Washington, George, 1732-1799

Theodore Roosevelt praises the Armed Forces and veterans of the Civil War. He also praises Father Edward Vattmann and other speakers of the evening as proud examples of loyal Americans with German ancestry. He calls for all of the various ethnic groups in America to come together under one language and one flag and condemns pacifists and anti-war politicians like Senator Robert M. La Follette. Roosevelt says all able-bodied men should join the fight and that America needs to be better prepared for war in the future.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1917-09-26

Theodore Roosevelt speaks out about “the Hun within our gates”, or German Americans he says are helping Germany from within the United States. Roosevelt says the term Hun was attributed to the German forces by William II himself and that it matches the atrocities committed by the German military in Europe and Asia. He gives examples of the Huns within our gates, particularly pacifists, and compares them to the “Copperheads” of the Civil War era. He calls for all Americans, regardless of ethnic origins, to unite under one flag and one language.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1917-09-27

Theodore Roosevelt speaks on behalf of Schuyler Merritt, who is running for Congress in Connecticut. Roosevelt says that the United States military was poorly prepared for the first World War and that it must take steps to be better prepared in the future. The country must also work on its industry, he says, to make businesses profitable and to ensure that workers are treated fairly. He calls for Americans of all ethnicities to be united and for the United States to instate universal military service.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1917-11-03

Handwritten draft of Theodore Roosevelt’s lecture at Princeton. Roosevelt compares the ethics of a nation to ethics on an individual level. He calls for a balance between taking care of oneself (or nation) and paying one’s duty to others (at an international level). He points to Germany’s actions during the first World War as an extreme example of caring only for the individual. Roosevelt discusses the current state of the American military and the war with Germany, including reports from the government and newspapers. He presents a list of America’s shortcomings in not being prepared for the war and advises the young university men to learn from the lessons of the past and become leaders in the future.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1917-11-16

In his lecture at Princeton, Theodore Roosevelt compares the ethics of a nation to ethics on an individual level. He calls for a balance between taking care of oneself (or nation) and paying one’s duty to others (at an international level). He points to Germany’s actions during the first World War as an extreme example of caring only for the individual. Roosevelt discusses the current state of the American military and the war with Germany, including reports from the government and newspapers. He presents a list of America’s shortcomings in not being prepared for the war and advises the young university men to learn from the lessons of the past and become leaders in the future.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1917-11-16

Theodore Roosevelt calls for all Americans, no matter their ethnicity or home country, to have a spirit of Americanism and be loyal only to the United States. Otherwise, he says, they are traitors to their country. He says America must make every effort to “speed up” the world war and must be better prepared in the future by instituting universal military service. Note: This speech was not delivered due to illness.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1918-02-14

Theodore Roosevelt says to be successful in the present, America must model herself after the leaders of the past such as Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. There are two ways to do this, he says, by embracing Americanism and military preparedness, which are also exemplified by the New York Police Force (for whom the speech was prepared). All American citizens, regardless of ethnicity or national origin, must give their undivided loyalty to America. The country will be better prepared in the future if it institutes a universal military draft. Note: This speech was not delivered due to illness.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1918-02-24

Theodore Roosevelt lays out the duties of the United States as a member of an international community, which include securing the safety and rights of our citizens at home and abroad, guarding the honor and upholding the just influence of our nation, and maintaining the integrity of international law. He insists that the United States should try to maintain peace, but believes there are “higher things which we must keep, if need be at the price of war.” Roosevelt believes military preparedness and a strong sense of nationalism are critical, but notes that patriotism cannot develop in members of a class that is being oppressed. Therefore, the protection of the working class is necessary, as a country “must be worth living in, to be worth dying for.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

Unknown

President Roosevelt speaks to the Grand Lodge of the State of Pennsylvania on the 150-year anniversary of the initiation of George Washington as a Freemason. He hails the Masons’ commitment to the equality and brotherhood of its members, as well as the ideals of self-respect and self-help. He also speaks of the qualities of a number of “great men” who he calls heroes because of their commitment to other people and their nation as a whole over their own selves. Roosevelt comments on the book The Simple Life by Charles Wagner, and wishes it could be circulated around the whole country because of the values it discusses. He urges each member of the audience to carry forward the spirit of brotherhood he has with his fellow Masons into the wider nation.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-11-05

Handwritten draft of Theodore Roosevelt’s speech given at the semi-centennial celebration of Nebraska’s statehood. Roosevelt recalls America’s two wars up to the present, the Revolutionary and the Civil Wars, and says that they were good for the country because they established liberties for its citizens. He warns that World War I is threatening those liberties due to pacifists and a lack of military preparation by the United States. He calls for loyalty to America from its immigrant population and for voluntary service in the military and aid organizations.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1917-06-14

President Roosevelt praises former President William McKinley for leading the nation through several crises with virtue. Roosevelt compares McKinley to Presidents Washington, Lincoln, Grant, Jefferson, and Jackson, all of whom Roosevelt notes have left long-standing legacies in the American memory. Roosevelt traces McKinley’s service to the United States from his commission in the Union Army during the Civil War, through his time in Congress and governorship of Ohio, before becoming President of the United States. McKinley helped the country move through a period of financial depression, as well as the Spanish-American War and the subsequent issues arising from having claimed new island territories. Roosevelt closes by noting that McKinley’s assassination shocked the nation, but that he died “in the golden fullness of his triumph,” and that his example lives on for the nation. This is a press copy of the speech.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-01-27

President Roosevelt praises President McKinley for leading the nation through several crises with virtue. Roosevelt compares McKinley to Presidents Washington, Lincoln, Grant, Jefferson and Jackson, all of whom Roosevelt notes have left long-standing legacies in the American memory. Roosevelt traces McKinley’s service to the United States from his commission in the Union Army during the Civil War, through his time in Congress and governorship of Ohio, before becoming President of the United States. McKinley helped the country move through a period of financial depression, as well as the Spanish-American War and the subsequent issues arising from having claimed new island territories. Roosevelt closes by noting that McKinley’s assassination shocked the nation, but that he died “in the golden fullness of his triumph,” and that his example lives on for the nation. This is a press copy of the speech with edits marked.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-01-27

President Roosevelt praises former President William McKinley for leading the nation through several crises with virtue. Roosevelt compares McKinley to Presidents Washington, Lincoln, Grant, Jefferson, and Jackson, all of whom Roosevelt notes have left long-standing legacies in the American memory. Roosevelt traces McKinley’s service to the United States from his commission in the Union Army during the Civil War, through his time in Congress and governorship of Ohio, before becoming President of the United States. McKinley helped the country move through a period of financial depression, as well as the Spanish-American War and the subsequent issues arising from having claimed new island territories. Roosevelt closes by noting that McKinley’s assassination shocked the nation, but that he died “in the golden fullness of his triumph,” and that his example lives on.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-01-27

Theodore Roosevelt praises the courage of the men who fought in the Civil War. Roosevelt is irritated to see a division of the National Guard armed with black powder muskets. He wants the best modern weapons used. Roosevelt also mentions the importance of good and intelligent citizenship.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-09-03

President Roosevelt speaks to a crowd in Wheeling, West Virginia. After thanking and praising native Senator Nathan B. Scott for the introduction, Roosevelt discusses how America is living in a period of unparalleled prosperity and advancement in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. However, that prosperity comes with its own problems, namely those related to the rise of large, interstate corporations. He encourages the crowd to reject patent solutions or revolutionary reactions to the problems introduced by trusts. Rather, he asserts that the country must evolve, with the federal government regulating corporations, gaining facts and encouraging publicity but not opposing corporations as such. He compares the need to adapt the law to address trusts with the evolution of military arms and tactics; the means may change, but the need for citizen courage, honesty, and character remain.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-09-06

President Roosevelt reminds the crowd in Asheville, North Carolina, of the state’s connection to American history. He mentions his recent visits to the battlegrounds at Chickamauga and Chattanooga and says no citizen can visit them without becoming a better American. He discusses his multi-state journey, saying it is a good thing for a president to travel so he can see that sectional and class differences are trivial. He notes how military arms and tactics may change but the necessary spirit of the good soldier remains the same; so too may laws and constitutions change, but Americans must always possess the qualities of good citizens: honesty, courage, and common sense. He concludes by reminding the crowd that all Americans are part of the government.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-09-09

President Roosevelt speaks to Cincinnati businessmen at a meeting in the Cincinnati Music Hall during a festival. He recalls the memory of President William McKinley, who came from Ohio, and notes the connections the city and state have to American history. Roosevelt congratulates the city on its prosperity, which he credits to “the intellectual and moral fiber of the men and women back of it.” He highlights the need for continued improvements along the Ohio River, as well as the benefits the city will receive from the Panama Canal when completed, explaining that “the whole country if benefited by whatever benefits one part.” Roosevelt argues that, just as military tactics and arms change over time but the soldiering spirit remains, so too will legal and economic realities change but the need for citizens of honesty, courage, and common sense remain.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-09-20

President Roosevelt thanks the local chairman, presumably a Democrat, for introducing him, saying that political party is of little importance when Americans are unified in the spirit of fairness. He notes the presence of school children in the crowd as well as veterans of the Union Army in the American Civil War, saying that the veterans’ victorious spirit lived on in the American soldiers who fought in the Philippines. He notes how evolving weapons and tactics have not changed the necessary qualities of the soldier. Benedict Arnold was a gallant and talented soldier who helped win major battles but was missing the important “root of righteousness” that eventually led to his reputation as a traitor. Similarly, laws may change, but the need for patriotic citizens with honesty, courage, and common sense remains the same.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

In a military policy speech given before a group of soldiers and veterans of the American Civil War and Spanish-American War, President Roosevelt stresses the need for preparedness. He says the borders of the United States, once separated from Europe and Asia by the vast oceans, have been brought closer to potential threats by modern naval technology. He insists that the United States, now a world power, must become very engaged in international affairs, ready to back up words with action, and he affirms his belief in the Monroe Doctrine. For the army, he believes in small but strong regular National Guard units which can train up and lead a larger volunteer force in the event of war. He believes this would be impossible for the navy, however, as it takes years to build warships and train sailors on the “highly specialized work” of operating them; Roosevelt feels that the warcraft and crews prepared in time of peace would be the factor on which success would rest. He concludes with anecdotes and a message on the need for citizens and soldiers to do their duty every day and not just in moments of glory.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-09-23

President Roosevelt speaks at the dedication of Memorial Hall in Rockford, Illinois. He speaks to the veterans of the Civil War, to whom the hall is dedicated.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-06-03