Morality and the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt
Subject(s): Conservation of natural resources, Corporations, American--Government policy, Cox, Minnie M. Geddings, 1869-1933, Diplomacy, Lynching, Pinchot, Gifford, 1865-1946, Political ethics, Presidents--Relations with African Americans, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919, Sherman Act (United States), Texas--Brownsville, Washington, Booker T., 1856-1915
Click on image to zoom in
William N. Tilchin asserts that President Theodore Roosevelt was guided in his policies by a strong sense of morality, one that had been instilled in him by his father. Tilchin examines four areas of Roosevelt’s presidency–the control of corporations, the status of African-Americans in the Jim Crow South, the conservation of natural resources, and diplomacy–and argues that in each Roosevelt’s sense of morality, of right and wrong, guided his approach. Tilchin states that Roosevelt’s greatest moral shortcoming in his policies occurred over race, noting Roosevelt’s failure to adequately curtail lynching and his treatment of African-American soldiers in Brownsville, Texas. On the other hand, Tilchin says that in his conservation policies, Roosevelt “was the very model of an effective moral leader,” and he praises Roosevelt for his foreign policy that had as one of its underpinnings that the United States acted as a “morally upright” and civilized nation.
A political cartoon and three photographs of Roosevelt supplement the essay.
Collection
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
Creation Date
1996
Creator(s)
Language
English
Period
Theodore Roosevelt and Public Memory (1919-present)
Page Count
8
Production Method
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
No permission is required from the Theodore Roosevelt Association to use items in the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal collection for educational purposes. For permissions, contact William Tilchin at (516) 921-6319 or by email at wnt@bu.ed
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
Morality and the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. [1996]. Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o308213. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Tilchin, William N., 1950-. Morality and the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. [1996]. Image.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o308213.
APA:
Tilchin, William N., 1950-., [1996]. Morality and the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o308213.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/theodore-roosevelt-association-journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/theodore-roosevelt-association-journal.
APA:
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/theodore-roosevelt-association-journal.
