Sagamore Hill, NY….Home of Teddy Roosevelt was an impressive residence for an equally impressive man. As with all of our tours on the TAH trips, the living residences are some of my favorite. I have to admit, this will forever be one of my favorites – not because of the décor, but because of what I learned about the man himself. The personal information on the man will become a keystone in my curriculum regarding the Spanish American War and his Presidency.
Theodore Roosevelt was an extraordinary personality. Sagamore Hill and the Park rangers brought to life the man and his family. The stories of his family tell more about the character of the man and his goals and tone for his public service. He was an extraordinary personality not because of his flamboyance but because of his basic beliefs in humanity and his family/humanity values. One may disagree with the free reign that he allowed his children, but you cannot dismiss his love of family. He set as his agenda a 4:00 appointment to play with his children. It is said in one of the books that I purchased that when arriving home the first place he would attend to would be the nursery. He felt that the best people in our country were the ones “carrying little people.”
TR felt that his service in the Spanish American War with his RoughRiders was the most important thing that he had done in his life. He was so appreciated that his men gifted him with a Remington Statue as thanks for his leadership. His political positions to the state of NY and as President were, in his view, not just a privilege but an obligation. He viewed public service by all as a requirement of citizenship in this nation. As a nation, he felt that it’s greatest asset and barometer of strength was its people.
“No Nonsense” would be a phrase that I would attribute to this man. He loved his family to distraction, moved strongly toward his goals, and believed that this was the greatest country. When you look at Teddy Roosevelt you feel that patriotism is something that can be aspired to, and reached. I think that students can learn volumes from his values of citizenship, civics, community service, self improvement…and love of family and country.
His house was indeed what I can only describe as a “man cave” with all of the animal furs throughout. I bought a little booklet that has all of these intriguing inspirational quotes from him about a variety of topics. Sadly he is not really involved with the curriculum (time period) that I teach, but I gained a much greater appreciation for him by our visit to Sagamore Hill. He is truly a man for which I have a great deal of respect and admiration.
I am so jazzed to learn more about him! I love his all out approach to living! He left nothing wanting, and although he came across as an overwhelming personality, he loved his family and his country with every fibre of his being. I would love to live EVERY DAY to the fullest like that!
It seems that the TAH classes have largely ignored old Teddy, haven’t they? Due to that I felt that I learned quite a bit on our visit to Sagamore and really enjoyed it. And agree or disagree with his policies, I think you are correct that students can learn much from him as a model of citizenship.
I absolutely agree and I believe that our society has forgotten the responsibility and obligation to citizenship practices. I love some of his quotes that deal with this very subject!
No nonsense is right! You nailed it! I love this quality about Teddy Roosevelt. He called it as he saw it and to hell with anyone who tried to slow him down. I admire his moxie, his courage, his lust for life and his ability to get the job done. He read the Jungle-passed the Meat Inspection Act. He read the Influence of Sea Power-he paraded the Great White Fleet. He read Riis’ How the Other Half Lives and as Police Comissioner began to fulfill his promise that he wrote to Riis-”I have read your book and I have come to help”. He camped with John Muir at Yosemite and he preserved it and set it aside as a national park. His passion for life coalesced beautifully with his passion for the Presidency and he got the job done, while still putting his time with his kids at the top of his list!
Sheila,
Thank you for the incredibly insightful connections between what he read and what he chose to tackle! Powerful lessons for our kids!! Imagine: you read something, and then you change the world! I hope you don’t mind stealing your genius insight! We talk about Riis, but this becomes a concrete example of the change that his work brought about! TR is quickly becoming one of my favorites though!
Kelli,
Be sure to read James Bradley’s “The Imperial Cruise: A Secret History of Empire and War” (he also wrote “Flags of Our Fathers” and “Flyboys”). You’ll want to drive to Mount Rushmore with a few sticks of dynamite and remove his face from the Pantheon of American presidents.
Mr. Lopez,
How cool is that: My Middle School history teacher reading my blog ! I hope you enjoy!