The Presidency; Making an Old Party Progressive explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Duty and Public Service

  Roosevelt emphasizes the duty of public servants to work for the people, often at personal sacrifice, and his insistence on a 'genuine democracy of desire to serve the plain people.'

• Political Reform and Anti-Corruption

  Roosevelt discusses his fight against land thieves, his use of executive power to protect public lands, and his opposition to the 'commercialized ideals' of many politicians.

• Nationalism and American Identity

  Roosevelt's view of the President as a 'steward of the people' and his belief in using national power for the common well-being reflect a strong sense of American nationalism.

• Balance of Idealism and Practicality

  Roosevelt balances his idealistic vision of democracy and public service with practical political maneuvering, such as consulting Senators and dealing with Wall Street opposition.

Characters to notice

• Theodore Roosevelt

  Narrator and subject; reflects on his presidency, executive power, and political philosophy.

• John Hay

  Secretary of State under Roosevelt; shared views on foreign policy; sent Roosevelt a ring with Lincoln's hair and a Norse saga manuscript.

• Abraham Lincoln

  Referenced as a model for presidential power and for putting human rights above property rights.

• Henry White

  Praised as the most useful diplomat during Roosevelt's presidency; later removed by Taft.

• William Howard Taft

  Roosevelt's successor; criticized for taking the 'Buchanan' view of presidential power and for his handling of the Ballinger case.

• William McKinley

  Mentioned indirectly as Roosevelt's predecessor; context of the 1904 nomination.

• James Buchanan

  Referenced as a negative example of a President who held a narrow view of executive power.

• Andrew Jackson

  Referenced as a positive example of a President who exercised broad executive power.

Key passages

• “My view was that every executive officer, and above all every executive officer in high position, was a steward of the people bound actively and affirmatively to do all he could for the people, and not to content himself with the negative merit of keeping his talents undamaged in a napkin.”

  Roosevelt believed that all high-ranking officials, especially the President, are servants of the people who must actively work for the public good, not just avoid doing harm.

  This encapsulates Roosevelt's 'stewardship theory' of the presidency.

• “I declined to adopt the view that what was imperatively necessary for the Nation could not be done by the President unless he could find some specific authorization to do it.”

  Roosevelt rejected the idea that the President can only act when the Constitution explicitly permits it; he believed the President could do anything not forbidden by the Constitution or laws.

  This contrasts with the 'Buchanan' view of limited presidential power.

• “I acted on the theory that the President could at any time in his discretion withdraw from entry any of the public lands of the United States and reserve the same for forestry, for waterpower sites, for irrigation, and other public purposes.”

  Roosevelt claimed the President had the authority to unilaterally set aside public lands for conservation and public use, a power he exercised to combat land fraud.

  This action was central to Roosevelt's conservation legacy.

• “The Jackson-Lincoln view is that a President who is fit to do good work should be able to form his own judgment as to his own subordinates, and, above all, of the subordinates standing highest and in closest and most intimate touch with him.”

  Roosevelt argues that a competent President must have the freedom to choose and defend his own cabinet and senior officials without interference from Congress.

  This is a key distinction between Roosevelt's approach and that of his successor, Taft.