Excerpt
Chapter 1: Meet Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt was not the kind of person who sat still. Everything about him—his voice, his energy, even the way he walked—was full of action. He believed in doing things, not just talking about them. That’s why, more than a hundred years after he was president, people still look up to him as one of the most fascinating and fearless leaders in American history.
But he wasn’t always strong, and he wasn’t always a leader. He started out as a small, sickly boy who had to fight every day just to breathe. He could have let that stop him. Instead, he decided that if he wasn’t born strong, he would make himself strong. And that’s exactly what he did.
That attitude—pushing himself, refusing to quit, taking on challenges that scared others—stayed with him his entire life. Whether it was fighting corruption, charging into battle, or protecting America’s wilderness, Roosevelt never backed down. He believed in fairness, bravery, and hard work. He believed that people should live life to the fullest, challenge themselves, and do what’s right, even when it’s hard.
His story isn’t just about history—it’s about how one person can make a difference.
A Boy Who Refused to Give Up
Before he became a war hero, a cowboy, or the president of the United States, Roosevelt was a thin, pale kid with a terrible case of asthma. Asthma made it hard for him to breathe, especially at night. Sometimes he woke up gasping for air, unable to catch his breath. Back then, doctors didn’t know much about asthma, and there weren’t any good treatments. His parents tried everything to help him, but there wasn’t much they could do.
It would have been easy for Roosevelt to feel sorry for himself or give up on being strong. But that wasn’t who he was. He hated feeling weak. He hated that his body held him back. Instead of accepting it, he decided to fight back.
His father told him something that stuck with him for the rest of his life: “You have the mind, but you have not the body. You must make your body.”
That was all Roosevelt needed to hear. He started training every day—lifting weights, running, climbing, and boxing. It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t fast, but he refused to quit. He didn’t just want to be healthy—he wanted to be strong, fearless, and ready for anything.
By the time he grew up, he wasn’t the weak, sickly boy anymore. He had turned himself into a fighter—a man who could handle anything life threw at him.
A Leader Who Stood Up for What’s Right
Roosevelt didn’t just fight to make himself stronger—he fought to make the world better and fairer. When he became a leader, he refused to look the other way when something was wrong.
In his early years in politics, he saw how powerful business owners were treating workers unfairly. People were working long hours in terrible conditions for almost no money, while the richest businessmen got richer. Roosevelt didn’t think that was right, and he wasn’t afraid to take them on.
Most politicians ignored the problem. They were scared of going against big businesses because those companies had money and power. Roosevelt didn’t care. He stood up against corrupt companies and greedy politicians and fought for regular workers.
People called him a “trust buster” because he broke up powerful business monopolies that were cheating the system. He believed that hardworking people deserved fair wages and good working conditions.
But Roosevelt didn’t just care about workers—he also cared about protecting America’s land and animals. At the time, people thought of nature as something to be used up—forests were cut down, animals were hunted with no rules, and companies polluted the rivers and air. Roosevelt refused to let that continue.
He created national parks, wildlife refuges, and conservation laws to make sure that America’s natural beauty would still be there for future generations. He was the first president to fight for nature, animals, and clean air and water, and because of him, millions of acres of land are still protected today.
Theodore Roosevelt was not the kind of person who sat still. Everything about him—his voice, his energy, even the way he walked—was full of action. He believed in doing things, not just talking about them. That’s why, more than a hundred years after he was president, people still look up to him as one of the most fascinating and fearless leaders in American history.
But he wasn’t always strong, and he wasn’t always a leader. He started out as a small, sickly boy who had to fight every day just to breathe. He could have let that stop him. Instead, he decided that if he wasn’t born strong, he would make himself strong. And that’s exactly what he did.
That attitude—pushing himself, refusing to quit, taking on challenges that scared others—stayed with him his entire life. Whether it was fighting corruption, charging into battle, or protecting America’s wilderness, Roosevelt never backed down. He believed in fairness, bravery, and hard work. He believed that people should live life to the fullest, challenge themselves, and do what’s right, even when it’s hard.
His story isn’t just about history—it’s about how one person can make a difference.
A Boy Who Refused to Give Up
Before he became a war hero, a cowboy, or the president of the United States, Roosevelt was a thin, pale kid with a terrible case of asthma. Asthma made it hard for him to breathe, especially at night. Sometimes he woke up gasping for air, unable to catch his breath. Back then, doctors didn’t know much about asthma, and there weren’t any good treatments. His parents tried everything to help him, but there wasn’t much they could do.
It would have been easy for Roosevelt to feel sorry for himself or give up on being strong. But that wasn’t who he was. He hated feeling weak. He hated that his body held him back. Instead of accepting it, he decided to fight back.
His father told him something that stuck with him for the rest of his life: “You have the mind, but you have not the body. You must make your body.”
That was all Roosevelt needed to hear. He started training every day—lifting weights, running, climbing, and boxing. It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t fast, but he refused to quit. He didn’t just want to be healthy—he wanted to be strong, fearless, and ready for anything.
By the time he grew up, he wasn’t the weak, sickly boy anymore. He had turned himself into a fighter—a man who could handle anything life threw at him.
A Leader Who Stood Up for What’s Right
Roosevelt didn’t just fight to make himself stronger—he fought to make the world better and fairer. When he became a leader, he refused to look the other way when something was wrong.
In his early years in politics, he saw how powerful business owners were treating workers unfairly. People were working long hours in terrible conditions for almost no money, while the richest businessmen got richer. Roosevelt didn’t think that was right, and he wasn’t afraid to take them on.
Most politicians ignored the problem. They were scared of going against big businesses because those companies had money and power. Roosevelt didn’t care. He stood up against corrupt companies and greedy politicians and fought for regular workers.
People called him a “trust buster” because he broke up powerful business monopolies that were cheating the system. He believed that hardworking people deserved fair wages and good working conditions.
But Roosevelt didn’t just care about workers—he also cared about protecting America’s land and animals. At the time, people thought of nature as something to be used up—forests were cut down, animals were hunted with no rules, and companies polluted the rivers and air. Roosevelt refused to let that continue.
He created national parks, wildlife refuges, and conservation laws to make sure that America’s natural beauty would still be there for future generations. He was the first president to fight for nature, animals, and clean air and water, and because of him, millions of acres of land are still protected today.