Your TR Source
President Roosevelt reads a newspaper with the headline: “Testimony in Smoot Case.” The newspaper text reads, “President Smith admits being the father of 42 children! 38 children in the Merrill family! “I have over 100 nephews and nieces,” said Young Merrill.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-03-10
President Roosevelt sweats as he holds a book—”Roosevelt on race suicide”—and a newspaper with the headline, “President Smith, of the Mormon Church, has forty children and says he is proud of it.” Caption: Query—”Shall I send President Smith a letter of thanks and commendation?”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-03-10
Margaret Sanger replies to former President Roosevelt’s article “Birth Control–From the Positive Side.” Sanger argues that birth control is necessary for all classes; however, it is most necessary for the working class. She criticizes Roosevelt’s approach, stating that widespread fertility should not be encouraged in order to prevent the “spawning of the slums.” She also takes issue with Roosevelt’s assessment that birth rates in France and Germany helped precipitate World War I. Finally, Sanger argues that women fear birthing children into poverty with the inability to care for them. For this reason, birth control dissemination is a necessity.
The Margaret Sanger Papers Project
1917-12
Margaret Sanger discusses birth control in terms of several issues including infant mortality, population growth through fertility and immigration, unemployment, charity, abortion, and sterilization. She presents a great number of statistics and research. Sanger also states that birth control is an important topic that is not discussed as it should be. When former President Roosevelt called the first White House Conference in 1912, he addressed these issues but did not discuss how birth control was a remedy to these problems. The two following White House Conferences in 1929 and 1930 did not discuss birth control either.
The Margaret Sanger Papers Project
1938-03-03
President Roosevelt remarks on the fertility and prosperity of Kansas, especially as he has seen through his travels. He discusses seeing the Haskell Indian School, agricultural colleges, and the crops. Roosevelt also congratulates the cadet corps present and discusses the Civil War.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-05-02