The Strenuous Life Characters

The Strenuous Life Character List

Theodore Roosevelt - “The Strenuous Life”

Theodore Roosevelt is the speaker who explicates “the doctrine of the strenuous life, the life of toil and effort, of labor and strife.” Roosevelt underscores that accomplishment is not a casual feat, for man must strain and tackle adversity before he ultimately prospers.

Daudet - “The Strenuous Life”

Theodore Roosevelt cites Daudet to elucidate the authenticity of strain and dread: “In one of Daudet’s powerful and melancholy books he speaks of “the fear of maternity, the haunting terror of the young wife of the present day.” Motherhood demands audacity because it is vigorous. Mothers’ bravery is a gauge of high-mindedness which empowers them oppose tensions of motherhood.

‘Washington and Adams’ - “Expansion And Peace”

Roosevelt explains, “Under Washington and Adams we expanded westward to the Mississippi.” ‘Washington and Adams’ are preceding American presidents who have fronted and underwritten America’s enlargement.

Jefferson - “Expansion And Peace”

Roosevelt cites Jefferson’s input to America’s growth: “under Jefferson we expanded across the continent to the mouth of the Columbia; under Monroe we expanded into Florida; and then into Texas and California; and finally, largely through the instrumentality of Seward, into Alaska.” Jefferson believed in perpetuating America’s supremacy through the acquirement of the sprawling terrains outlined above.

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