Theodore the Great: Conservative Crusader

Synopsis

Theodore Roosevelt Has A Complicated Legacy. To Some, He Was The Quintessential American Patriot And Hero, A Valiant Soldier And Hawkish Leader. Others Remember Him As The Progressive Cultural Icon, The Trust-buster Who Split From The Republican Party. So Who Was The Real Teddy Roosevelt? Daniel Ruddys New Biography Cuts Through The Impenetrable Tangle Of Misconceptions And Contradictions That Have Grown Up Over The Last Century And Obscured Our View Of A Man Who Remains One Of The Most Controversial And Misunderstood Presidents In U.s. History. Weighing Roosevelt's Lifetime Of Actions Against His Sometimes-contradictory Progressive Rhetoric, Ruddy Paints A Portrait Of A Man Who Led By Undeniably Conservative Principles, But Who Obfuscated His Own Legacy With Populist Speeches. By Focusing On Roosevelt's Actions And His Effect On American History, Ruddy Clears The Cobwebs And Presents A Real And Convincing Case For Remembering Theodore Roosevelt As A Great Conservative Leader. Part I. The First Modern President -- Tr's Roller Coaster Reputation -- Delighted Defender Of Family And Country -- Misconceptions About Tr -- The Bull Moose Progressive -- Part Ii. The Making Of A Conservative Reformer -- Tr's Political Education -- Tr's Run-up To The White House -- Part Iii. Tr As President: Domestic Policy -- The Trust Buster Myth -- Sidestepping The Tariff Third Rail -- Neglecting Currency/banking Reform -- Setting The Model For Labor Disputes -- Protecting Consumer Health And Safety -- Conserving Natural Resources -- Delivering Water To The Arid West -- Winning, Then Losing Black Voters -- Part Iv. Tr As President: Foreign Policy -- Britain: Forging The Special Relationship -- Germany: Restraining The Kaiser -- Japan: Preventing War In The Pacific -- Panama: Making The Dirt Fly -- Monroe Doctrine: Adding A Police Power -- Part V. Assessing His Two Terms -- One Of The Greatest Presidents -- Founding Father Of The American Century. Daniel Ruddy. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.