A couple of things before we get started on one of our most awesomeness presidents ever. First, I finally got my new lap top! Which should mean less problems when I write, but it might mean a few more typos while I adjust to the new keyboard (so sorry about that!). Second, I have lots of things to catch you up on that don't involve president's birthdays. We did have a crazy week, including the Not So Scary Halloween Party and a Cruise to Mexico! But, my OCD self couldn't let my vacation blog be interrupted by a president's blog, so look for those over the next two days. Asa will be in the office, and on Friday we have our last October birthday, so I'm going to try and cram them in on Wednesday and Thursday.
Ok, all that aside, today is a birthday I was MOST excited to do, our 26th president, the only and only Theodore Roosevelt!
But we couldn't get to the timeline without some coffee, because Teddy drank like a gallon of the stuff a day.
Meet Theodore Roosevelt Sr. and his wide Mittie. They were loaded, and lived in Manhattan.
And they had four kids: Anna, Theodore Jr., Elliot, and Corinne. (I'm totally famous)
In case you're wondering, James Buchanan was president when Teddy was born....
..and as a child he even saw the Abraham Lincoln funeral train pass by.
Ok, so I know I call him Teddy, because that's who he is. But apparently he hated it. His nickname started out at Teedy, moved to Teddy (which he despised), then became the Colonel, and then was known as TR (he much preferred the last two). The public always called him Teddy though, so that's what I'm going with.
Teddy was a sickly child, almost always on the verge of death. He complained of upset stomachs, massive headaches, and asthma so severe everyone was sure an attack would kill him.
When a kid is as perpetually sick as Teddy was, they usually get babied by their parents. But Theodore Sr, and Mittie must have known they were raising a tough cowboy turned president, because they did the opposite. When he his asthma acted up, Teddy's dad would give him cigars to smoke, and his mom would rub his chest so hard, Teddy would cough up blood.
Teddy's dad wanted him to toughen up, and told Teddy he had the mind, but not the body. Teddy simply responded with "then I'll make my body". And he did. He took up boxing, and wrestling, and running, and hunting, and fighting. Gradually, he became stronger and beat his asthma.
It wasn't enough to just beat his asthma though, Teddy wanted to beat everything. He constantly forced himself to take whatever path seemed the harshest, and the most dangerous, surrounding himself with whatever inspired the most terror. His life philosophy was "Man does in fact become fearless by sheer dint in practicing fearlessness". (That my friends in the most Rooseveltian sentence ever written).
Teddy wasn't just a tough guy, he was mischievously inquisitive and unapologetic for his interests. (Teddy was cool because Teddy knew he was cool). One day Teddy came home from school and saw a dead seal at the market, he took home the dead seal head and learned the rudiments of taxidermy. He started collecting specimens with his cousins, and they would learn about the animals and prepared them for display. They called it the "Roosevelt Museum of Natural History".
Teddy was home schooled (because all the cool kids are), and he was an avid reader with a photographic memory, and could recite obscure poetry a decade after he had read it once. (He could also multitask and dictate letters to two secretaries at once while browsing through a book at the same time).
Teddy wasn't the only adventurous one in his family. That plus the wealth of the Roosevelt's allowed them to travel all over. They scaled the Alps, and visited the Pyramids.
Sidenote: If you're wondering the relations here, Elliot (Teddy's brother) was Eleanor Roosevelt's dad. (Which made Teddy her uncle!) And since Elliot had died, Eleanor had her Uncle Teddy walk her down the aisle when she married Franklin.
Teddy went off to college at Harvard, where he did well in his studies, and joined all kinds of clubs and activities.
He was even part of the secret Hasty Pudding Club. He participated in rowing and boxing, and his doctor told him f he wanted to live a long life he needed to be more sedentary (saying Teddy's heart was weak and his lifestyle could have fatal consequences). Teddy's response: "I'm going to do all the things you tell me not to do. If I've got to live the sort of life you've described, I don't care how short it is."
Teddy had some ups and downs at Harvard. His dad died..
,,,but he also met Alice. There was not a more appropriate casting for the girl with the nickname "Sunshine". She was stunning, and charming, and for Teddy it was love at first sight.
After graduation, on Teddy's 22nd birthday, he and Alice were married. She was just as adventurous as her husband, and for their honeymoon, the couple scaled the Matterhorn! (I feel like I should put "because he's awesome like that in every sentence I write about Teddy. He's just the coolest!)
Teddy tried out law school, but it was too boring for a guy like him, and so he turned his attention to the world of politics.
...Oh and writing. At the age of 23, Teddy earned a reputation as a serious historian with his first book: "The Naval War of 1812".. In all he wrote 38 books. (And, Christmas present alert: I want to read them all)
On February 12, 1884, Alice and Teddy had their first child, a daughter they named Alice.
But two days later, on Valentines Day, Teddy's mom died in the upstairs of the couple's Manhattan home.
And sadly, 12 hours later, Alice died of complications from childbirth and an undiagnosed kidney disease.
Teddy was heartbroken. He said "The light has gone out of my life", he never spoke of Alice again, and often called his daughter Baby Lee instead of calling her Alice like her mother. He didn't allow her to be mentioned in his presence, and even omitted her from his autobiography. The newborn went off to live with Teddy's sister, Anna, while Teddy grieved.
But, Teddy didn't let that break him, not like someone else we know. No, to deal with his grief, Teddy let his home in New York to move out to a wild untamed area where he worked as a real life Cowboy.
He wrangled bulls and rode horses, and beat up guys with his fists, because that's what cowboys do.
After a hard winter killed most of his cattle, Teddy headed back to New York.....
...where Teddy's presumably awesome sister, Corinne, had a friend named Edith. They'd been friends forever, and Teddy had known her virtually all his life (she even attended his wedding to Alice!). Teddy was in the market to get married again, and he and Edith were a great pairing.
She too was adventurous (they also scaled mountains on their honeymoon!), and funny and warm. Baby Alice was back with her dad, and her new step mom.
They had five more kids: Ted, Kermit, Ethel, Archie, and Quentin. (Another president with some seriously cool kids names!)
Teddy's adult life reads as an awesome list of badassness.
In 1895, he became police commissioner in New York City. He was less police, and more batman though. He was trying to reform one of the most corrupt police departments in America, and he did it by prowling the streets at night with a hat pulled over his eyes to spy on his officers. His decision to enforce an unpopular law that banned alcohol sales on Sundays, but he continued on his crusade despite receiving letter bombs in the mail. (Because you need more than a little bomb to rattle Teddy!)
Noticing his noble fight against corruption, along with his research, writing, and knowledge of naval history, president McKinley set out the bat signal for Teddy.
He needed an Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and Teddy was perfect (to say Teddy was obsessed with Naval power would be an understatement). But you see, the actual Secretary was a sickly guy, who apparently didn't treat his illnesses the way Teddy treated his, and took a whole lot of sick days, leaving Teddy pretty much in charge.
Ten days after the Maine exploded in Havana Cuba, Teddy cabled the navy worldwide to prepare for war, ordered ammunition and supplies, brought in experts and went to Congress asking for the authority to recruit as many sailors as he wanted.
Basically, he was instrumental in preparing for the Spanish-American War. (Which we already went over, click the link people!)
Teddy had a special place in his heart for violence. He talked about fighting the way poets talk about love, and he was itching for a chance to serve in the war.
His dream finally came true in 1898 when America finally intervened in the dispute between Spain and Cuba, in the war that Teddy had prepared for. He couldn't actually fight in his position though, so in typical energetic Teddy fashion, he resigned, and organized the first U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment (you know, the Rough Riders).
Teddy and his Rough Riders became famous for their charge up San Juan Hill in the bloodiest and most famous battle of the war, and for Teddy it was "the greatest day of (his) life".
After the war, Teddy, a Progressive Republican, used his Rough Rider fame t get himself elected governor of New York.
He became known as a fierce fighter of corruption within the government, and an advocate for the average New Yorker.
By now William McKinley was getting ready to run for his second term, but his Veep had kicked the bucket while in office, and he needed a new running mate.
Cue Teddy. He threw himself into the campaign with his energy, and charisma, and made their opponent, William Jennings Bryan (this guy again, I tell you), look like a wimp compared to his war hero status.
So, McKinley and Teddy win, but only six months into his second term, disaster strikes.
Cue Leon Czolgosz, you know the assassin nobody cares about because he didn't shoot Abe Lincoln or JFK
Eight days later, McKinley dies, and Teddy becomes the 26th president. At 42 years, 10 months, and 18 days old Teddy is still the youngest man to ever hold the office of the presidency. (JFK is the youngest man ever ELECTED president. Four years later, Teddy would go on to win re-election, making him the first president to succeed to the office after the death of a president, AND then later win by election. (He promised he wouldn't run again after that, but we'll get to that.)
Anyway, the Roosevelt's began to call their new house the "White House" instead of the stuffier, previously used title of the "Executive Mansion".
The slew of Roosevelt kids over ran the White House. The wilder, younger sons, were nicknamed the "White House Gang" by the press.
Along with the kids came a menagerie of pets, including "Father O Grady the Guinea pig, "Emily Spinachand" the snake....
....and a pony who got to ride the White House elevator.
Every Roosevelt owned their own pair of stilts, and they would wander the White House on them. Teddy instituted "children's hour" to play with kids everyday. They'd slide down the White House stairs on cookie sheets, throw water balloons from the roof, and shoot spit balls at a picture of Andrew Jackson. (Asa says that's Teddy's one and only flaw)
And don't think the White House made Teddy soft. Oh, no, he kept his love of violence, and strolled through the White House with a pistol on his person at all times.
Though, with his blackbelt in jujitsu, he really didn't need it. (He also boxed in the White House, until someone hit him in the eye and he lost most of his vision).
Teddy was tough as ever, and when the Calvary wrote to him saying they didn't like they had to ride their horses 25 miles a day....
...President Roosevelt rode his horse a 100 miles in a day to shut them up. (Teddy did have trouble controlling one thing though, his daughter Alice. Sometimes she'd be seen smoking on the roof, and when asked about the matter Teddy said "I can be president, or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both.")
All of that alone is awesome enough to make Teddy one of the coolest presidents, but he actually president-ed pretty awesomely, because he was a guy who just wanted everything to be fair. He was a Progressive, and Progressive's believed that government should be reformed and play an important role in making society better. As president, Teddy did just that. He worked hard to improve life for the average American.
(Oh, and he was also a guy who wasn't afraid to strip off his clothes and jump into the Potomic, but because he's Teddy-freakin-Roosevelt, everyone thinks that makes him badass, while everyone just thinks JQA is creepy for doing it.)
Teddy's policies were called the "Square Deal". He fought for fair business practices, bringing an end to the practice of low wages and high prices. He took on large corporations that had formed monopolies or trusts, earning him the nickname "The Trustbuster".
He also established the U.S. as the "police power" for the Western Hemisphere stating that the U.S. would protect threatened countries in North and South America. It was called his "Big Stick Diplomacy".
The name came from his famous quote of "Speak softly, and carry a big stick."
He increased the government regulation and safety standards of food and medicine with the Meat Inspection Act, and the Pure Food and Drug Act (in which he basically made food safer and less gross).
And although Teddy had been a Sunday school teacher (um the coolest Sunday School teacher ever), he believed strongly in the separation of church and state. n fact when he was sworn in, he refused to do so on a bible. He was also not a fan of "In God We Trust" being printed on money (it was actually omitted on the $20 gold coin printed in 1907).
As the first conservationist president, he set aside large areas out west for public use (including the Grand Canyon and 4 other national parks!)
In November 1906, Teddy made presidential history by becoming the first chief executive to leave the United States, when he went to oversea the construction of the Panama Canal. (The French had abandoned construction because of something lame like malaria and yellow fever, and Teddy picked up where they left off with surgeons and sanitation engineers).
Teddy also had some notable firsts as president.
Oh, and fun side note about Teddy's Veep, Charles Fairbanks: Usually we don't even talk about the VP unless he is someone of importance. But we know Charles Fairbanks!And not just because we've visited Fairbanks, Alaska! (which was named for him). No, we know him, because We visited his grave in August! He's actually buried in the same cemetery with Benjamin Harrison! (What a small world, and holy links.. that's THREE right there!
Anyway, Teddy had promised not to run for re-election, but he basically hand picked his successor in his BFF, William Howard Taft
So Taft became president,
And Teddy was all like "I'll totes kick anyone's butt with the utmost cheerfulness if you need, BFF Will"....
....before he goes off on his "last chance to be boy!" safari in Africa....
...where he shot and killed 512 animals for the Smithsonian to use as specimens (Some animals he hunted:
But when Teddy returned there was a problem: Taft wasn't quite the "Teddy 2.0" everyone thought he would be. And if you're Teddy, and you see a problem, you don't whine, you fix it. For Teddy, "fixing it" meant breaking the Progressive Republicans off into a new party: The Bull Moose Party (Fun note: that link up there about the Smithsonian also has a Bull Moose pennant ,too!)
While campaigning in Wisconsin, a saloon keeper shot him.
But a bullet doesn't stop Teddy from giving a speech, even if that bullet goes through his speech in his pocket and hits him in the chest. As Teddy said "it tes more than that to kill a Bull Moose".
But, you can't split a party in two and get the votes you need, so Teddy and Taft both lost, making Woodrow Wilson president #28, who had to deal with World War I. And don't feel bad for Taft, he ended up with his dream job, remember?
Teddy lobbied to get Wilson to send him France to head up some forces, and the people rallied behind the idea, but Wilson opted not to send the 58 year old ex-president.
However, Teddy's son Quentin did go off to fight, and died.
Teddy's health was never quite the same after Quentin died. On the night of January 5, 1919, Teddy went to bed, and died in his sleep and the result of a blood clot.
His son, Archie, telegraphed his siblings simply "The old lion is dead."
And Wilson's Veep, Thomas Marshall, summed it up best when he said "death had to take Roosevelt sleeping, for if he had been awake, there would have been a fight".
Teddy has the legacy of one of our most badass, manliest presidents. He was exciting, charismatic, energetic, and progressive. Learning about him was everything I thought it would be (Which is good, because the last thing we need is another Sam Grant sized disappointment)
I mean, just look at this guy.
He ranks in the top 5 with presidents consistantly. Also up there with him are the usual suspects: George Washington, Abe Lincoln, and FDR. Alternating for the last spot in the top five is usually TJ and Harry Truman.
Teddy gets all kinds of accolades, you know, Mount Rushmore, and the Washington Nationals Mascot.
Oh, and some people say Maxwell House Coffee got their slogan from TR himself. He guzzled a gallon of it in true Teddy fashion, and someone asked him how it was. His response: "It was good to the last drop".
And of course we have the Teddy Bear. You see, this story isn't exactly what it seems. Some guys tied up a bear for Teddy to shoot, he thought it was unsportsman like, so he refused to do it. Now, everyone is all "aw, Teddy saved a bear," and they made some stuffed ones after a newspaper posted a cartoon about the incident. What the newspaper left out, however, was the part where Teddy had someone else shoot the bear. So, theres that.
We added our quote.
Some Fun Facts.
His presidential issues.
And of course we did our owl mail, and made our birthday cards.
We also did our Historical Hashtag.....
For our activity we made little Teddy Bears from gloves.
We hot glued them instead of sewing them, but they were cute. The boys pointed out they could pass for moose too, because of the shape of the head and the ears. Moose or Bear, the activity fits. (Later tonight we're also going to watch the latest "Night at the Museum")
For dinner we couldn't catch any wild game, so instead we had some of Teddy's favorites including biscuits and chicken with white gravy. (Teddy said "the only way to serve friend chicken is with white gravy soaked into the meat")
We had more after dinner coffee, Teddy would be proud, I've had three cups today.
We haven't quite had the clove cake yet, and we're not too sure about this one, but we'll all give it a try.
That's it for Teddy.... until I read his 38 books that is.
Up Next: I will be back tomorrow with some blogs on our latest adventures. I need to get caught up by Friday when we celebrate John Adams! It's been awhile since we were learning about our Founding Fathers!
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