Theodore Roosevelt President and Conservationist T heodore Roosevelt, our 26th President, was like a tornado. Strong and bursting with energy, he always shook things up. But he wasn’t always that way. Born with severe asthma, he was frail, nervous, and too sickly to attend school. Teddy, as his Born: October 27, 1858, friends called him, fought back. Determined to become strong, in New York City he drove himself relentlessly. He had a great love of nature Died: January 6, 1919, at and the outdoors. He kept reptiles in his mother’s refrigerator home in Oyster Bay, New and birds in his room. Eventually, he became our country’s York “conservationist President.” A conservationist believes in Famous for: being the preserving precious natural resources such as water, wilderness, 26th President; overseeing and wildlife. the creation of the Panama Canal Roosevelt’s feeling for nature was deeply personal. Tragedy struck when his wife, Alice, and mother, Martha, died on the same day. So he headed west to the Badlands of Dakota. This landscape of windswept rock formations and little vegetation comforted him. Throwing himself into ranching as a way to work out his grief, he learned how to be a regular cowboy. Teddy’s energy exhausted ordinary people, but he always put thought and purpose behind his activity. Educated at Harvard and Columbia Law School, Roosevelt was the author of numerous books on wildlife, hunting, history, and politics. Teddy organized the Rough Riders, a cavalry (horse) unit, and fought in the Spanish-American War. He returned home a hero and was elected the governor of New York, and then vice president of the United States. When President William McKinley was assassinated, he became President, winning election on his own in 1904. His accomplishments included undertaking the building of the Panama Canal, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He introduced the idea of government inspections to keep our food safe and declared the United States to be protector of the Western Hemisphere (North, Central, and South America). He passed laws to keep business responsible to citizens. For ending the Russo-Japanese War, Roosevelt earned the Nobel Peace Prize. His efforts in conservation earned him the honor of being the only person to have a National Park named for him—Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the Badlands of North Dakota. A carved likeness of his face, in the company of Lincoln, Washington, and Jefferson, graces Mt. Rushmore in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dakota. President Roosevelt had six children—five with his second wife, Edith Kermit Carow. He never lost his love for the joys of childhood. Therefore, it is fitting that the most popular and beloved toy of all time is named for him—the teddy bear. 44 Comprehension-Boosting Crosswords: Famous Americans © Silvia Charlesworth, Scholastic Teaching Resources Comprehension-Boosting Crosswords Name Theodore Roosevelt 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 DOWN 13 15 16 1.President Roosevelt is responsible for building the Canal. 14 17 18 19 3. was the name of Roosevelt’s first wife. 20 5.Teddy kept in the family refrigerator when he was a boy. 6.When President became President. 7.Theodore Roosevelt was noted for being a great . 8.The are windswept formations with little vegetation. 10.The were troops trained to fight on horseback. 9.Teddy Roosevelt, sometimes called T. R., lived to be years old. 12.As a boy, Theodore suffered from severe . 11.Teddy went to the wife and mother died. 14.For ending the Russo-Japanese War, Roosevelt received the Peace Prize. 13.Roosevelt wanted the U.S. to be the protector of the Hemisphere. 16.Roosevelt’s family home was in Bay, New York. 15.With his tremendous energy and power, Roosevelt reminded some people of a . 17.President Roosevelt made laws to keep our safe. 4.Roosevelt studied University. at Columbia Badlands after his 18.With his second wife, Edith, Roosevelt had children. ACROSS 2.One university Roosevelt attended was died, Roosevelt . 19.The ever made. bear is the most popular toy 20.The Rough was the name of Roosevelt’s cavalry unit. Comprehension-Boosting Crosswords: Famous Americans © Silvia Charlesworth, Scholastic Teaching Resources 45 Answer Key THEODORE ROOSEVELT (page 44) Down: 1. Panama 3. Alice 5. reptiles 7. conservationist 10. cavalry 12. asthma 14. Nobel 16. Oyster 17. food Across: 2. Harvard 4. law 6. McKinley 8. Badlands 9. sixty 11. Dakota 13. Western 15. tornado 18. five 19. teddy 20. Riders 62 Comprehension-Boosting Crosswords: Famous Americans © Silvia Charlesworth, Scholastic Teaching Resources