As a history buff, I’ve always been fascinated by Theodore Roosevelt’s larger-than-life persona. He’s often portrayed as a rugged outdoorsman, a trust-buster, and a progressive reformer. However, in researching Roosevelt’s life and presidency, I’ve uncovered some disturbing facts that paint a more complex and troubling picture.
Imperialism and Interventionism
One of the most problematic aspects of Roosevelt’s legacy is his aggressive foreign policy. While reading an article on the History News Network, I learned that Roosevelt was a staunch imperialist who believed in expanding American power and influence worldwide, often through military force.
He supported the Spanish-American War that led to the U.S. taking control of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines. The article revealed that in the Philippines, U.S. forces brutally suppressed a local insurgency, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Filipinos. Roosevelt saw this as necessary to establish the U.S. as a world power.
The same article also discussed how Roosevelt didn’t hesitate to intervene in the affairs of Latin American countries. His “Roosevelt Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine asserted the U.S.’s right to be an “international police power” in the Western Hemisphere. This laid the groundwork for decades of U.S. interventionism in the region.
Racism and White Supremacy
Another disturbing revelation from my research is the extent of Roosevelt’s racist views. While considered a progressive in some areas, he subscribed to white supremacist ideology.
An article I found from the Theodore Roosevelt Center shed light on how Roosevelt believed whites were the “forward race” destined to raise “backward races” through conquest and domination. He viewed Native Americans and African Americans as inferior. During his presidency, he rolled back many civil rights gains and appointed white supremacists to federal offices.
The same article included excerpts from Roosevelt’s writings about an African safari he took after leaving office. His descriptions of Africans as “ape-like naked savages” who are “as deadly as snakes” made it clear he saw them as lesser humans.
Treatment of Native Americans
Finally, Roosevelt’s treatment of Native Americans is a shameful chapter in his presidency. Although he is often credited with preserving Native American artifacts and culture, his actual policies were devastating for tribes.
A PBS article I came across detailed how Roosevelt supported the Dawes Act, which broke up tribal lands into individual allotments. Much of this land quickly passed out of Native American hands due to fraud and tax debts. He forced assimilation through boarding schools that separated Native children from their families and culture. He approved the removal of tribes from their ancestral lands to make way for white settlement and development.
Roosevelt’s “Rough Riders” and Glorification of War
Roosevelt’s time leading the “Rough Riders” volunteer cavalry regiment during the Spanish-American War shaped his imperialist worldview. He glorified war as a crucible for masculinity and national greatness.
As I read in an article from the National Park Service, Roosevelt used his celebrity from the war to launch his political career, often playing up his war hero image. But this celebration of militarism had troubling implications, contributing to a culture of aggression in foreign policy.
Suppression of Dissent and Free Speech
Roosevelt’s presidency also saw the suppression of dissent and limitations on free speech. When labor leader Eugene Debs criticized the U.S. involvement in World War I, he was arrested under the Espionage Act, which Roosevelt had signed into law.
An article from the Rutherford Institute details how thousands of Americans were imprisoned simply for voicing opposition to the war. Roosevelt’s legacy includes an expansion of executive power and infringement on civil liberties in the name of national security.
Environmental Record More Mixed Than Believed
While Roosevelt is famous for his conservation efforts, establishing many national parks and forests, his environmental record is more mixed than popularly believed. He also opened up millions of acres of public lands for mining, logging, and development.
According to an article in the Pacific Historical Review I came across, Roosevelt saw conservation primarily as the most efficient use of natural resources for economic gain, not preservation for its own sake. Many of his policies facilitated the exploitation of nature as much as its protection.
Conclusion
While Theodore Roosevelt is often considered an American icon, diving deeper into his life and presidency reveals a much more troubling picture. His imperialist foreign policy, racist views, and cruel treatment of Native Americans should not be forgotten.
In my research, from sources like the History News Network, the Theodore Roosevelt Center, and PBS, I’ve learned that even the most celebrated figures in our history had deep flaws and failings. We need to grapple with these hard truths to have an honest reckoning with our past.
