Theodore Roosevelt

"Progress is a double-edged sword—one that advances reform while also leaving deep scars of prejudice."

This paradox perfectly captures Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, a man whose legacy embodies profound contradictions. While history often celebrates him as a champion of conservation and progressive reform, a more critical examination reveals a leader whose policies reinforced racial hierarchies and white supremacy. Roosevelt's presidency represents a complex moral reckoning that Americans must confront: how do we reconcile his undeniable achievements with his deeply problematic racial views?

Theodore Roosevelt, 1903. Library of Congress.

Roosevelt's conservation efforts transformed America's relationship with its natural resources . He established approximately 230 million acres of public lands, including 150 national forests, 5 national parks, and 18 national monuments. His foresight in protecting these treasures deserves recognition. Similarly, his "Square Deal" policies challenged corporate monopolies and championed workers' rights, positioning him as a progressive reformer.

Yet these accomplishments cannot be separated from Roosevelt's racial ideology. In a 1906 letter, he confided that Black Americans were "altogether inferior to whites." He falsely denigrated the buffalo soldiers  who fought alongside him at San Juan Hill, claiming they "ran away under fire" when in reality, they served with distinction and many died heroically. His views on Native Americans were equally disturbing, stating in 1886: "I don't go so far as to think that the only good Indian is the dead Indian, but I believe nine out of every ten are."

The Brownsville Affair of 1906  starkly illustrates Roosevelt's racial prejudice in action. When a white bartender was killed in Brownsville, Texas, Roosevelt dishonorably discharged 167 Black soldiers from the 25th Infantry Regiment without due process or evidence, destroying their careers and reputations. This decision exposed the systemic racial injustices that tainted his presidency.

Roosevelt's conservation legacy itself carries a dark undercurrent. The establishment of national parks often came at the expense of Native Americans, with approximately 86 million acres of tribal land transferred to the national forest system. The lands he "protected" had been stewarded by indigenous peoples for centuries before being forcibly taken.

Roosevelt and his "Big Stick"

His racial philosophy extended to his support of eugenics , which advocated selective breeding to engineer a "superior" race. "Society has no business to permit degenerates to reproduce," he wrote in 1913, adding that citizens had a duty to "leave his or her blood behind him in the world."

Roosevelt's foreign policy similarly reflected his belief in Anglo-Saxon superiority. His "Big Stick" diplomacy and Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine justified American imperialism under the guise of "uplifting" supposedly inferior peoples. He explicitly stated that it was "of incalculable importance" that lands pass "out of the hands of their red, black and yellow aboriginal owners" to become "the heritage of the dominant world races."

While some might argue we should judge Roosevelt by the standards of his time, this ignores the more progressive voices on race that existed during his era but that he dismissed. His legacy demands we acknowledge both his conservation triumphs and his moral failures on race. Only by confronting this complex truth can we fully understand Roosevelt's impact on American history and the ongoing struggle for racial justice.