The Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt / Edition 2

by Lewis L. Gould

Overview

First published in 1991, The Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt has won acclaim as a lucid and thorough narrative of Roosevelt's two terms in the White House. Reviewers praised the depth of Lewis L. Gould's research, his comprehensive coverage of major aspects of Roosevelt's tenure, and the persuasiveness of his conclusions about his subject's personalized presidency. Writing in Reviews in American History, Willard Gatewood called the book "essential reading for all who wish to understand the complex, charismatic, and perennially fascinating political figure that was Theodore Roosevelt.""

Long considered the standard work on its subject, Gould's book is a trusted source that newcomers to Roosevelt's years in the White House and experts in the field could consult with confidence in its research and historical judgments. It has also become an essential adoption for courses on the era, effectively engaging undergraduates and graduate students who have praised the author for his clarity and evenhandedness. Responding to frequent suggestions that the book be brought up-to-date to incorporate the excellent studies of Roosevelt's presidency that have appeared since 1991, Gould has provided a new edition that he believes "will reintroduce a new generation of readers to the fun and importance of an ebullient, lively chief executive."

In this revised and expanded edition, Gould has built on the sterling qualities of the first edition and added new information and analysis based on continuing research and a command of the literature on Theodore Roosevelt's presidency published during the last two decades. He has tightened the prose and added numerous references to the latest scholarship on this most engaging of presidents. Interested readers will find new discussions of the origins of Roosevelt's creation of the Tongass Forest in Alaska, his treatment of a dissenting federal employee named Rebecca Taylor who took her grievance to the Supreme Court, the recent controversy over Roosevelt's relationship with Japan, the dispute over whether the president issued a warning to Germany about Venezuela in 1902-1903, and the important role of a little-known conservative senator named Winthrop Murray Crane.

With these and other changes, the updated version of Gould's text provides an even more compelling narrative that broadens the already fascinating story of Roosevelt in power with new insights and perceptive conclusions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780700617746
Publisher:	University Press of Kansas
Publication date:	03/09/2011
Series:	American Presidency Series
Edition description:	Second Edition, Revised and Expanded
Pages:	360
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Lewis L. Gould is the author of The Presidency of William McKinley and The William Howard Taft Presidency, among many other works. He lives in Austin, Texas.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

Foreword

Preface to the Second Edition

Preface to the First Edition

Acknowledgments

1. “Here Is the Task”

2. The Personalized President

3. “Immediate and Vigorous Executive Action”

4. Roosevelt and the World, 1902-1904

5. The Square Deal, 1903-1904

6. “How They Are Voting For Me!”

7. Roosevelt and Regulation, 1905-1906

8. President of a Great Nation

9. Roosevelt the Administrator, 1905-1909

10. Keeping the Left Together

11. “We Were at Absolute Peace”

12. “There Is No One Like Theodore”

Notes

Suggestions for Further Reading

Index

Editorial Reviews

A model of thorough research, balanced judgment, and persuasive argument. . . . An invaluable contribution to understanding Roosevelt's presidency and its influence over reform and the evolution of the national government in the twentieth century.

Journal of American History

This comprehensive one-volume study of the 26th president's administration (1901-1909) emphasizes Roosevelt's aggressive exercise of the powers of his office. Domestically, this included his ``trust-busting'' strategy, his regulation of big business and the economy, and his campaign to conserve our national natural resources. Decisiveness was equally manifest in Roosevelt's foreign policy; Gould explores TR's role as mediator in the Russo-Japanese War, his acquisition of the Panama Canal site and the start of the Canal's construction, and the controversial ``Roosevelt corollary'' to the Monroe Doctrine. On the negative side, Gould analyzes Roosevelt's ``reluctant racial tolerance,'' using as his prime example the president's harsh attitude toward black soldiers accused in 1906 of shooting up the Texas town of Brownsville. The author charges that their trial-less dishonorable discharge was a serious miscarriage of justice, one sanctioned by the chief executive, who ``could not rise above the racial values of his time.'' Roosevelt's presidency, we're shown in this balanced, scholarly assessment, exerted a profoundly positive effect on the national self-image. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

An analytic narrative of Roosevelt's two administrations (1901-1909) that places in their historical context both his constructive and his troubling contributions to the emergence of the modern presidency. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"A balanced and thoughtful account of Roosevelt’s years in the White House, combining scholarly detail with insightful judgments."—Presidential Studies Quarterly

Praise for the first edition:

“Skillfully blending insightful interpretation with detailed narratives, Gould has made an invaluable contribution to understanding Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency and its influence over reform and the evolution of the national government in the twentieth century.”—Journal of American History

“A clear, balanced, insightful account that establishes itself as the best treatment yet done of its subject.”—American Historical Review

“A gracefully written, deeply researched, and judiciously argued book [that] deserves to be read by a large general audience.”—Robert Dallek, author of Hail to the Chief: The Making and Unmaking of American Presidents

From the Publisher

A clear, balanced, insightful account that establishes itself as the best treatment yet done of its subject.

American Historical Review