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TR Encyclopedia

The Strenuous Life

A champion of “the strenuous life,” Theodore Roosevelt believed in “the life of toil and effort, of labor and strife.” Learn more about Roosevelt’s opinions on the strenuous life, including sports, exploration, and big game hunting, and how they affected his life and career.

Theodore Roosevelt leads a group of men and women riding mules down the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon
Theodore Roosevelt leads a group of men and women riding mules down the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon, 1911.

African Safari

After leaving the presidency, Theodore Roosevelt went on a year-long safari in East Africa, sponsored by the Smithsonian Institute.

Asthma

Theodore Roosevelt’s early life was plagued by his struggles with asthma. While he eventually largely overcame this illness, he was never entirely free of it.

River of Doubt

The River of Doubt was Roosevelt’s last great adventure and, as he called it, his “last chance to be a boy.” After his defeat in the 1912 election, Roosevelt looked to his familiar pattern of adventure as therapy, but instead the expedition nearly took his life.

Rondon, Cândido Mariano da Silva

Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon accompanied Theodore Roosevelt down Brazil’s River of Doubt in 1914.  Rondon’s scientific precision in mapping the river sometimes clashed with Roosevelt’s desire to reach the end quickly, especially once disasters of many kinds struck the expedition.