In the early 20th century, after serving two terms as President, Theodore Roosevelt delivered a now famous speech in Osawatomie, Kansas, where he outlined a new political philosophy an ideology, which he referred to as New Nationalism. This philosophy was grounded in the beliefs that the United States, somewhere along the line, had begun to falter and stray from its American values. Outlined in his speech at Osawatomie, Roosevelt’s New Nationalism called for political, social, and economic reform in order to create a government and country where the protection of human welfare and equality for all citizens was paramount. President Obama, over 100 years later but at the same location, delivered a very similar speech describing, and at times even directly quoting, many of the same arguments and ideals presented by President Roosevelt. In calling for …show more content…
Despite dealing with different issues over 100 years apart, both Obama and Roosevelt overlap, presenting almost identical arguments regarding the direction of American values, the need for social and political equality, and on reform within the economy. Furthermore, the goal of this paper will be to examine each of these president’s speeches, and show how, despite a century-long gap, the ideals of Theodore Roosevelt helped shape the goals of Obama’s presidency.
One of the earliest similarities between the speeches of Roosevelt and Obama can be seen in their opening statements, where both men present, what they believe to be, great examples of American values and citizenry. For President Roosevelt, he commends the soldiers of the Civil War,