Theodore the Great: Conservative Crusader

by Daniel Ruddy

Overview

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 Ruddy’s 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781621574415
Publisher:	Skyhorse Publishing
Publication date:	08/29/2016
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

The list of Regnery authors reads like a "who's who" of conservative thought, action, and history.

Table of Contents

Introduction xi

Part I The First Modern President

1 Tr's Roller-Coaster Reputation 3

2 Delighted Defender of Family and Country 15

3 Misconceptions About Tr 29

4 The Bull Moose Progressive 49

Part II The Making of a Conservative Reformer

5 Tr's Political Education 65

6 Tr's Run-Up to the White House 79

Part III Tr As President: Domestic Policy

7 The Trust-Buster Myth 89

8 Sidestepping the Tariff Third Rail 103

9 Neglecting Currency/Banking Reform 113

10 Setting the Model For Labor Disputes 119

11 Protecting Consumer Health and Safety 125

12 Conserving Natural Resources 131

13 Delivering Water to the Arid West 139

14 Winning-Then Losing-Black Voters 145

Part IV Tr as President: Foreign Policy

15 Britain: Forging the Special Relationship 159

16 Germany: Restraining the Kaiser 173

17 Japan: Preventing War in The Pacific 183

18 Panama: Making the Dirt Fly 195

19 Monroe Doctrine: Adding a Police Power 203

Part V Assessing his Two Terms

20 One of the Greatest Presidents 211

21 Founding Father of the American Century 223

Acknowledgments 227

Guide to Sources 229

Notes 241

Index 255

Editorial Reviews

"Roosevelt was a conservative reformer, not a liberal statist. From the start, there were two strains of progressive thought, and Wilson's, not TR's, is the one that has come down to us today. Roosevelt would regard today's government as a Frankenstein monster. It is here and clear, in Ruddy's essential book. A lawyerly presentation, vital to understanding TR and current American policies. Splendid!"


— RICK MARSCHALL, author of Bully! The Life and Times of Theodore Roosevelt and advisory board member of the Theodore Roosevelt Association


"Theodore Roosevelt prepared America for the twentieth century, and Daniel Ruddy's book makes it clear that, almost one hundred years after his death, TR's ideas and influence can lead the nation into the twenty-first century as well. A 'must read.'"


—HARRY LEMBECK, author of Taking on Theodore Roosevelt



"This is history the way it should be written. Theodore the Great is full of fresh insights into Theodore Roosevelt—without even a hint of whitewash. It restores a memorable president to relevance and affection in our time."


— THOMAS FLEMING, author of The Illusion of Victory: America in World War I



"As Lord Morley once remarked, Theodore Roosevelt 'is not an American, you know, he is America.' Daniel Ruddy’s Theodore the Great ably rescues the reputation of this remarkable man from his recent and narrow conservative critics. Ruddy shows that Roosevelt understood that capitalism and the free market are not the same thing and that the latter sometimes needs protection from the former; that military strength properly exercised could secure peace and national objectives without firing a shot; and that the health of the natural family is the foundation of ordered liberty and national greatness. A delight to read, Ruddy's book deserves a wide audience."


— ALLAN CARLSON, professor of history at Hillsdale College, editor of The Family in America: A Journal of Public Policy , and author of "The American Way": Family and Community in the Shaping of the American Identity

From the Publisher