Theodore Roosevelt became the 26th and youngest President of the United States (1901-1909) after the assassination of President William McKinley.
Here are some of the reasons why Theodore Roosevelt is counted among America's greatest presidents:
He led Congress and the American public toward progressive reforms and a strong foreign policy.
As President, het held the ideal that the Government should be the great arbiter of the conflicting economic forces in the Nation, especially between capital and labor, guaranteeing justice to each and dispensing favors to none.
He emerged spectacularly as a "trust buster" by forcing the dissolution of a great railroad combination in the Northwest.
He added enormously to the national forests in the West, reserved lands for public use, and fostered great irrigation projects.
Aware of the strategic need for a shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific, he ensured the construction of the Panama Canal. His corollary to the Monroe Doctrine prevented the establishment of foreign bases in the Caribbean and arrogated the sole right of intervention in Latin America to the United States.
He won the Nobel Peace Prize for mediating the Russo-Japanese War, reached a Gentleman's Agreement on immigration with Japan, and sent the Great White Fleet on a goodwill tour of the world.
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