Gould, Lewis L.

OUR SYNOPSIS: Lewis L. Gould chronicles Theodore Roosevelt’s two terms as president of the United States, spanning 1901 through 1909. He emphasizes that Roosevelt was excellent at campaigning and maintaining his public image but was comparatively ineffective in working with other politicians. While his political rise coincided and with Republican national success starting in the 1870s, he also critically questioned the party’s domestic policies. In foreign policy, he was firmly committed to asserting American imperialism. This is exemplified by the creation of the Panama Canal Zone, which Gould deems his most significant first term foreign policy achievement. Gould argues that his most significant first term domestic policy was regulating the trusts, demonstrating commitment to protect the American public from monopolies and other capitalist excesses. He also became the first U.S. president to advocate natural conservation. His landslide re-election in November 1904 validated his first term policies. To start his second term, he successfully resisted pressure for tariff revisions and then increased federal regulation of railroad conglomerates. He continued to expand the executive power of the modern American presidency in both domestic and foreign policy. A key method for this expansion of executive power and influence was delegating power to trusted subordinates. His increasingly assertive foreign policy made clear that the U.S. would intervene to protect its interests in Latin America. Throughout his presidency, he bolstered his popularity by manipulating the press to keep the American public deeply involved in a curated version of his life.