Theodore Roosevelt was an energetic and dynamic leader who gave the nation a square deal. Roosevelt belonged to an aristocratic New York family. He attended Harvard University. Theodore Roosevelt fought in the Spanish-American war with the Rough Riders at the battle of San Juan Hill. He had served as police commissioner of New York, and vice president of the United States.
When President McKinley was assassinated on September 14, 1901, Theodore Roosevelt became, at the time, the youngest president in history at the time to hold office. Roosevelt saw himself as a man of the middle who would meditate the struggle between capital and labor.
He said that business must be protected against itself. As president he succeeded in getting additional authority over the railroads for the interstate commerce commission. He was also instrumental in the passage of the meat inspection act and the pure food and drug act.
Colorized image of US President Theodore Roosevelt...
English: Col Theodore Roosevelt stands triumphant ...
English: Col. Theodore Roosevelt. Crop of Image:Th...Roosevelt's attitude toward the poor and towards the labor movement was that of an enlightened conservative. He supported many labor demands such as shorter hours for women and children, employers' liability laws and limitations on the use of injunctions against workers in labor disputes.
In reform, Roosevelt wanted gradual change. He moved in the direction of the reformers and ended up as the candidate of the progressive party in the Bull Moose presidential campaign in 1912. He had broken with the Republican party and lost the election because of this.
In 1907 immigration reached its all-time high 1,285,000 in one year. Theodore Roosevelt said, "There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room but for on language here and that is the English language, for we intend to see that the crucible...