The Accomplishments Of Theodore Roosevelt

When considering who is the best of something, does one evaluate pure accomplishments of an individual or simply the merit behind them? A combination of both personality and achievements dictates to those making the decision who this person is and what they stand for. The time for this merit to show was in 1900, where the United States was about to enter the greatest turning point in its history. America had entered the age of imperialism and was ready to expand onto the global stage. The country needed a strong, modern president to do the job. Theodore Roosevelt is the best president the United States has ever had due to his early life, domestic and international achievements, and lasting impact on the United States. Theodore Roosevelt

Domestically, most of his administration's efforts revolved around what was called “The Square Deal.” Roosevelt believed that “the government should use its resources to help achieve economic and social justice” (Milkins B). The Square Deal focused on achieving fair results for both sides of disputes such as “labor and management, consumer and business, and developer and conservationist” (Milkins B). Roosevelt, from his time spent in North Dakota, was a pioneer of the conservationist movement, to preserve the American wilderness, earning him the nickname “That Damned Cowboy.” During his time as president, “Roosevelt used his presidential authority to issue executive orders to create 150 new national forests, increasing the amount of protected land from 42 million acres to 172 million acres. The President also created five national parks, eighteen national monuments, and 51 wildlife refuges (Milkins B). President Roosevelt also used the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 to bring down several large conglomerates, eventually turning his eyes to the railroad industry, reforming it, through the ICC. Finally, after the release of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, a book detailing the horrors of the American meatpacking industry roosevelt passed the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 (Milkins B). Domestically, Roosevelt worked to keep things fair in the capitalist economy

Though it may seem harsh, these actions worked in several areas including Cuba and the Philippines. Roosevelt soon “issued a corollary to the Monroe Doctrine allowing the US to exercise international policy power to intervene and keep smaller countries in the Americas on their feet (InsideGov). Later, in order to gain control of an area to build the Panama Canal, Roosevelt gave money to a Panamanian revolution, which when gained power, gave land to the United States (Milkins A). In 1905, Roosevelt as a mediated negotiated a peace treaty to end the Russo-Japanese war, later winning the Nobel Peace Prize for the action (Milkins A). The foreign policy goals of Roosevelt “followed McKinley in ending the relative isolationism that had dominated the country since the mid-1800s, acting aggressively in foreign affairs, often without the support or consent of Congress (Milkins A). These aggressive actions propelled the United States forward as a world power, cementing its place in history as a global