Josh Mason

Prof Lark
History 153
2 October 2016
Teddy Roosevelt: Reckless or Prosperous?
Teddy Roosevelt won many battles as a member of the Rough Rider regiment during the
Spanish- American War. This war provided the media with many different views to take on his
actions. Many of the common people held Roosevelt in high esteem because, to them, he was a
war hero that helped the U.S. win the war. The politicians on Capitol Hill saw Teddy as a
reckless cowboy who had too much power and would destroy the governmental structure of the
country shortly. These opposing viewpoints were both applicable to the character and actions of
Theodore Roosevelt.
According to the National Park Service, Roosevelt was a highly decorated war hero from
the Spanish- American War. He most notably fought in the battles of Kettle Hill and San Juan
Heights by leading his horseback regiment into battle. This instantly gained him popularity
according to the Contemporary America- U.S. History textbook. It also states that he was almost
unanimously elected for mayor of New York because of his heroic background. Another
interesting fact about his war hero status is that he was chosen as a Vice Presidential candidate
for President McKinley specifically to attract the votes of Teddys fans. The war hero point of
view was established because he wasnt afraid to be bold in government like when he was trust
busting (infoplease). This shows the boldness because he was willing to harm the economy for
the benefit of the common people. The war hero viewpoint of the character of Teddy was seen
regularly throughout his political career.

While many of the common people saw Teddy as a war hero, the politicians saw him as a
very reckless cowboy (United States History). They thought this because he was put in a
position with too much power as a mayor and he was completely unpredictable when making
political decisions. The congressmen on the Hill saw Roosevelt as completely unpredictable
because he did many things like support reform movements and save public land to create the
national park system. They didnt agree with these notions because the government was all
about having as much power as it possibly could. This idea comes from the corrupted nature of
the party machines and the attempts to buy peoples votes via money or trade. By supporting
reform movements, Roosevelt was giving more and more of the governments power to the
people, deeply upsetting the congressmen of the time.
As you can see, the criticism of Teddy Roosevelt after the Spanish-American War was
very true in presenting his personality. Teddy was a clear progressive in his support of various
reform movements and his preservation of the natural beauty of the country. His war hero
criticism by the people of the United States was true in that he did win multiple battles for the
country during the war. It was also true in showing that he had no hesitation when making a bold
move such as trust busting. You can also see that the view Congress had of Teddy in that he was
completely unpredictable. This is seen in the many risky decisions he made in the economy
being that he was willing to create economic equality for the benefit of the common good. He
could have destroyed the entire infrastructure of the country, but he went ahead with it to better
the society of the country. Teddy Roosevelt was a very progressive person in that he was not
afraid to make a bold move and it created turmoil in the country between the government and the
common people.

Works Cited
Contemporary America- Modern U.S. History. Schoolcraft College, n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2016.
Theodore Roosevelt: President, Reformer, and Conservationist." United States History. United
States History, n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2016.
"Theodore Roosevelt." infoplease. Sandbox Networks, 2016. Web. 3 Oct. 2016.
"T. R. the Rough Rider: Hero of the Spanish American War." National Park Service. National
Park Service, n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2016.