Duties of American Citizenship: Theodore Roosevelt

This quote shows some of the ideas that Roosevelt used during his run for president. They improved America substantially because these reforms were able to change America’s social and political conditions. Roosevelt was very passionate in trying to become president. While Wolraich may describe Roosevelt as unreasonable, he recognizes his passion and his progress that he made in reforming

Theodore Roosevelt was a significant president to the history of the United States. Roosevelt was elected in 1904 with an advantage of being an incumbent to the presidential office because William McKinley was assassinated leaving the office to Roosevelt in 1901. Theodore Roosevelt had very little competition with the democratic party’s nominee Alton Parker, and the voting trends of the nation were very one sided. Leaving the presidential office in the hands of the Roosevelt administration for the next four years. Roosevelt addressed a couple of important issues to the nation which swayed the citizens in his favor, and ultimately he had very long lasting effects on the nation. One of which was his foreign policy stating “speak softly and carry a big stick” (Thompson 580). Which is a prime example of how Theodore Roosevelt thought a nation should be led, in terms of decisions and power behind those decisions. Roosevelt was young when he took

FDR has molded his whole speech so it mostly aims for an emotional (pathos) response from Congress and the American people. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt incorporated pathos into his speech when he said, “Our people, our territory, and our interests”. Using such phrasings gave the audience a feeling of togetherness with both the government and themselves. That kind of outlook was necessary so that FDR could bring in troops and also rally up patriotism from the citizens so that hope would not be lost. It

I believe that Roosevelt was defining American values that he believed should be humanistic values. I think that Roosevelt was trying to show the people of the United States as well as citizens of foreign countries how we expected them to conduct themselves. This speech was very passive aggressive in the fact that it does not state the consequences of breaking these freedoms, but it does imply that the United States will fight for those rights.

In most patriotic or any speeches given in history that try to prove an argument must have a strong dose of pathos. Pathos is the key to his speech because when something as bad as the Attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt was a able to rally his fellow Americans to bear arms and ready to avenge this attack. Especially when President Roosevelt said this, “No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.(15)”. President Roosevelt was very successful with this and got the clear majority of the people ready to go to war. Although there were some people disagreeing, but they were silenced by the majority of the people .

He started his audience with a statement about fear. His statement was, “…let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” He then hints that all other times the United States had been in “trouble” in their national life that a leadership has come up and been supported by the people. Then, Roosevelt went on to say that this support was essential to victory and that he hoped he could also get that support. He noticed many people needed to put to work and even proposed the idea that the Government directly recruit people (like in time of war) and that through the employment the country would also accomplish projects to reutilize the natural resources. Then, in hopes to keep from getting “in the same boat” or in trouble again he thought they needed to implement two safeguards for strict supervision of all banking and credits and

“We wish peace, but we wish the peace of justice, the peace of righteousness. We wish it because we think it is right and not because we are afraid.” Theodore Roosevelt not only spoke these words, he lived them. Throughout his life Theodore always worked hard and fought for what he believed was right. Even though he had to overcome many obstacles, Theodore always strived for peace and righteousness. Theodore Roosevelt was an amazing political leader because he protected America’s natural heritage, brought peace to countries at the brink of war, and helped pass many laws that protected the American people’s rights and land.

First of all, FDR’s speech contains details on freedom that can give evidence towards what his views for the country and its people were. Roosevelt believed that freedom must be defended, for he supports those who struggle to keep those rights. FDR explained, “Freedom means the supremacy of human rights everywhere. Our support goes to those

Theodore Roosevelt is considered by many to be America’s first progressive president due to his conservationism, his military prowess, and the natural ease with which he handled national and worldwide politics. He had a vision for the place he wanted America to be, a courage that made him admirable, and a jovial attitude that made people love him. Not only did he take steps to make the office of president more important than it once was, he tried to do so in ways that were important. One of these ways was by protecting the natural beauty of America so that it would not be entirely depleted before it could replenish itself. Another way was by proving his leadership, his bravery, and his dedication to complete the task at hand in the military. His struggle for equality in his nation and international peace also show his determination to make the world better. These points prove that Theodore Roosevelt had his eyes set on the future and was determined to move toward it.

Roosevelt also uses this main topic for the mood of his entire speech; detailing the hopelessness that these families feel during this crucial time. Another great rhetoric device that Roosevelt utilizes in his speech is that of religion. In the closing statement of his inaugural speech, Roosevelt asks that, “In this dedication of a Nation we humbly ask the blessing of God. May He protect each and every one of us. May He guide me in the days to come.”  His reference to God was added in an attempt to bring together the American people even in the greatest despair by using the topic most relatable for people, especially at this time. Roosevelt also declares that, “These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men.” Not only has he successfully engineered his speech in a way that puts audience members in the same state of mind, but he also goes on to enlighten these very same people to further instill hope and pride. Not only is this an effective rhetoric in his speech,

ased on the text of the speech, what is the main purpose of President Roosevelt' speech?

It is those emotions and feelings of pride and patriotism towards their country that President Roosevelt plays upon within the American public the most. FDR uses many tactics within his speech to make sure that feelings of patriotism and pride are created within the American public. As one of the tactics that the President uses to instill feelings of patriotism and pride is by boosting their pride by saying things that make them feel good about their country and themselves. Throughout the whole speech the president consistently throws in quotes like, “We have the men. The skill, they wealth, and above all, the will,”(440) and “I call upon our people with absolute confidence that our common cause will greatly succeed,”(441) to boost American morale. FDR uses quotes like this throughout his whole speech to make them feel proud to be Americans and make them feel like they could take on anyone in the world and win. Another one of those tactics that FDR uses throughout his speech that helped create those feelings was by taking certain quotes from the axis powers that were derogatory toward the US and turning them around for his benefit. The statement located in the fifth paragraph states that, “…I can

“Though you are now only as glimmering lights on the hilltops, few and far between, yet if with all diligence these fires be kept burning, the surrounding country chall catch into flame.” This quote, to me atleast, is the most important quote in the speech because it shows how if we can all agree on things in this country our fire will burn bigger and we will be able to affect other countries with the actions we took to make our own country better.

Americans have become used to politicians who will not go against their party’s line. Instead of having numerous free thinking elected officials who come together to ensure the welfare of society, we have two parties that control almost everything. This was not how Theodore Roosevelt led our country. He was a visionary and ethical leader. This paper explains why by describing Theodore Roosevelt’s use of visionary leadership to protect America’s natural resources by being an emotionally flexible leader and using his inspirational motivation. Theodore Roosevelt was an Ethical Leader because he put service before self by resigning from the position of Assistant Secretary of the Navy to fight in the Spanish American War and was a free thinker who went against his party to protect the welfare of society. Theodore Roosevelt has personal relevance in my development as a leader by modeling service before self and allowing me to see how I can improve my inspirational motivation. In order to understand Theodore Roosevelt as a leader, you should first know the impact of his visionary leadership.

Showing respect for our surroundings is another way of being a good citizen. Cleaning our surroundings and not littering around the area is one way to show our respect for our surroundings. If we see garbage lying around the area we should immediately pick it up and throw in the proper waste container because it shows how we like the place that we live in to be clean. Being respectful towards our government also shows what good citizenship is. Not talking bad about our government and supporting our government on their decisions is one way to show that we are living a in a good community that respects our countries government. In closing living a lifestyle that benefits me and my community is what citizenship means to me.