Theodore Roosevelt's Legacy

Improved Essays
Theodore Roosevelt is quoted saying “Believe you can and you're halfway there.” (“Theodore Roosevelt”) Theodore Roosevelt was a man who believed. He believed America would win the war. That was half the battle. Teddy went one step further to ensuring the victory. He went to the Spanish holdings such as San Juan and Kettle Hills and fought for American victory. Teddy created a legacy that will last for years to come. The tough decisions he made in his life ensured that he would become one of the greatest men in history. Teddy’s charge at Kettle Hill, July 1, 1898 created an image of the Spanish American War that lasts to this day (Konstam). Teddy Roosevelt’s decisions were instrumental in winning the battles at San Juan and Kettle Hills.
Theodore
…show more content…
The Rough Riders were no exception. There were so many that a lot of men did not get to go to the war due to the lack of space and boats. Teddy wrote “I saw more than one, both among officers and privates, burst into tears when he found he could not go.” (Sterner)
The Rough Riders that made it to the Spanish colonies first saw battle at Las Guasimas. Although this battle was not important to the outcome of the war, it quickly made papers (“The World of 1898”). Roosevelt was right alongside his men fighting in this battle. He killed a Spaniard from a revolver salvaged, appropriately, from the U.S.S. Maine (“T.R. the Rough Rider”). During the fighting all senior officers except Roosevelt were killed. This left Roosevelt in charge of the survivors of all six regiments in the battle
…show more content…
The men at this battle fought hard. The men trenched at San Juan Hill were rained down on by Spanish bullets (Sterner). A Spanish soldier said “When we fired a volley, instead of falling back they came forward. This is not the way to fight.” (Konstam) After taking San Juan Hill the Rough Riders and other regiments headed to Kettle Hill adjacent San Juan Hill (“T.R. the Rough Rider”). Kettle Hill got it’s name because of a large kettle on the side of the hill that the soldiers used to take cover. They waited in the trenches for an hour that became known as “The Crowded Hour” (Sterner). Again, while the soldiers waited to charge Kettle Hill, they were targets for the Spaniard bullets (Konstam). The charge was very weak.. Most people thought Teddy’s charge had no chance. It did not have near enough troop strength (“Theodore Roosevelt Association”). There were so few men charging the hill that it looked like a mistake (“Eyewitness to

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Many people tend to get the Spanish-American War, the Texas Revolution, and the Mexican-American War mixed up. The Texas Revolution occurred a few years before the Mexican-American war and even though it was not time wise part of this war, it can definitely be seen as an event that helped build momentum and fuel towards the confrontations what were to come between Mexico and the United States. The Spanish-American War, on the other hand came many decades after the Mexican-American War. This war did not involved Mexico at the least but instead it was a dispute between the United States and Spain. The Mexican-American War began in April 25th, 1846.…

    • 1562 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    It put the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, led by Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt against the Spanish Army. Due to his diligence and excellent written accounts of the battle, it continues to be reenacted by groups, made into movies, and studied to this day. The training and supplies they received while in training by LTC Roosevelt and Colonel (COL) Leonard Wood was so substantial that the Rough Riders participation into action was contrary to other volunteer companies. The Americans definitely outgunned due to the advanced weapons the Spanish were employing.…

    • 1973 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In my opinion, the Mexican-American war was not justified. Originally, when the Americans began spreading the idea of manifest destiny, the Mexicans, in general, had two attitudes towards it. Some admired this idea, however, some also feared it. They were concerned that the Americans would start trying to expand into Mexico and basically push the borders. However, Americans paid very little attention to what Mexico was thinking or saying.…

    • 492 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Remember always as an American lawyer, soldier and a heroic Texas commander of the battle of the Alamo was William Travis. Even though he might be remember mainly under the command of the Alamo he achieve other important roles at early age. Being a thought since a kid, Williams grew to become a lawyer and in later years a leader to rebellions, in due time receiving the post of commander for a significant battle. Williams helped and meet people through his life and make several achievements for the Texas Revolution.…

    • 1473 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Why would someone ever want to lead something if they knew they were going to die? Well maybe because they were dying for rights and independence. William Barret Travis, the leader of the Alamo, and his other two hundred and fifty men died for the independence and rights of Texas. William was nine when he moved from South Carolina to Alabama. His father owned a plantation where he lived for nine years.…

    • 521 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    He famously composed his “letter to the people of Texas and all Americans in the world” in which he declared “I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country. VICTORY OR DEATH.” (Petite M.D., 1999). In the mean time, Antonio López de Santa Anna managed to receive several reinforcement and started preparing for a final assault.…

    • 1580 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During Taylor's time as a General in the United States Army his career could be looked back as very successful and heroic. General Taylor has ties to the US - Mexican War of 1846. He lead U.S. forces into Texas territories and the Rio Grande at the command of President Zachary Polk. Taylor’s contributions to the war consist of a series of successes throughout both the Texas and Mexican territory, including Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterrey and Veracruz in Central Mexico. Taylor was considered…

    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Taylor had enormous military success, and had a positive impact on the US history. Before the United States formally declared war on Mexico, General Zachary Taylor defeats a superior Mexican force in the Battle of Palo Alto. James K. Polk commanded Taylor to lead a 3500- men army in the northern campaign in the Mexican-American…

    • 324 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    “Mr. Polk’s War,” a war promptly named after the president at the time, James T. Polk, is an alternate moniker for the Mexican-American War for many reasons. For one, looking on the outside, the causes of the war seem to be unjust in that the Manifest Destiny, a widely supported policy by Polk, prompted America’s push West and eventual annexation of Texas from Mexico. However, on the tactical level, many commanders were entrusted with the responsibility of leading units in the fight against the Mexican people, and one of those commanders was a young lieutenant by the name of Ulysses S. Grant. Commander of the 4th United States Infantry out of Missouri at the time, Second Lieutenant Grant got the call to serve as part of the expansion westward merely because his unit had already defended the territory in expectation that Texas would be annexed at some point in the near future. Less than a year later, 2LT Grant found himself in the Battle of Palo Alto, and the battle forever shaped his command style, leadership philosophy, and approach to land warfare and how he led his troops.…

    • 1483 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The Rough Riders were the first United States Volunteer Cavalry and was the most famous unit to fight in Cuba during the Spanish–American War. It was one of the three regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish–American War and the only one of that three to actually see the action. The U.S Army was understaffed and undersized in juxtaposition to its size during the American Civil War nearly thirty years before. To fix this situation, President William McKinley ordered for 1,250 volunteers to serve and support in the war struggles. The small army unit was first commanded by Colonel Leonard Wood, leading to its first name, " Wood's Weary Walkers."…

    • 310 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    President William McKinley declared War on Spain on April 25, 1898 (2). Cuba was led by General William Shafter and…

    • 1460 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Theodore Roosevelt Jr. was one of the greatest United States presidents. He had many achievements and was loved by the country. He was one of America 's most active and adventurous presidents. He was a wise man that said many important things that we remember today. One of his most famous quotes is “The only safe rule is to promise little, and faithfully to keep every promise; to ‘speak softly and carry a big stick.”…

    • 2006 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Thirty-nine year old hunter, cattle rancher, sheriff, explorer, police commissioner and volunteer colonel , Teddy Roosevelt quickly shifted his life when he rushed himself and his troop, the Rough Riders up San Juan Hill, on July 1st. Being one of the only men on horseback for majority of the fight, and also in a valley between hills, he and his men were a target for Spanish soldiers on the San Juan hilltops. Instead of fleeing, the murderer himself and the Rough Riders rush up San Juan hill without order to fight the Spaniards. During the battle, when Teddy abandoned his horse at a spiky barbed wire fence, two Spanish soldiers jumped out of a trench and misfired at the Rough Riders, but while the spanish soldiers were trying to run away, Roosevelt…

    • 218 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Theodore Roosevelt was born on October 27, 1858 in New York City (Kane 299). “Teedie” as his family often called him, was the second of four children (Gable 465). Teedie was frequently ill from infancy to his late teens because he struggled with asthma (Harbaugh 329). Although he was a very small child, had asthma and awful vision, nothing took away his energy and zest for life (Gable 465). Theodore grew up very privileged because his father, Theodore Roosevelt Sr., was a very wealthy New York City banker (Whitney 205).…

    • 322 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    On March 1906, one of the worst battles of the Moro rebellion occurred in the Southern part of the Philippines. The principal adversaries were the Moro rebels of Mount Dajo and the American troops, commanded by General Leonard Wood. This battle happened after the Spanish-American war in 1901 and towards the end of the Philippine-American war. The Moros, driven by ethnic and religious ideology were weary of foreign rule and policies and refused to accept another ruler. The Moros thought that they had beaten the Spanish so that in effect led them to believe that they were invincible.…

    • 1269 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays