Theodore Roosevelt was an extraordinary man who accomplished a lot during his life. According to Anthony Brandt: “You cannot summarize Theodore Roosevelt. He was too many men in one…” (Roosevelt pXIII) He was a naturalist, historian, hunter, explorer, writer, soldier, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Governor of New York, and the twenty-sixth President of the United States. He was also a loving husband and father of six beautiful children. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayTheodore Roosevelt experienced many trials during his childhood that helped shape the man he would ultimately become. Theodore Roosevelt was born October 27, 1858 in New York. He was born to Theodore Roosevelt Sr. and Martha Bulloch. When Theodore was a young boy, he was given the nickname Teddy. This little nickname will stay with him for the rest of his days. As a child, he had many health problems, was constantly ill and suffered from terrible asthma. To help combat his weak physical body, Teddy regularly went to a gym. Soon after, he was seeing positive results from his exercise routine. At age eleven, Roosevelt asked his father to build him a gym on the second floor of their residence. Another tribulation Theodore faced was that he was bullied by other children because he had a low physical level and wore thick glasses. Teddy was annoyed at being bullied, so he worked harder to exercise and took up extracurricular activities like boxing. Teddy has competed in numerous boxing events and won several lightweight boxing championships. As a child, Teddy was obsessively fascinated by all of nature around him. It was said that “Teddy’s interests could be summed up in two words: living things.” (Benge p30) This interest continued throughout college and his adult life. At a very young age, Teddy began studying birds. However, it wasn't just birds that interested him: "The mere sight of a hare, a flying squirrel, or a box turtle would make Roosevelt light up with joy." » (Brinkley p22) Teddy's understanding of living things was beyond that of a normal adult. When Teddy was eight years old, he read the book Home Without Hands by JG Woods. This book was not considered a children's book, it was the kind of comprehensive text used in college biology and zoology courses. This was just the beginning of Teddy's studies of living things. Theodore Roosevelt spent his college years at Harvard University. At the age of seventeen, Theodore moved to Cambridge to attend university. “Roosevelt entered Harvard with the avowed intention of devoting his life to natural history.” (Cutright p2) For the most part he did very well at university, except for Latin and Greek. While he was studying at Harvard, his father died. Theodore returned home for his father's funeral, but soon returned to Harvard to continue his studies. While in college, Theodore met his future wife Alice Hathaway Lee, on October 18, 1878. He met her during one of his trips to visit his friend at the Chestnut Hill mansion.2After meeting Alice , Theodore wrote: “As long as I live, I will never forget how kind she was and how kindly she welcomed me. (Morris p104) Theodore got his degree the wrong way. from Harvard University on June 30, 1880. A few months after graduating, he married Alice. Their wedding took place on October 27, two years after hermeeting, which was also his twenty-second birthday. As he grew up, Roosevelt became a true explorer and hunter. He made several. trips to Africa, Brazil and the West. Roosevelt's first trip West took place in 1883. While there, he stayed at a place on the Little Missouri River and fell in love with the area. Soon after, he purchased land and built a ranch where he stayed several times. During one of his trips to Africa, Theodore wrote about a lion hunt in which he had participated. This is what he wrote in his diary after missing a shot at his first lion: "It was a great disappointment, and as it was well into the afternoon and we had beaten the country best suited to shelter our game, it seemed unlikely. that we would have another one. luck." (Roosevelt p174) However, before the day was over, Theodore and his group of hunters actually killed a lion. This was just one of the many adventures Theodore had in Africa. He also experienced many adventures in Brazil. On one occasion, he canoed down the River of Doubt. The river was filled with sunken logs and uprooted trees. After navigating the river, Roosevelt wrote: "It was interesting work, because none. civilized man, no white man, had ever come down or up this river or seen the country we were passing through” (Roosevelt p200) These are just a few of the many daring adventures that Theodore Roosevelt experienced during his lifetime. life Along with Roosevelt's many adventures, he was assistant secretary of the Navy and commander of a group of men known as the Rough Riders. When William McKinley was elected president, the position of assistant secretary of the Navy took over. was opened and Roosevelt applied for the position. However, the president and his advisors felt that Roosevelt was too eager to prove that the Navy could hold its own. They thought he would probably go to war just to prove the strength of the navy. Despite their concerns, Roosevelt got the job. Roosevelt was assistant secretary at the time when America was helping Cuba gain independence from Spain. Once the battle against Spain was planned, Roosevelt decided he wanted to be in the middle of the coming war. He resigned as Assistant Secretary of the Navy and was made second in command of the First Volunteer Calvary, which was under the leadership of Colonel Wood. This group of men consisted of cowboys, Indians and college students and was accurately named the Rough Riders by a New York newspaper. As he rode into battle against the Rough Riders, Roosevelt wrote: "On the 30th of June we received orders to be in readiness to march against Santiago, and all the men were very pleased, for inaction was trying." » (Roosevelt p117) During the march against Santiago, the Rough Riders were largely defeated. Although they were defeated in the first battle, they played an important role in the war against Spain. Theodore Roosevelt used his life experiences to shape his vision as President of the United States. Governor of New York State was one of several political positions held by Roosevelt. He served as vice president of the United States until September 14, 1901, when President McKinley was assassinated. It was on this date that Roosevelt became the twenty-sixth president of the United States of America. According to Riis, "a lot of people were worried when he became president." Although the people were worried, Roosevelt was determined to do his job to the best of his ability. He believed in a government of men rather than a government of laws. He thought that if men.”