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Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Mrs. Ralph Sanger

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Mrs. Ralph Sanger

Theodore Roosevelt will not sign and does not agree with the appeal calling for Americans to call themselves Anglo-Americans and sympathize with England as the motherland. Roosevelt believes Americans are a separate people and should view the United States as their motherland. He is not an “Englishman-once-removed” but is “straight United States.” A foreign nation should be treated according to its conduct and not influenced by a shared ethnic heritage. Roosevelt has publicly supported Belgium, which includes admonishing Germany for its conduct and praising England for defending an ally. However, he did so because it was morally right and not due to a shared “ground of community of origin” between the United States and England.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1914-12-22

Speech of the President at the Auditorium, Chattanooga, Tennessee

Speech of the President at the Auditorium, Chattanooga, Tennessee

At the opening session of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen convention, President Roosevelt praises railroad workers as possessing the necessary qualities of soldiers, including obedience, initiative, and the rugged, manly virtues that Roosevelt feels are threatened by modern luxuries. He argues that organized labor is wonderful, but only if it encourages individual improvement while working for the group, and he feels that the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen have historically exemplified this virtue. Roosevelt warns that the prosperity of modern progress also gives rise to new challenges. He insists that, just as certain soldierly qualities remain constant despite changes in arms or military tactics, laws and constitutions may change but the need for good citizens of honesty, courage, and common sense will always be necessary. Having just visited the Chickamauga and Chattanooga battlefields, Roosevelt also praises the unified American spirit shared by men and women across the country, including immigrants.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-09-08