WH II Honors: Theodore Roosevelt Hand-Out

Theodore Roosevelt Hand-Out

1. You may know some things about Theodore Roosevelt in world affairs from our textbook (p. 485) but can you name at least three things that you knew about Roosevelt before hearing "Teddy" on 9 February 2010?






LESSON
DEFINING AMERICA'S ROLE IN THE WORLD

Learning Objectives:

1. Students will explore how TR's actions in international affairs to reflect both points in his famous admonition to "Speak softly and carry a big stick."
2. Students will evaluate one of TR's efforts to solve international disputes through mediation.
3. Students analyze reasons for political shifts in support or opposition to a program.

Introduction:
When discussing Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policy, most people refer to his famous admonition to "Speak softly and carry a big stick," with most of the emphasis on the latter part of this famous quote. TR's idealization of the warrior, his enthusiasm as a big game hunter, and many of his own quotes provide fodder for the image of a leader itching for battle. However, an examination of his Presidential record in international relations provides an interesting picture of a world leader who, though prepared for battle at any time, eagerly but without fanfare, exhausted every peaceful route in solving international crises. Roosevelt set the standard for a man with power using that power in a thoughtful and careful manner. While building up the US Navy as his "Big Stick" he mediated the end of the Russo-Japanese War that threatened the delicate balance of power, and became the first American to win the Nobel Peace Prize. (He is the only American to hold both the Nobel Peace Prize and the Congressional Medal of Honor). He moved America from its traditional isolationism and made the nation an active and respected player on the international stage, mediating disputes over Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Morocco, and the Alaskan boundary issue. He raised the bar for world leaders, becoming the first head of state to submit a dispute to the Court of Arbitration at The Hague. A firm believer in international cooperation, he was again the first head of state to seek the convening of the Second Hague Conference. And he carried with him the desire to raise the prestige of others as he sought and won for Latin American equal status with the rest of the world and won adoption for the Drago Doctrine that forbade nations from using force in collecting foreign debts. At his acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1910, Roosevelt promoted the creation of an international League of Peace to "not only keep the peace among themselves, but to prevent, by force, if necessary, its being broken by others." TR's vision of a League of Peace was presented to the world almost a decade before Woodrow Wilson's famous Fourteen Points and the League of Nations included in the Versailles Treaty of 1919.

Activities:

Analysis of a Peace Process:
Consider: The Russo-Japanese War

Analyze the peace process and describe the issue, noting the crisis to be addressed, the steps TR took in meeting the crisis, whose counsel he sought in working through the crisis, how he used or avoided the press in working through the crisis, and how he related to and dealt with other world leaders in seeking an ending to the crisis. You should grasp a new kind of world leader with an awareness of world/political history, an appreciation for the political skills and leadership positions of others, and an awareness of the uses for a powerful press as he sought peaceful ends to events which, in the past, had always resulted in wars.





Now that you saw "Teddy" for yourself name at least three new things that you learned about Roosevelt during the presentation.






References:

Cf. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/troosevelt_film/trffilm.html
Theodore Roosevelt on Film by Veronica Gillespie

Cf. http://www.librarything.com/catalog/gmicksmith&deepsearch=theodore+roosevelt
LibraryThing list of resources on Roosevelt

Cf. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYn5FJnvrZk
President Theodore Roosevelt on Liberty

Cf. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQlCbeNwKzg
Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders
An almost 100 year old film clip of president Theodore Roosevelt and some of his famous Rough Riders. No audio, but authentic video.

Cf. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCxf9eYWiaM
Theodore Roosevelt: Conserving America's Future

Cf. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-G_UlfgY9A
Teddy Roosevelt's "The Right of the People to Rule" speech

Cf. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhlzdjPGxrs
Teddy Roosevelt speech

Cf. http://www.theodore-roosevelt.com/
Basic resources on Roosevelt

Cf. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvZP93XqyTw
Histeria! Theodore Roosevelt - Trust Buster (a cartoon but accurate and a bit more fun than some of the other sources)