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| Roosevelt Opposed Unnecessary War |
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| Opinion | |||
| Written by Grady Atwater | |||
| Wednesday, 17 March 2010 09:00 | |||
Theodore Roosevelt thought being prepared for war was the most effective way to prevent war. Roosevelt was a historian and believed Americans should learn from history, not revisit past mistakes. However, he argued that Americans often do not learn from the past.  He stated in “An Autobiography” in 1913: “I suppose the United States will always be unready for war, and in consequence will always be exposed to great expense and to the possibility of the greatest calamity when the nation goes to war. This is no new thing. Americans learn only from catastrophe and not from experience.” Roosevelt, however, was not a mindless saber rattler. He believed that military action should be a last-ditch effort in defense of the country. “I abhor unjust war,” he said in that 1913 book. “I abhor injustice and bullying by the strong at the expense of the weak, whether among nations or individuals. I abhor violence and bloodshed. I believe that war should never be resorted to when, or so as long as, it is honorably possible to avoid it. I respect all men and women who form high motives and with sanity and self-respect do all they can to avert war. I advocate preparation for war in order to avert war; and I should never advocate war unless it were the only alternative to dishonor.” Roosevelt believed in being slow and deliberate in taking military action, but once such action commenced, he did not advocate half-measures against the enemies of the United States. “Don’t hit a man at all if you can help it; don’t hit a man if you can possibly avoid it. But if you hit a man, put him to sleep,” he stated in New York in 1899. He put shoe leather into his beliefs during the Spanish-American War in 1898, when he served as a lieutenant colonel in a cavalry regiment known as the Rough Riders and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery under fire at the Battle of San Juan Hill in Cuba on July 1, 1898. Roosevelt, who became president in 1901 after the assassination of President William McKinley, was a man who backed up his words with actions. He worked for world peace by negotiating the end to the war between Russia and Japan in 1905. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to promote peace in 1906. He dramatically built up the strength of the U.S. Navy and dramatically increased the country’s role as an international power. Roosevelt enhanced the military strength and global influence of the United States during his presidency. He walked his talk to the point that even detractors admired him for his loyalty to his principles. Therefore, when Roosevelt came to Osawatomie to speak at the dedication of John Brown Memorial Park on Aug. 31, 1910, about 30,000 people came to hear him, putting Osawatomie on the national historical map once more.
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