Today, we regard Theodore Roosevelt as one of the greatest presidents of all time, and as an extraordinary person in general. He went to Harvard in the class of 1880, he served in the army in 1898 as the colonel of the Rough Riders, coming back home a hero, and he served as the governor of New York in 1990 before quickly becoming the youngest president ever at 42 when McKinley was assassinated. Once there, he made a legacy as one of the greatest presidents of all time, even winning a Nobel Peace Prize in 1906, and becoming the first American to do so, for his work on ending the Russo-Japanese War. Roosevelt was also very strong, once being shot at the beginning of a speech in Milwaukee and continuing to deliver the 60 minute speech before going to the hospital. But perhaps his greatest accomplishments lie in his progressive leadership of the U.S, making …show more content…
After seeing the horrific sanitation issues in the meat processing industry, the president decided that the government needed to step in and provide regulation. He also later signed the Pure Foods and Drugs Act, which banned the sale of food and drug which the government deemed unsafe for public consumption. But Roosevelt wasn’t done improving the public welfare. He strongly believed that the preservation of wilderness was crucial to America’s health and economy. He preserved over 230,000,000 acres of land, setting aside 150 protected forests, 51 federal bird reserves, 4 game reserves, and helping build 24 irrigation projects. However, Roosevelt did nothing to improve African American rights, even though he believed that African Americans deserved equal treatment and that they could achieve this through hard work and education. He was too afraid of losing the Southern vote to accomplish anything, although he did invite African American activist Booker T. Washington for dinner at the White House to discuss the