Memoir/Autobiography/Biography Book Club
I read the children’s nonfiction biography To Dare Mighty Things, by
Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by C. F. Payne. As an artifact to represent this
audacious president, who served the United States of American in the early 20th
Century, I found a picture of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. The United States
National Park, Mount Rushmore began in 1927 and finished in 1941. The
monument includes the great past presidents George Washington, Abraham
Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Teddy Roosevelt.
(United States). Though Roosevelt did not create this monument, his presence in
granite displays his permanent mark, in a literal sense, on America. He was a bold
leader and should always be remembered.
To demonstrate Roosevelt’s wisdom about citizenship, on March 4, 1905, he
stated:
“Much has been given us, and much will rightfully be expected from us. We
have duties to others and duties to ourselves; and we can shirk neither. We
have become a great nation, forced by the fact of its greatness into relations
with the other nations of the earth, and we must behave as beseems a people
with such responsibilities” (Miller Center).
This less famous quotation exposes Roosevelt as a committed citizen for the
betterment of America. He recognized we are a great country of resources, and we
must act responsibly when working with other nations. In some ways, this is
ironic, as he was seen as a “bully” in South America, especially by funding the
rebel cause so he could build the Panama Canal (Rappaport). I wonder when he
said these words, with respect to that fact? Regardless of his track record, his
wisdom should be considered as we become involved in other countries’ business
such as our involvement in Afghanistan, Venezuela and etc.
The following picture, from the official Teddy Roosevelt website, shows
this great man who established the following:
18 national monuments
50 national forests
51 bird reservations
4 game preserves
5 national parks
24 reclamation projects—all of which saved 230 million acres
(Rappaport).
(Theodore Roosevelt Association). He truly “dared something mighty,” saving
so much of America’s wild areas.
Works Cited
"Miller Center." American President: Theodore Roosevelt. The Miller Center.
Web. 3 Feb. 2015. <http://millercenter.org/president/roosevelt>.
Rappaport, Doreen, and C. F. Payne. To Dare Mighty Things: The Life of
Theodore Roosevelt. New York: Disney Hyperion, 2013. Print.
" - Theodore Roosevelt Association. Web. 3 Feb.
2015.<http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/site/pp.aspx?c=elKSIdOWIiJ
8H&b=8344385>.
United States. National Park Service. "Why These Four." National Parks
Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 28 Jan. 2015. Web. 3 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.nps.gov/moru/historyculture/why-these-four.htm>.
MLA Formatting by bibme.org
Works Cited
http://millercenter.org/president/roosevelt>.
http://www.nps.gov/moru/historyculture/why-these-four.htm>.
www.theodoreroosevelt.org/site/pp.aspx?c=elKSIdOWIiJ
8H&b=8344385>.