By: Evan R. (4th Grade)
Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th
president of the United States. During
the Spanish American War, he helped Cuba get its freedom from Spain and charged
up San Juan Hill in Cuba with the Rough Riders volunteer cavalry regiment. Throughout his career, he worked to make life
better for working people.
Theodore was born on October 27, 1858
in New York City where he grew up in a wealthy family. His parents were Theodore Roosevelt Sr. and
Martha. He had one sister named
Anna. He loved natural history, hiking,
running, and boxing. He was a sickly
asthmatic child although he got better with exercise.
Theodore
went to Harvard University where he met his future wife, Alice, who at first
refused to marry him. They had a baby
girl and named her Alice after her mother.
However, tragedy struck two days after the birth when Theodore’s wife
and mother died on the same day.
Theodore was devastated and asked his sister to take care of his baby,
Alice, and he went to the American west to work on a ranch as a cowboy. He went back to New York in 1886 and got married
soon after to Edith Kermit. Edith and
Theodore had five children.
Theodore
got a job as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy. In 1900, he became Vice-President to President
William McKinley. In September of 1901,
President McKinley was assassinated, and Theodore became president. As president, Theodore was awarded a Nobel
Peace Prize for stopping arguments between Russia and Japan. In 1904, he ran for president and won a
second term.
During
his presidency, he worked to make life better for working people and was also known
for his work in conservation and created new national parks, forests, and
monuments. Today, his face is included
on the side of Mount Rushmore. His
contributions to society can be summed up in his famous words, “Speak softly
and carry a big stick; you will go far.”
