Essay on Theodore Roosevelt's Strenuous Life Speech: A Motivational Contribution to American History

Introduction

The selected historical primary source is Theodore Roosevelt's Speech on the 10th day of April 1899. The speech mainly communicated the doctrine of a strenuous life to Americans with a detailed illustration of the need for toil and humanitarian efforts. The speech is accessible online via the voices of democracy website. Notably, the speech is motivational to the extent that was mainly aimed to contribute to the American history, and a better understanding of the various leadership strategies Roosevelt appreciate in light of the wisdom manifested by Lincoln and Grant in the United States of America (Voices of Democracy, 1899, par. 6).

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The speech was published online by the voices of democracy and written by Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States. Roosevelt is a remarkably unique leader in the United States that served in many sectors even before his presidency era. Notably, the speaker pioneered car driving while holding the Presidential Office. Although the writer was born into a socially prominent and wealthy family in New York, his life was faced with a wide range of experiences that marked his better understanding and advocacy for the doctrine of a strenuous life among Americans. As a result, the content of the speech seemingly held water when it comes to applicability in real-life situations among human life, generally.

Roosevelt was motivated by many factors that revolve around America, making part of the history in terms of politics and warring leadership. This claim is prompted by the fact that the Civil War ended up revamping how he perceived life and its goals' pursuance. Further, Roosevelt was born into a noble family but faced life difficulties such as asthma attacks during his childhood. He managed to fight asthmatic attacks through strenuous exercises and grew into a mentor of toughness and physical courage. Other challenges of life that made him stronger include the same-day death of his wife, Alice Roosevelt, and mother. Therefore, his witnesses and life experiences prompted his speech.

The main message of Roosevelt's speech is to inspire Americans to work discreetly tough to tackle the various inevitable difficulties and competition they ought to anticipate in life. Besides, the speech informs about the forefront position men should take to guide lead their families and teach their children how to tackle undesirable situations and phenomena in life. Women are also notified regarding their supportive roles in their homes. Also, united strengths and efforts can enable positive changes at the home or regional levels. Roosevelt also advocates for a clear understanding and adoption of imperialism in America for the sake of making the country great and superior with capacities to assist those considered inferior when it comes to facing global political issues such as war and economic developments.

Roosevelt's speech marks the beginning of changes in America owing to revamped perceptions toward life and its difficulties. The Americans' mind-set changed based on Roosevelt's claim that "a mere life of ease is not, in the end, a very satisfactory life, and, above all, it is a life which ultimately unfits those who follow it for serious work in the world" (Voices of Democracy, 1899, par. 3). It is prudent to claim that Roosevelt's speech marked the onset of America's superiority as the citizens willingly adopted his recommendation for competitively approaching life at a national and global level.

References

Voices of Democracy (1899). Theodore Roosevelt, "The Strenuous Life" (the 10th day of April 1899). [Online]. Retrieved from: https://voicesofdemocracy.umd.edu/roosevelt-strenuous-life-1899-speech-text/ (Accessed: the 23rd day of August 2019).