Roosevelt’s rough diggers
Subject(s): Canals--Design and construction, Panama--Panama Canal, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919, Stevens, John F. (John Frank), 1853-1943, Unskilled labor
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Theodore Roosevelt, dressed as a Rough Rider, leads a group of laborers, armed with shovels, to work on the Panama Canal. One man in the background wears a hat labeled “Jake,” perhaps referring to John F. Stevens, who took over the chief engineer position for the canal construction in 1905.
Comments and Context
This lively image of a determined President Roosevelt, clad in Rough Rider uniform and not in presidential formalwear, is iconic, of brilliant simplicity. It explains to readers the tenacity of the famously tenacious president, especially when he was confronted by challenges facing his pet project.
His troops, of course, carry not the rifles of San Juan Hill, but shovels at the ready.
What is seldom noted is the actual context of the cartoon. Keppler’s cartoon in Puck appeared just at the time Roosevelt arrived in Panama to inspect American progress on the canal. This was a time of several challenges — land, workers, disease, equipment — and the President who characteristically took personal interest in minute details, wanted to do more than stage a “photo op.” He did, however, clamber up to the control-seat, in his tropical white suit, of a gargantuan earth-moving machine; and, yes, there were photographers on the scene. However, he also assessed the situation, discussed matters with managers and common workers, and left, he felt, better informed.
On the return trip from the Canal Zone, the presidential party stopped in “Porto Rico,” as it was then spelled in America, for similar first-hand assessments. This was the first time a sitting United States President had left American soil. That would not escape the view of cartoonists like Keppler.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1906-11-14
Creator(s)
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Repository
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Page Count
1
Record Type
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:
Roosevelt’s rough diggers. [November 14, 1906]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o284158. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Unknown. Roosevelt’s rough diggers. [14 Nov. 1906]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o284158.
APA:
Unknown., [1906, November 14]. Roosevelt’s rough diggers.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o284158.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
APA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
