Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Owen Wister
Subject(s): Bacon, Robert, 1860-1919, Books and reading, Cox, Minnie M. Geddings, 1869-1933, Criticism, Crum, William Demos, 1859-1912, Fisk, James, Jr., 1835-1872, French, Daniel Chester, 1850-1931, Gilder, Richard Watson, 1844-1909, Gould, Jay, 1836-1892, Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885, Hearst, William Randolph, 1863-1951, La Farge, C. Grant (Christopher Grant), 1862-1938, MacMonnies, Frederick William, 1863-1937, Moody, William H. (William Henry), 1853-1917, Phillips, David Graham, 1867-1911, Race relations, Racism, Reconstruction (United States : 1865-1877), Root, Elihu, 1845-1937, Sage, Russell, 1816-1906, Saint-Gaudens, Augustus, 1848-1907, Sectionalism (United States), Sinclair, Upton, 1878-1968, Social problems, South Carolina--Charleston, Vanderbilt, Cornelius, 1794-1877, Washington, Booker T., 1856-1915
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President Roosevelt had recently finished Owen Wister’s book Lady Baltimore, and sends Wister his thoughts and criticisms of the work. While he enjoyed the story, Roosevelt believes the book is unfairly critical of northerners and uncritical of southerners. Similarly, Roosevelt points out that while the book lauds the past at the expense of the present, there are many examples of violence, brutality, greed, and other vices in the past. Roosevelt also remarks on the status of African-Americans, and while he agrees with Wister in certain regards, believes the work has gone too far in the racist stereotypes. He hopes that Wister will be able to visit him soon. In a postscript, Roosevelt mentions a number of other books he has read or is reading that similarly make readers “feel that there is no use of trying to reform anything because everything is so rotten that the whole social structure should either be let alone or destroyed.”
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1906-04-27
Creator(s)
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Recipient
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Repository
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Page Count
15
Production Method
Record Type
Multi-image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Owen Wister. [April 27, 1906]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o195371. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Owen Wister. [27 Apr. 1906]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 30, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o195371.
APA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919., [1906, April 27]. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Owen Wister.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o195371.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 30, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
APA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
