What An Incredible Man

What an incredible man

Top image via Snopes, which confirmed and cited the quote. Second image online here.

PRESIDENT TEDDY ROOSEVELT ON PATRIOTISM

By Miriam Kleiman, Program Director for Public Affairs.

Numerous patriotic quotes are circulating on social media in the aftermath of the horrific attack on the US Capitol. Following the sage wisdom of my brilliant and inspiring AP US History teacher Terry Pollack, I sought primary sources to verify and provide context to these statements attributed to Teddy Roosevelt.

Teddy Roosevelt quote 1:

“Patriotism means to stand with the country. It does not mean to stand with the President.”

Source: President Teddy Roosevelt, Lincoln and Free Speech, Metropolitan Magazine, May 1918 (v.47 no.6), From the HathiTrust Digital Library, essay here.

Teddy Roosevelt quote 2:

To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.

Source: Sedition, a Free Press, and Personal Rule, editorial by Teddy Roosevelt, Kansas City Star, 5/7/1918. Online here.

Our nation’s history is one of protest, fighting for rights, and continually striving to form a “more perfect union.” Two of our current exhibits, Records of Rights, and Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote, highlight records documenting historic struggles. However, such challenges to and questioning of the government, especially of the President, are often seen as unpatriotic or even treasonous. As the highlighted quotes above show, Teddy Roosevelt responded strongly to such accusations.

Teddy Roosevelt stated that far from being unpatriotic, it is one’s patriotic duty to oppose a president whose policies put Americans in harm’s way. At the time, the US was both embroiled in World War I and dealing with a pandemic. Teddy Roosevelt adamantly supported the war, and even wanted to serve despite his age and failing health, but criticized President Woodrow Wilson for not playing a bigger role on the European war front. Wilson responded by trying to quash all criticism through Sedition Act of 1918 that criminalized any “disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language” about the U.S. government or military.

See also:

From letter to the Kansas City Star, 4/6/1918, online here.

While the records above from President Teddy Roosevelt are not from the National Archives, we do hold records of government efforts to foster “patriotic spirit” including the original Declaration of Independence. and thousands of military recruitment posters, some more effective than others, including this one:

“Like mighty Niagara’s torrents is the strong surge of our patriotism.”