President Theodore Roosevelt Essay Example for Free

President Theodore Roosevelt Essay Theodore Roosevelt was an asthmatic, nearsighted, shy and physically weak child who later on became one of the most powerful Presidents of the United States. His leadership style was tough, yet his charisma kept him in the circles of smart people. His communication skills were popular among the masses but his tough leadership style was disliked by his fellow republicans. His leadership was considered too domineering by them. Although, much before succeeding as the President, he was the president of the board of New York Police commissioners. During his two years as its presidents, he radically transformed the organization. With his iron-will and honesty, he brought major reforms to the organization and saved its tainted image. His style of working with others was tough and usually liked to take unilateral decisions, yet his major decisions proved correct Theodore Roosevelt had a very ambitious personality.   He took up sports as diverse as boxing, hiking, horseback riding, and tennis. In his childhood, he was hyperactive and rather mischievous and was an excellent conversationalist (Thayer, 1919). He was an avid reader. He chose to lead a strenuous life despite the fact that his doctors advised him to find a desk job.   All these aspects of his personality later reflected in his life as a leader. His ambitious personality helped him overcome his physical abilities to become a powerful masculine figure and later became one of the most robust and ambitious U.S presidents. His hyperactive personality was later instrumental in his success as he became an activist and a reformer. His excellent communication skills helped him in his election campaign as it captivated the masses.   Above all, his personality aspect of being tough and leading a strenuous life was one of the prime reasons that he rose from being a timid boy to becoming among the most powerful U.S presidents (Morris, 2001). Issues that engaged my emotions Theodore Roosevelt had a poor state of health. From his physical condition, one could only infer that he would later end up finding a desk job and leading a normal life. But since his childhood, he had great ambitions. He worked out in gymnasium to improve his physical health and took up boxing to deal with bullies (Thayer, 1919). His memorable fight at Harvard is a testament of how hard work helped him achieve something others won’t expect of him (Thayer, 1919). I feel emotionally engaged with these issues because it would have taken him great pains to overcome his physical state, which was probably the reason for him being shy in childhood, to become a great man in history. The death of his mother and wife on the same day, both very dear to him, was also one of the issues I felt emotionally engaged with. His recovery from this great loss was an evidence of the strength of his personality and his emotional stability. Though, Theodore Roosevelt was awarded a Noble Peace prize for his efforts to end Russo-Japanese wars, he was equally eager to wage war with any country to test the naval supremacy of the U.S. I disagree with his hawkish stance when he disclosed his desire to fight war with any country. I also disagree with his position on racism. He was also a racist and seriously doubted the loyalties of Irish-American and German-American and termed them unpatriotic. No doubt, Theodore Roosevelt was an important historical figure. But there have been instances when his motives seemed to me more inclined towards personal gains rather than being towards national interest. He sought to give the President wide ranging authority and thus extended the president’s powers. He considered the president the sole authority to make decisions and in the process undermined the judiciary to some extent. He split his party and even split with his friend William Howard Taft, who was Roosevelt’s candidate for presidency (Morris, 2001). I am also critical of some of his actions. He was responsible for splitting his party and did not succeed in getting the loyalties of his fellow republicans, which was mainly due to their reservations about his domination of the party politics.   He was also responsible for establishing a temporary colonial rule over the Dominican Republic in 1905 and Cuba in 1906 (Morris, 2001). Instead of supporting President Wilson’s pledge of neutrality during World War 1, he became one of its biggest critics. If I were in place of President Theodore Roosevelt, I would have adopted a dovish approach to the problems of that time. I would have tried to ensure that fellow republicans have been taken into confidence on all major decisions, a step that could have proved useful for the President in his future campaigns. Instead of a hawkish approach towards enemies in World War 1 after the presidency, I would have supported the strategy of President Wilson. References Morris, Edmund (2001). The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. Modern Library. Roosevelt, Theodore (1913). An Autobiography. Thayer, Charles Roscoe (1919). Theodore Roosevelt.