Why America Needed Teddy Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt was the toughest man to occupy the Oval Office. He was a former Rough Rider who charged up San Juan Hill, hunted big game across two continents, and yes, was even the inspiration for the Teddy bear.

It's become fashionable on the Right to dismiss Roosevelt as just another big-government progressive, given his time “trust-busting.” But the history is more interesting and complicated, and reveals that Roosevelt was not anti-business, but rather against monopolistic practices that threatened America’s populace.

Let’s put things into context. America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was vastly different than today, with the Industrial Revolution introducing technologies that completely changed the fabric of the country — creating megacities, population booms, and vast sums of wealth that had never been seen in history.