Theodore Roosevelt’s speech, Strength and Decency, included a variety of rhetorical strategies that allowed him to persuade educated, mature, and, strong men to become powerful and decent human beings. Roosevelt’s purpose of presenting this speech was to persuade the audience to behave like the strong men they are but with decency and manners because, in the 1900s, men behaved in a very manly fashion. However, men lacked manners and morality. Due to the very questionable propriety of men, Roosevelt was driven to address how men should act the way a real mature man would in order to further improve society. By using rhetorical strategies such as repetition, Christian appeal, and a serious tone, Roosevelt is able to show his audience how strength and decency go hand in hand.

Roosevelt’s use of repetition causes the audience to feel a sense of expectation. Roosevelt held a high position in society with a lot of support from a wide range of followers, thus creating an audience driven towards meeting Roosevelt’s expectations. For example, the 4th paragraph of Roosevelt’s speech maintained a constant usage of the word, I. Roosevelt uses the term, I, various times throughout the speech. Although I is used numerous times, such as when he states, “...I hail the work of this society as typifying one of those forces which tend to the betterment and uplifting of our social system...I should hope to see each man who is a member of this society, from his membership in it become all the