320
corrupt politics. A clear anti -establishment

00:47:02.320 --> 00:47:04.400
message. It is important to note, though, that

00:47:04.400 --> 00:47:07.559
in the South, Roosevelt ran a Lily White campaign,

00:47:08.019 --> 00:47:10.599
chose to seat all white delegates despite rival

00:47:10.599 --> 00:47:13.139
black delegations being present, reflects the

00:47:13.139 --> 00:47:15.599
pervasive racial politics of that era. Yeah,

00:47:16.019 --> 00:47:18.119
a difficult aspect of his legacy there. Then,

00:47:18.360 --> 00:47:21.539
October 14, 1912, while arriving for a campaign

00:47:21.539 --> 00:47:24.039
event in Milwaukee, the unthinkable happens.

00:47:24.440 --> 00:47:26.860
Roosevelt is shot by a delusional saloon keeper

00:47:26.860 --> 00:47:30.340
named John Shrink. Shot. While campaigning. Shot.

00:47:30.659 --> 00:47:33.000
The bullet lodged in his chest after going through

00:47:33.000 --> 00:47:35.659
his eyeglass case, and a thick, 50 -page folded

00:47:35.659 --> 00:47:37.599
copy of his speech he had in his pocket. The

00:47:37.599 --> 00:47:39.730
speech might have saved his life. It very likely

00:47:39.730 --> 00:47:41.949
did. Now, here's the part that just perfectly

00:47:41.949 --> 00:47:44.989
showcases the strenuous life personified. As

00:47:44.989 --> 00:47:47.389
an experienced hunter and anatomist, Roosevelt

00:47:47.389 --> 00:47:49.550
correctly figured out that since he wasn't coughing

00:47:49.550 --> 00:47:53.110
blood, the bullet hadn't hit his lung. He then

00:47:53.110 --> 00:47:56.869
incredibly refused immediate hospital care and

00:47:56.869 --> 00:47:59.269
proceeded to deliver a 90 -minute speech with

00:47:59.269 --> 00:48:02.369
blood visibly seeping into his shirt, simply

00:48:02.369 --> 00:48:05.449
told the shocked audience, I'm fit as a bull

00:48:05.449 --> 00:48:07.889
moose. He gave this speech after being shot.

00:48:08.219 --> 00:48:12.119
For 90 minutes for 90 minutes this audacious

00:48:12.119 --> 00:48:14.940
act not only gave the progressive party its lasting

00:48:14.940 --> 00:48:18.260
nickname But just cemented his legend doctors

00:48:18.260 --> 00:48:20.079
later decided it was safer to leave the bullet

00:48:20.079 --> 00:48:22.150
in he carried it for the rest of his life. Can

00:48:22.150 --> 00:48:24.670
you even imagine the sheer willpower to do something

00:48:24.670 --> 00:48:26.610
like that? It's almost beyond belief, isn't it?

00:48:26.610 --> 00:48:28.789
It perfectly encapsulates his entire philosophy.

00:48:29.070 --> 00:48:31.710
Face adversity hit on with immense physical courage,

00:48:32.030 --> 00:48:33.829
mental fortitude. It wasn't just bravery. It

00:48:33.829 --> 00:48:36.489
was a political statement showing his unwavering

00:48:36.489 --> 00:48:38.190
commitment. It's one of those moments that feels

00:48:38.190 --> 00:48:40.869
more like myth than reality, but it was absolutely

00:48:40.869 --> 00:48:44.300
true to who he was. Despite this incredible display

00:48:44.300 --> 00:48:46.519
of resilience, the Republican split between Roosevelt

00:48:46.519 --> 00:48:48.940
and Taft ultimately cleared the way for a Democratic

00:48:48.940 --> 00:48:51.940
victory. Woodrow Wilson won the presidency, 42

00:48:51.940 --> 00:48:56.480
% popular vote, 435 electoral votes. The split

00:48:56.480 --> 00:48:59.179
did him in. Roosevelt got 27 % of the popular

00:48:59.179 --> 00:49:02.699
vote, 4 .1 million votes won six states. The

00:49:02.699 --> 00:49:04.840
highest share for any third party candidate in

00:49:04.840 --> 00:49:07.480
history, but yeah, not enough to overcome the

00:49:07.480 --> 00:49:09.139
fractured Republican vote. Still an impressive

00:49:09.139 --> 00:49:11.489
showing for a third party. After his defeat,

00:49:11.889 --> 00:49:14.969
Roosevelt's thirst for adventure was, well, unquenched.

00:49:15.449 --> 00:49:17.949
In 1913, he embarked on another perilous journey,

00:49:18.469 --> 00:49:21.269
the River of Doubt Expedition in South America.

00:49:21.429 --> 00:49:23.539
He just couldn't sit still, could he? Invited

00:49:23.539 --> 00:49:25.960
by John Augustin Zahm, financed by the American

00:49:25.960 --> 00:49:28.440
Museum of Natural History, he joined Brazilian

00:49:28.440 --> 00:49:31.199
explorer Candido Rondon to find the headwaters

00:49:31.199 --> 00:49:33.679
of the Duvita River, later rename the Roosevelt

00:49:33.679 --> 00:49:36.059
River and trace it through uncharted jungle.

00:49:36.320 --> 00:49:39.159
Uncharted jungle after everything else. The expedition

00:49:39.159 --> 00:49:41.579
was brutal. Roosevelt suffered a minor leg wound

00:49:41.579 --> 00:49:44.079
that quickly got infected, developed into a tropical

00:49:44.079 --> 00:49:46.500
fever like the malaria he'd had in Cuba, severe

00:49:46.500 --> 00:49:50.059
chest pains, delirium. He lost 50 pounds. Oh

00:49:50.059 --> 00:49:52.349
my goodness. At one point he was so ill. While

00:49:52.349 --> 00:49:55.489
he insisted they leave him behind to die to save

00:49:55.489 --> 00:49:58.409
the expedition, even prepared to commit suicide

00:49:58.409 --> 00:50:01.550
with morphine he carried, only his son Kermit's

00:50:01.550 --> 00:50:03.610
passionate plea persuaded him to keep going.

00:50:04.210 --> 00:50:06.889
That's incredibly grim, saved by his son. The

00:50:06.889 --> 00:50:09.150
journey, though successful in mapping the river,

00:50:09.550 --> 00:50:12.210
likely cut his life short by ten years, plagued

00:50:12.210 --> 00:50:15.369
him with malaria flare -ups, severe leg inflammations

00:50:15.369 --> 00:50:18.300
for the rest of his life. Despite initial skepticism

00:50:18.300 --> 00:50:20.639
back home, he successfully defended his claims

00:50:20.639 --> 00:50:24.199
of exploring this uncharted 625 -mile river to

00:50:24.199 --> 00:50:27.159
the National Geographic Society. This was an

00:50:27.159 --> 00:50:29.420
incredibly audacious, dangerous undertaking,

00:50:29.619 --> 00:50:32.559
even for a former president. It really was. And

00:50:32.559 --> 00:50:34.960
it highlights the sheer audacity, the physical

00:50:34.960 --> 00:50:37.400
endurance of the man, even later in life. What

00:50:37.400 --> 00:50:39.380
does it say about his strenuous life philosophy

00:50:39.380 --> 00:50:41.659
that he'd undertake such a perilous journey almost

00:50:41.659 --> 00:50:44.079
to his own death after the presidency? Yeah.

00:50:44.500 --> 00:50:46.800
It reveals this deeply ingrained need for challenge,

00:50:46.980 --> 00:50:49.139
for testing his limits, for embracing a life

00:50:49.139 --> 00:50:51.860
of action and adventure, regardless of the personal

00:50:51.860 --> 00:50:54.719
cost. He simply couldn't sit still. Upon his

00:50:54.719 --> 00:50:57.860
return to the U .S. in May 1914, the progressive

00:50:57.860 --> 00:51:00.960
party was already falling apart. Roosevelt eventually

00:51:00.960 --> 00:51:03.659
rejoined the Republicans, supported Charles Evans

00:51:03.659 --> 00:51:07.139
Hughes against Wilson in 1916. When World War

00:51:07.139 --> 00:51:10.099
I broke out in Europe in 1914, Roosevelt became

00:51:10.099 --> 00:51:12.719
a fierce critic of President Wilson's neutrality

00:51:12.719 --> 00:51:15.260
policy. Back to criticizing Wilson. Strongly

00:51:15.260 --> 00:51:17.360
supported the Allies, demanded a harsher stance

00:51:17.360 --> 00:51:20.039
against Germany, denounced Wilson's policy as

00:51:20.039 --> 00:51:23.260
an ignoble shirking of responsibility, a cowardly

00:51:23.260 --> 00:51:25.539
and dangerous neutrality. Strong language again.

00:51:25.639 --> 00:51:28.559
He also famously denounced Irish and German Americans

00:51:28.559 --> 00:51:31.980
as unpatriotic, hyphenated Americans, insisted

00:51:31.980 --> 00:51:35.460
on 100 percent Americanism. In a powerful testament

00:51:35.460 --> 00:51:37.880
to his warrior spirit, Congress authorized him

00:51:37.880 --> 00:51:40.119
to raise volunteer divisions like his Rough Riders

00:51:40.119 --> 00:51:42.420
for service in France. He wanted to lead troops

00:51:42.420 --> 00:51:45.139
again at his age. He did. But President Wilson

00:51:45.139 --> 00:51:47.500
rejected his offer to lead them, sent General

00:51:47.500 --> 00:51:50.300
John J. Pershing instead. Roosevelt never forgave

00:51:50.300 --> 00:51:52.960
Wilson for that snub, a personal wound that lingered.

00:51:53.159 --> 00:51:56.019
Tragically, in 1918, his youngest son, Quentin,

00:51:56.239 --> 00:51:58.159
a pilot with the American forces, was killed

00:51:58.159 --> 00:52:00.780
in France. Roosevelt never recovered from his

00:52:00.780 --> 00:52:03.079
loss. Oh, that's heartbreaking. Losing his son

00:52:03.079 --> 00:52:06.239
in the war he so strongly advocated for. Devastating.

00:52:06.840 --> 00:52:09.039
Despite his failing health, Roosevelt maintained

00:52:09.039 --> 00:52:11.820
a clear vision for global order, building on

00:52:11.820 --> 00:52:15.340
his earlier ideas. In his 1910 Nobel address,

00:52:15.519 --> 00:52:18.000
he'd already proposed that League of Peace among

00:52:18.000 --> 00:52:21.059
great powers, one with executive power, use of

00:52:21.059 --> 00:52:24.179
force if needed. The forceful League. By 1914,

00:52:24.539 --> 00:52:27.559
he elaborated, suggested a world lead for the

00:52:27.559 --> 00:52:30.099
peace of righteousness. It would preserve sovereignty,

00:52:30.480 --> 00:52:33.519
limit arms, require arbitration, but with nations

00:52:33.519 --> 00:52:36.320
guaranteeing military force against any who refuse

00:52:36.320 --> 00:52:38.679
to comply. This sounds a lot like Wilson's proposal,

00:52:38.679 --> 00:52:40.960
but again, with that critical difference in enforcement,

00:52:40.960 --> 00:52:44.099
right? Exactly. It's fascinating how he envisioned

00:52:44.099 --> 00:52:46.619
this very different kind of global order than

00:52:46.619 --> 00:52:49.340
Wilson's later League of Nations. Roosevelt's

00:52:49.340 --> 00:52:53.179
version prioritized force enforcement as absolutely

00:52:53.179 --> 00:52:55.760
essential to peace, reflecting his realist views.

00:52:55.800 --> 00:52:58.039
He believed international commitments were only

00:52:58.039 --> 00:52:59.920
as strong as the willingness of powerful nations

00:52:59.920 --> 00:53:02.139
to back them with military might, whereas Wilson

00:53:02.139 --> 00:53:04.059
placed more faith in collective security. moral

00:53:04.059 --> 00:53:06.380
persuasion. Two very different approaches to

00:53:06.380 --> 00:53:09.039
peace. In his final political activities, Roosevelt

00:53:09.039 --> 00:53:12.679
criticized Wilson's 14 points, advocated instead

00:53:12.679 --> 00:53:15.800
for unconditional German surrender. Despite his

00:53:15.800 --> 00:53:18.139
uncertain health, he was widely seen as a leading

00:53:18.139 --> 00:53:20.579
contender for the 1920 Republican nomination.

00:53:20.840 --> 00:53:23.000
Planning another run? Even after everything.

00:53:23.199 --> 00:53:25.420
It seemed like it. He advocated what he called

00:53:25.420 --> 00:53:28.639
sane, constructive radicalism, a platform including

00:53:28.639 --> 00:53:31.599
old age pensions, unemployment insurance, public

00:53:31.599 --> 00:53:34.119
housing, reduced working hours, aid to farmers,

00:53:34.519 --> 00:53:37.519
more corporate regulation, showcases continued

00:53:37.519 --> 00:53:39.940
progressive leanings. Still pushing progressive

00:53:39.940 --> 00:53:42.760
ideas. However, his health, severely damaged

00:53:42.760 --> 00:53:44.880
by those jungle diseases from the Amazon trip,

00:53:45.280 --> 00:53:48.110
deteriorated throughout 1918. He was hospitalized

00:53:48.110 --> 00:53:50.590
for seven weeks, never fully recovered. On the

00:53:50.590 --> 00:53:53.150
night of January 5, 1919, he suffered breathing

00:53:53.150 --> 00:53:55.670
problems. After treatment, felt better, went

00:53:55.670 --> 00:53:59.630
to bed. Between 4 .0 and 4 .15 the next morning,

00:53:59.929 --> 00:54:01.989
Theodore Roosevelt died in his sleep at Sagamore

00:54:01.989 --> 00:54:05.429
Hill, age 60, of a pulmonary embolism. So young,

00:54:05.630 --> 00:54:07.809
really, 60, after living such a full life. Upon

00:54:07.809 --> 00:54:09.989
hearing the news, his son Archibald famously

00:54:09.989 --> 00:54:13.150
telegraphed his siblings, the old lion is dead.

00:54:13.710 --> 00:54:15.849
And Vice President Thomas R. Marshall offered

00:54:15.849 --> 00:54:19.449
this profound tribute, perfectly capturing Roosevelt's

00:54:19.449 --> 00:54:21.809
spirit. Death had to take Roosevelt sleeping,

00:54:22.130 --> 00:54:23.909
for if he had been awake, there would have been

00:54:23.909 --> 00:54:26.710
a fight. What a line. It sums him up perfectly.

00:54:26.869 --> 00:54:29.190
He was buried on a hillside overlooking Oyster

00:54:29.190 --> 00:54:32.250
Bay, a quiet end for a man whose life was anything

00:54:32.250 --> 00:54:35.360
but quiet. Theodore Roosevelt's legacy, it stretches

00:54:35.360 --> 00:54:37.940
so far beyond just his presidency, doesn't it?

00:54:38.000 --> 00:54:40.760
It's deeply woven into American culture through

00:54:40.760 --> 00:54:43.760
his prolific writing, his larger -than -life

00:54:43.760 --> 00:54:46.659
persona, and the countless ways he's been remembered.

00:54:46.940 --> 00:54:49.440
Absolutely. He was, first and foremost, a prolific

00:54:49.440 --> 00:54:51.800
author and intellectual, wrote with real passion

00:54:51.800 --> 00:54:53.900
on an astonishing range of subjects. He really

00:54:53.900 --> 00:54:56.500
did. In all, Roosevelt penned about 18 books,

00:54:56.719 --> 00:54:58.760
including his powerful autobiography, The Rough

00:54:58.760 --> 00:55:00.659
Riders, That Systematic History of the Naval

00:55:00.659 --> 00:55:03.170
War of 1812, and other works on... ranching,

00:55:03.329 --> 00:55:06.630
explorations, wildlife. Huge output. His most

00:55:06.630 --> 00:55:09.329
ambitious literary project was the four volume

00:55:09.329 --> 00:55:12.690
narrative, The Winning of the West. In it, he

00:55:12.690 --> 00:55:14.969
argued for the emergence of this new American

00:55:14.969 --> 00:55:17.849
race, forged from heroic wilderness hunters and

00:55:17.849 --> 00:55:20.909
Indian fighters on the frontier, shaping a particular

00:55:20.909 --> 00:55:23.710
narrative of American identity. A narrative that's

00:55:23.710 --> 00:55:25.889
been debated since, of course. Of course. He

00:55:25.889 --> 00:55:28.710
also got involved in this widely publicized literary

00:55:28.710 --> 00:55:31.969
debate, the Nature Fakers controversy in 1905.

00:55:32.489 --> 00:55:35.230
He criticized popular writers of the time, like

00:55:35.230 --> 00:55:37.789
Ernest Thompson Seaton and William J. Long, for

00:55:37.789 --> 00:55:40.269
what he called their fantastical representations

00:55:40.269 --> 00:55:43.429
of wildlife and excessive anthropomorphism. Wow,

00:55:43.570 --> 00:55:45.409
the Nature Fakers. It was President Roosevelt

00:55:45.409 --> 00:55:47.869
himself who popularized that negative term, Nature

00:55:47.869 --> 00:55:50.369
Faker, for writers who gave exaggerated human

00:55:50.369 --> 00:55:54.590
traits to animals. instead for scientific accuracy

00:55:54.590 --> 00:55:57.670
and natural history. Why was that specific fight

00:55:57.670 --> 00:55:59.789
so important to him, do you think? Well, I think

00:55:59.789 --> 00:56:02.750
it's because it really shows his deep commitment

00:56:02.750 --> 00:56:05.929
to scientific accuracy, even as this hugely popular

00:56:05.929 --> 00:56:08.610
public figure. It highlights his naturalist background,

00:56:09.010 --> 00:56:11.710
his intellectual rigor. It shows his love for

00:56:11.710 --> 00:56:14.690
the outdoors wasn't just, you know, romanticism.

00:56:14.829 --> 00:56:18.469
It was grounded in a careful, observant, truthful

00:56:18.469 --> 00:56:21.320
understanding of the natural world. He truly

00:56:21.320 --> 00:56:23.380
believed in truth and precision, whether it was

00:56:23.380 --> 00:56:26.380
in politics, history, or studying animals, and

00:56:26.380 --> 00:56:28.920
he just didn't tolerate what he saw as sentimental

00:56:28.920 --> 00:56:31.440
dishonesty. Makes sense. Roosevelt's character,

00:56:31.639 --> 00:56:33.820
his beliefs, especially his philosophy of the

00:56:33.820 --> 00:56:36.239
strenuous life, they're central to understanding

00:56:36.239 --> 00:56:38.960
him. He kept up this lifelong interest in physical

00:56:38.960 --> 00:56:41.679
activity, regularly engaged in boxing, tennis,

00:56:41.940 --> 00:56:44.980
hiking, rowing, polo, horseback riding. The list

00:56:44.980 --> 00:56:47.360
goes on. As president, he even kept boxing until

00:56:47.360 --> 00:56:49.860
he was blinded in one eye. A fact he kept secret

00:56:49.860 --> 00:56:52.239
for many years. He also pushed for jiu -jitsu

00:56:52.239 --> 00:56:54.340
training for American soldiers, worried about

00:56:54.340 --> 00:56:56.659
military readiness. Always focus on strength

00:56:56.659 --> 00:56:59.260
and readiness. Historians often emphasize his

00:56:59.260 --> 00:57:02.320
warrior persona, argue his warrior spirit framed

00:57:02.320 --> 00:57:04.300
his views of national politics and international

00:57:04.300 --> 00:57:06.719
relations. Critics like Howard K. Beale argue

00:57:06.719 --> 00:57:10.400
he romanticized war, gloried in war, saw peace

00:57:10.400 --> 00:57:13.059
as dull and effeminate. The critique that he

00:57:13.059 --> 00:57:16.780
loved war too much. Yet. Roosevelt himself boasted

00:57:16.780 --> 00:57:19.619
in his autobiography that during his seven and

00:57:19.619 --> 00:57:22.539
a half years as president, not one shot had been

00:57:22.539 --> 00:57:25.320
fired against a foreign foe. Shows a nuanced

00:57:25.320 --> 00:57:28.019
understanding of his own impact perhaps. Or at

00:57:28.019 --> 00:57:30.360
least how we wanted it perceived. It's complex.

00:57:30.900 --> 00:57:33.659
Despite his often secular sounding strenuous

00:57:33.659 --> 00:57:36.559
life talk, Roosevelt was a lifelong member of

00:57:36.559 --> 00:57:39.320
the Dutch Reformed Church, actively encouraged

00:57:39.320 --> 00:57:42.260
church attendance. Interesting. The religious

00:57:42.260 --> 00:57:44.619
dimension is sometimes overlooked. He believed

00:57:44.619 --> 00:57:47.380
Bible teachings were interwoven and entwined

00:57:47.380 --> 00:57:49.940
with our whole civic and social life, saw them

00:57:49.940 --> 00:57:53.380
as essential for public and private morals, asserted

00:57:53.380 --> 00:57:55.300
that removing these teachings would strip away

00:57:55.300 --> 00:57:57.659
almost all the standards society judges itself

00:57:57.659 --> 00:58:00.980
by. So a strong moral underpinning to his worldview.

00:58:01.179 --> 00:58:04.039
His economic views also evolved quite significantly.

00:58:04.480 --> 00:58:06.420
While he started his presidency with a cautious

00:58:06.420 --> 00:58:08.840
approach to business, he became increasingly

00:58:08.840 --> 00:58:11.559
distrustful of big business later on, despite

00:58:11.559 --> 00:58:13.780
its close ties to the Republican Party. Right.

00:58:13.880 --> 00:58:16.460
That shift we talked about. He believed 20th

00:58:16.460 --> 00:58:19.980
century capitalists often reaped unjust economic

00:58:19.980 --> 00:58:23.039
rewards without taking the same risks as earlier

00:58:23.039 --> 00:58:26.760
entrepreneurs. He feared that without some redistribution

00:58:26.760 --> 00:58:30.099
of wealth, the country risked radicalism. maybe

00:58:30.099 --> 00:58:33.139
even revolution. So he sought a new economic

00:58:33.139 --> 00:58:35.800
model with a larger regulatory role for the federal

00:58:35.800 --> 00:58:38.400
government. Moving towards more government intervention

00:58:38.400 --> 00:58:41.150
over time. In foreign policy, Henry Kissinger

00:58:41.150 --> 00:58:44.050
notes, Roosevelt was the first president to really

00:58:44.050 --> 00:58:46.409
assert the U .S. duty to make its power felt

00:58:46.409 --> 00:58:49.429
globally. Rejected that passive city on a hill

00:58:49.429 --> 00:58:52.449
model. Right, active engagement. A social Darwinist

00:58:52.449 --> 00:58:55.369
applying Darwinian ideas of struggle to societies

00:58:55.369 --> 00:58:58.309
and nations. He saw the international world as

00:58:58.309 --> 00:59:00.630
inherently violent. He rejected the effectiveness

00:59:00.630 --> 00:59:03.239
of international law. disarmament proposals,

00:59:03.780 --> 00:59:06.239
favored spheres of influence, harbored a deep

00:59:06.239 --> 00:59:08.679
distrust of Germany and Russia, believed the

00:59:08.679 --> 00:59:10.679
U .S. had to act decisively as the policeman

00:59:10.679 --> 00:59:13.159
of the region in the Western Hemisphere. That

00:59:13.159 --> 00:59:15.780
social Darwinist label is key to understanding

00:59:15.780 --> 00:59:18.099
his worldview, I think. It seems so. Which brings

00:59:18.099 --> 00:59:20.400
us back to that really important point. How do

00:59:20.400 --> 00:59:22.639
we reconcile all these seeming contradictions

00:59:22.639 --> 00:59:25.360
in his character? Yeah. He's the art and conservationist

00:59:25.360 --> 00:59:28.320
and the big game hunter. the Nobel Peace Prize

00:59:28.320 --> 00:59:31.480
winner and the advocate for the realism of war,

00:59:31.880 --> 00:59:34.059
the trust buster who initially worked within

00:59:34.059 --> 00:59:37.599
the system of big business. This complexity,

00:59:37.739 --> 00:59:40.280
well, is precisely what makes him such a compelling

00:59:40.280 --> 00:59:43.039
and enduring figure in American history. It forces

00:59:43.039 --> 00:59:45.820
us, you know, to consider the multifaceted nature

00:59:45.820 --> 00:59:48.579
of leadership, of human ambition. He wasn't a

00:59:48.579 --> 00:59:51.130
simple man with simple beliefs, was he? He certainly

00:59:51.130 --> 00:59:53.789
wasn't. And that complexity is why we're still

00:59:53.789 --> 00:59:56.150
discussing him today. Theodore Roosevelt's impact

00:59:56.150 --> 00:59:59.369
on America is just immense, undeniable. He's

00:59:59.369 --> 01:00:01.309
credited with being the architect of the modern

01:00:01.309 --> 01:00:04.389
presidency, placing the bully pulpit at the center

01:00:04.389 --> 01:00:06.849
of national conversation, emphasizing character,

01:00:07.429 --> 01:00:10.070
fundamentally reshaping the office itself. Transformed

01:00:10.070 --> 01:00:11.869
the presidency. Insistently ranked among the

01:00:11.869 --> 01:00:14.230
top five presidents in U .S. history, a testament

01:00:14.230 --> 01:00:17.059
to his transformative leadership. His image is

01:00:17.059 --> 01:00:19.159
literally etched into American memory, standing

01:00:19.159 --> 01:00:21.880
proudly alongside Washington Jefferson Lincoln

01:00:21.880 --> 01:00:24.360
on Mount Rushmore. An iconic image. His famous

01:00:24.360 --> 01:00:27.539
ideology speaks softly and carry a big stick

01:00:27.539 --> 01:00:31.099
that remains widely quoted, understood, influences

01:00:31.099 --> 01:00:34.300
political talk even today, a more whimsical but

01:00:34.300 --> 01:00:37.369
equally enduring part of his legacy. The Teddy

01:00:37.369 --> 01:00:40.309
Bear. Ah, the Teddy Bear. Named after him following

01:00:40.309 --> 01:00:42.869
that 1902 Mississippi hunting incident where

01:00:42.869 --> 01:00:45.230
he famously refused to shoot a bear cub someone

01:00:45.230 --> 01:00:48.110
had tied up for him. A moment of mercy immortalized.

01:00:48.269 --> 01:00:50.909
In a posthumous recognition of his military valor,

01:00:51.389 --> 01:00:53.710
Roosevelt was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2001

01:00:53.710 --> 01:00:56.449
for his gallantry at San Juan Hill. Makes him

01:00:56.449 --> 01:00:58.449
the only president to receive it, though the

01:00:58.449 --> 01:01:00.550
process itself wasn't without some controversy.

01:01:00.650 --> 01:01:02.409
Right, that took a long time. Many places and

01:01:02.409 --> 01:01:05.559
things bear his name. two U .S. Navy ships, five

01:01:05.559 --> 01:01:07.880
U .S. postage stamps, Theodore Roosevelt National

01:01:07.880 --> 01:01:12.239
Park in North Dakota, even Asteroid 188693 Roosevelt.

01:01:12.380 --> 01:01:14.719
His name is everywhere. He's also a recurring

01:01:14.719 --> 01:01:16.880
figure in popular culture, portrayed in films

01:01:16.880 --> 01:01:19.760
like The Wind and the Lion, Rough Riders, TV

01:01:19.760 --> 01:01:21.699
series like Night at the Museum, where Robin

01:01:21.699 --> 01:01:23.860
Williams brought a wax mannequin of him to life,

01:01:24.320 --> 01:01:26.619
even as a leader in video games like Civilization

01:01:26.619 --> 01:01:28.579
Success. Still capturing the popular imagination.

01:01:28.900 --> 01:01:31.989
However, his legacy isn't without debate. That

01:01:31.989 --> 01:01:34.469
equestrian statue of Roosevelt, showing him with

01:01:34.469 --> 01:01:37.090
a Native American and an African American figure

01:01:37.090 --> 01:01:40.030
positioned below him. It stood in front of New

01:01:40.030 --> 01:01:42.150
York's American Museum of Natural History for

01:01:42.150 --> 01:01:45.269
80 years before it was removed in 2022 due to

01:01:45.269 --> 01:01:48.250
its hierarchical composition, reflects ongoing

01:01:48.250 --> 01:01:50.570
discussions about historical representation.

01:01:50.829 --> 01:01:53.750
Yeah, a very visible example of reevaluating

01:01:53.750 --> 01:01:56.329
the past. Importantly, Roosevelt was also one

01:01:56.329 --> 01:01:58.550
of the first presidents whose voice was actually

01:01:58.550 --> 01:02:01.320
recorded for posterity. including a powerful

01:02:01.320 --> 01:02:04.079
1912 speech defending the Progressive Party,

01:02:04.519 --> 01:02:06.639
allows us to actually hear the voice of this,

01:02:06.639 --> 01:02:30.199
well, this titan of history. stone for understanding

01:02:30.199 --> 01:02:32.679
American identity and how we grapple with historical

01:02:32.679 --> 01:02:35.579
figures hashtag tag outro. So we've journeyed

01:02:35.579 --> 01:02:37.760
through the incredible life of Theodore Roosevelt.

01:02:38.119 --> 01:02:40.960
from that sickly child who found strength through

01:02:40.960 --> 01:02:44.019
sheer force of will, to a relentless reformer,

01:02:44.079 --> 01:02:47.360
a war hero, a transformative president who reshaped

01:02:47.360 --> 01:02:49.960
America both at home and abroad, and finally,

01:02:50.039 --> 01:02:53.139
an explorer whose post presidency was as eventful,

01:02:53.239 --> 01:02:56.559
as perilous as many full careers. His legacy

01:02:56.559 --> 01:02:59.159
is just undeniable, marked by his groundbreaking

01:02:59.159 --> 01:03:01.760
conservation efforts, his trust -busting zeal,

01:03:01.980 --> 01:03:04.219
his placement of America firmly on the world

01:03:04.219 --> 01:03:07.320
stage, and that unique defining philosophy he

01:03:07.320 --> 01:03:09.920
chants. end. the strenuous life. Indeed. And

01:03:09.920 --> 01:03:11.880
as we wrap up, maybe consider this provocative

01:03:11.880 --> 01:03:15.059
thought. Roosevelt once said, I wish to do everything

01:03:15.059 --> 01:03:16.940
in my power to make the Republican Party the

01:03:16.940 --> 01:03:19.800
party of sane, constructive radicalism, just

01:03:19.800 --> 01:03:22.039
as it was under Lincoln. This raises an important

01:03:22.039 --> 01:03:24.159
question for us today, doesn't it? In a world

01:03:24.159 --> 01:03:26.619
grappling with information overload, complex

01:03:26.619 --> 01:03:30.139
global challenges, deep societal divisions, what

01:03:30.139 --> 01:03:32.679
might Theodore Roosevelt, with his intense moralism,

01:03:32.960 --> 01:03:35.159
his physical vigor, his pragmatic approach to

01:03:35.159 --> 01:03:38.099
reform, what might he advise you about engaging

01:03:38.099 --> 01:03:40.179
with the strenuous life of citizenship today.

01:03:40.820 --> 01:03:42.760
How would he urge you to actively participate,

01:03:43.099 --> 01:03:44.780
to question, and to strive for what you believe

01:03:44.780 --> 01:03:48.639
is right in a world that often feels, well, overwhelming?

01:03:48.960 --> 01:03:50.099
It's a question worth mulling over.