When the United States declared war on Spain in 1898, Theodore Roosevelt saw it as an opportunity to test U.S. might, as well as his own. At age 39, he left his wife and children to recruit and lead an all-volunteer cavalry division known as the Rough Riders. Theodore Roosevelt leds the Rough Riders in the 1898 Spanish-American War.
Theodore Roosevelt long held that the United States' bid to become a world power would depend upon the goverment's commitment to building a strong navy. When William McKinley became president in 1897, Roosevelt lobbied to be appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy. When the U.S. battleship Maine was blown up in Havana, Roosevelt seized the opportunity to put the American Navy to the test.
When the United States declared war on Spain in 1898, Theodore Roosevelt saw it as an opportunity to test U.S. might, as well as his own. At age 39, he left his wife and children to recruit and lead an all-volunteer cavalry division known as the Rough Riders. Theodore Roosevelt leds the Rough Riders in the 1898 Spanish-American War.
Theodore Roosevelt long held that the United States' bid to become a world power would depend upon the goverment's commitment to building a strong navy. When William McKinley became president in 1897, Roosevelt lobbied to be appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy. When the U.S. battleship Maine was blown up in Havana, Roosevelt seized the opportunity to put the American Navy to the test.
