27 Comments
Taylor Slais
1/28/2014 12:09:05 pm
It seems to me that Theodore Roosevelt was somewhat shaped by his era, though not wholly. His interest in progressive reform is a product of the time, or at least the extent of it is, as well as his use of media in promoting himself and his ideas. However, I would have to say that certain actions, such as inviting Booker T. Washington to the White House (no matter the reason) and his disregard for the Constitution are out of the norm for the time. As for his effectiveness as a president, TR was a fairly decent one. He was able to win the support of many people, despite controversial actions. He used his intellect while decision-making, passed several reform laws, including food and drug ethics laws, and went after big business. He got things done, even while indulging in his more theatrical tendencies. It seems that, despite faults, he was, as the Oates said, great in the Presidency because he loved it, and the people loved him for loving it.
Reply
Ivy Gibson
1/29/2014 06:18:36 am
I like the way you phrased "theatrical tendencies." It's nice. The first thing I thought when reading about his ego was that Roosevelt would have been a trumpet.
Reply
Adam Kimball
1/30/2014 02:04:16 pm
So if Teddy is decent, who is your favorite present Taylor?
Reply
Josie Oren
1/28/2014 02:42:10 pm
1) Teddy Roosevelt took on many aspects that were characteristic of the era he was born in. For example, he chose to side with the common folk when fighting against big business, such as in the anthracite coal strike. I feel like he took on the rough-and-tough western mentality (he wasn't portrayed as a cowboy for nothing) that was rising at the time, and used this to define his persona by the traits of aggression, righteousness, and pride. Like Taylor said, however, he was also abnormal in that he extended the same courtesy that he would a white man to a black man, such as Booker T Washington when he was invited to dine at the White House, and he also disregarded the constitution often when he thought that the greater good was in danger, again, looking towards the anthracite strike. His strength, mentality, and pride in being an America was characteristic of the time, but his 'extreme' views were quite ahead of their time.
Reply
Ivy Gibson
1/29/2014 06:22:07 am
I was reading through your comments on how effective you thought Roosevelt was, and, while I agree completely, you don't seem to acknowledge any faults.
Reply
Josie Oren
1/29/2014 04:36:31 pm
Whoops--teaches me not to type too quickly. On my handwritten sheet there was a "some" between 'than' and 'his'. I wouldn't make the hyperbolic comment that he was the best and will always be the best, I simply think that his track record of accomplishments could intimidate a lot of past and current presidents (but not all).
Rachel Sutherland
1/30/2014 01:11:41 am
Good use of specific examples to back your arguments! And I agree with your argument that TR was shaped by some elements of the era, but not all.
Reply
Ivy Gibson
1/29/2014 03:01:32 am
1. Teddy Roosevelt was shaped by his era to an extent, but not completely. Roosevelt was definitely a Progressive, but he went beyond some of the Progressive beliefs. Roosevelt's work towards conservation and his attitude big business were very much not characteristics of his era. Also, when he invited Booker T Washington to the White House, he went beyond what most politicians would do with African Americans. Also, Roosevelt's disregard of the Constitution was very different for his time.
Reply
Taylor Slais
1/29/2014 06:06:44 am
I agree with you wholeheartedly. TR was definitely shaped by his era, but not completely, and several of the actions you mentioned back this up (conservation, big business stance [although some were trying to break this up]). Furthermore, TR was an effective president (not quite sure how anyone could argue differently with everything he accomplished and his level of popularity). We seem to think alike on this issue. Yay!
Reply
Kishan Patel
1/29/2014 08:22:02 am
Roosevelt grew up in an era where corrupt businesses ruled the country. It shows why he worked to break up bad trusts and why he sided with unions and workers. In a way, he wanted to clean up the messes that country had. He made conservation areas to keep the beauties of nature, he created the ICC, he was able to regulate safety/health issues in places like the meat packing industries, and he was able to pass plenty of other reform laws even with the split republican party.
Reply
Reese Bohn
1/29/2014 12:04:45 pm
I agree with everything that is stated here and I liked how you started by stating businesses ruled the country
Reply
Thomas Timmerman
1/29/2014 04:32:12 pm
Even though he might not have gotten as much paper work done, your opinion shows that he layed out the work for Presidents to come!
Reese Bohn
1/29/2014 12:02:22 pm
1) Teddy Roosevelt was shaped by the era in which he lived but not completely in my eyes he would side with the people for issues relating business, bust trusts while on the other hand he would carry around this attitude that was unheard of at the time. as well as the extent he took to stop debates such as the problem with the coal mines and its workers.
Reply
Emily Claeboe
1/29/2014 12:31:22 pm
I like how you state your opinion of Roosevelt not being completely influenced by the era he was in, it's a different idea. I also agree with how you explained his effectiveness as a president, well stated with the larger than life.
Reply
Sophia Maicki
1/29/2014 05:08:34 pm
I like that you decided to take a different stand on the topic. Maybe go into a little more detail regarding him being "larger than life. What did he do exactly to shape society?
Reply
Emily Claeboe
1/29/2014 12:29:19 pm
1) I believe Teddy Roosevelt was shaped by the era that he lived in, by wanting to change how America's government handled certain aspects in trusts, monopolies, and unions. Its interesting how he choose to separate the trusts into bad and good categories and wanting things done between the businesses and the laborers. Though the steps he took to get the things accomplished as president was unheard of with the coal strikes and trusts in this time period, he had the main idea of the progressive era.
Reply
emily
1/29/2014 12:40:30 pm
that ass is meant to be as ... sorry
Reply
Thomas Timmerman
1/29/2014 04:30:51 pm
I agree with what you said about his personality contributing to his overall effectiveness. I think having good character can help get things done, and it also alters how history remembers you in the long run.
Sophia Maicki
1/29/2014 05:12:11 pm
I like that you went into detail on each of his characteristics and why they helped him to shape America. I definitely agree with you on his personality. It's interesting how you used that instead of just discussing his accomplishments as president.
Reply
Thomas Timmerman
1/29/2014 04:29:10 pm
I believe Theodore Roosevelt was somewhat shaped by the era he lived in. His progressive attitude was clearly very popular in the day, and the way he used the media to his advantage was becoming an incredibly useful platform for politicians. However, as stated by others, he had many ideals that were not similar to those of his peers, the most obvious of which is his dinner with Booker T. Washington. This shows that Theodore, or Teddy as I like to call him, was shaped by the era he lived in but did not let that interfere with his moral standards.
Reply
Josie Oren
1/29/2014 04:33:26 pm
Aside from the fact that I totally agree with your opinion on Roosevelt, I really like how you title him a "role model president." His morality based politics and no-nonsense attitude really helped him to accomplish many things throughout his presidency. He's an example that a lot of other people could learn from.
Reply
Kishan Patel
1/30/2014 01:07:58 am
I agree that he was a very effective president! The details you give really proves that Theodore Roosevelt was an excellent president
Reply
Sophia Maicki
1/29/2014 05:02:39 pm
Roosevelt was shaped by the popular idea of reforming government, businesses, and society as a whole. The progressive movement inspired him to write books, letters and articles, before he was even elected as president. By the time he became president, he had acquired many ideas about things that needed to be reformed.
Reply
Adam Kimball
1/30/2014 02:03:39 pm
It's truly a testament to his dedication that he would take so many large and tiresome reforms head on. :)
Reply
Rachel Sutherland
1/30/2014 12:51:46 am
I believe the TR was highly shaped by the era because he mostly wanted to help the people and be on their side. During the coal strike, he was quoted saying, "I don't care what is Unconstitutional, these people want coal!" During one of his elections, he let women be heavily involved in his campaign. Women like Jane Addams. He saw his presidency as being the 'broker' between business/trusts and the common man. He passed Acts to help improve the lives of citizens, such as Food & Drug Act, and also passed acts to encourage competition with businesses and came down on monopolies. So, I would say he was highly affected by the reform movements of the Progressive Era.
Reply
Adam Kimball
1/30/2014 01:59:37 pm
To me it seems that TR was especially caught up in the Progressive movement and reforming everything he could, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing because that is what was popular to the people who supported him, but it does make a case for the fact that he was shaped by the era in which he lived. His passions pursued that of his peers. He just did it better.
Reply
Adam Kimball
1/30/2014 02:02:25 pm
Also, I believe that TR was a very strong president. He was loved by many, upheld a positive public image, and got done the work that the people wanted to see done. Even though he wasn't the best reformer, he adhered to the reform movement really well and made political moves that were generally well received by his citizens. Plus, who couldn't love the trust-buster? He perpetuates good trusts and busts bad trusts, but more importantly, he can distinguish between the two.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
APUSH BlogArchives
January 2018
Categories |