Morris, Edmund

In a chapter titled “A Most Just and Proper Revolution,” taken from the second volume of his biography of Theodore Roosevelt, Theodore Rex, Edmund Morris details the machinations in Washington, D.C. and Panama that resulted in the revolution against Colombian rule on the Isthmus and the establishment of the independent nation of Panama. Morris describes the careful actions and words of administration figures like Roosevelt and Secretary of State John Hay, and he charts the movement of ships of the United States Navy sent in support of the insurrection. Morris adds to his Panama narrative interludes about the November 1903 elections in the United States, Roosevelt’s visit to Sagamore Hill, and his compilation of a reading list.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2001

Creator(s)

Morris, Edmund

Edmund Morris examines in great detail the negotiations that led to the resolution of the Venezuelan debt and blockade crisis of 1902 between the United States and Germany. Morris agrees with historian Frederick W. Marks that much of the correspondence and records of the negotiations have been destroyed, and he provides five pages of tables to show the different versions of the negotiations as remembered by Theodore Roosevelt and recorded by various journalists, historians, and biographers. Morris argues that Roosevelt saw Germany as a threat to American interests and the maintenance of the Monroe Doctrine, and he asserts that Roosevelt behaved like a gentleman who was keen to prevent the humiliation of Emperor William II. Morris demonstrates that Roosevelt acted in keeping with his belief of speaking softly while deploying American naval assets under the command of Admiral George Dewey. Morris asserts that this combination of deft diplomacy and the employment of military power led to a successful resolution of the crisis.

A photograph of Roosevelt standing next to a large globe and another showing him on horseback with Emperor William II of Germany appear in the article. A listing of the officers of the Theodore Roosevelt Association along with the members of its executive committee also appears in the article.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1989

Edmund Morris asserts that Theodore Roosevelt was on a mission to strengthen the United States Navy from his time as Assistant Secretary of the Navy through his presidency. Morris highlights the sailing of the Great White Fleet and notes that the commissioning of USS Theodore Roosevelt fulfills Roosevelt’s wish to maintain peace through strength.  

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1986

Creator(s)

Morris, Edmund

Edmund Morris imagines meeting Theodore Roosevelt outside of a restaurant in Washington, D.C. They discuss Roosevelt’s Nobel Peace Prize and they compare the political scene of 1982 with that of 1902.

Four photographs are included in the piece: one each of Edmund and Sylvia Morris; one of a group of Roosevelt historians; and one of members of the Theodore Roosevelt Association.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1983

Edmund Morris critically reviews the 1975 film The Wind and the Lion. He argues that the film presents a “phony history” of the 1904 Morocco crisis in which American citizen Ion Hanford Pedicaris was kidnapped and held for ransom. The dispute was settled peacefully and not with an invasion of Morocco as depicted in the film.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1975

Creator(s)

Morris, Edmund