How Did Theodore Roosevelt's Greatest Accomplishment

“Nothing in this world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty,” is considered one of the most influential quotes uttered by President Teddy Roosevelt before his death in 1919, which marked the end of the twenty-sixth president’s term and his final hours on earth. During his lifetime, one could argue Roosevelt lived up to his comments and to his maximum potential, confronting issues that not a soul would desire to encounter. Many could debate that President Roosevelt’s greatest accomplishment occurred during his term as president, although, many would counter that his greatest success occurred before he even entered office. Three years before McKinley’s fatal shot through his abdominal tissue signed Roosevelt into office, Theodore Roosevelt established a cavalry regiment composed of a variety of men from countless occupations to assist in the Spanish-American War, called the Rough Riders, or Ted’s Boys. The Rough Riders were anything from congressional representatives to cowboys, primarily from Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Native lands. …show more content…
Eighty-six men died, and six disappeared out of the 490 at the battle. After the battles, the remainder of the unit returned to the United States on August 15, taking residence at Camp Wikoff, New York. A month later, the U.S. disbanded the unit after one hundred and thirty three days. While the unit became obsolete, Roosevelt and the men who fought never left the minds of people throughout the country, rather, they became a staple and icon of courage and perseverance in American history. Roosevelt desperately deserved a Medal of Honor for his bravery during the battle, but he did not receive it until after his death in 2001, one hundred and three years later from President Bill