The Making of Theodore Roosevelts America - Essay Example

BOOK REVIEW: MURDERING MCKINLEY- THE MAKING OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT’S AMERICA History and The 25th President Thesis Statement Eric Rauchway argues that Teddy Roosevelt “set himself the task of implementing the radical changes for conservative purposes”. This means that he was onto the progressive change that was needed in the American society.1 Historians debate about the assassination culture of American politics, which has been looked differently in different eras of time. What brought this culture in America in which presidents are victimized repeatedly? This is the answer, which Roosevelt searched for with his progressive mindset and ambitions. Being elected as a President after McKinley, Roosevelt took all those initiatives, which could eliminate the reasons of killing a President. He came to bring reforms, reforms that could effectively change the culture and system of American society. 2 The Rauchway’s Point on Argument After McKinley, it was Theodore Roosevelt who was the next candidate to be appointed as a president and change the nation. Roosevelt represented the Republican Party and backed the philosophy of limited governance. Roosevelt was not in favor of the current regulation and advocated the reform in it to bring decisive change in the country. He endorsed policies, which would not limit the power of the State and also the power of Congress as a National governing body. He followed socialist thinking man who kept a slight different opinion than the typical bureaucrats of the country.3 Rauchway introduced Roosevelt as a next progressive leader. A man who keeps a liberal and progressive mindset to cut the William McKinley’s ideology. 4 Roosevelt backed the idea of democracy by giving rights to the women immigrants of the country. During his presidency, Roosevelt reform policies inspired his time of governance. His policies backed and supported the women and the poor who were suppressed before his time of governance. Moreover, Roosevelt’s concern was to bring economic, social, and cultural reform, and these were the radical changes, which Rauchway was talking about.5 Roosevelt’s identification of the Society’s Problems Roosevelt identified several key problems in the American society and one of the major issues was anarchism. According to his thought it was an “evil” standing in American society. Roosevelt, being a Republican, identified the second problem in the labor sect. He worked to help labor unions, and went decisively against the workforce discrimination. It was due to corruption within the capitalist industrial order, and current political regime that caused this problem to exist. Moreover, Roosevelt called for banking reform as he identified this as a major problem in the commercial sector. Roosevelt asserted that it was banking reform that could save the economy of the country and also the commercial sector from collapsing. Apart from all, Roosevelt’s sympathy for Leon Czolgosz was to highlight the socioeconomic problems of America, the problems, which were calling for a revolution, a radical change in the society.6 Roosevelt proposed social reform based on progressive liberalism. By condemning the ideology of anarchism and post-radicalization, he proposed the reconstruction of the society. He focused on ideas of equality, freedom and justice, which he thought could bring the radical change needed within the society. 7 Roosevelt’s ideology and the making up of the Roosevelt’s America America was in the stage of reinvention or one could say in the phase of silent revolution when McKinley’s assassination took place. When some of the voices remained unheard during this time of revolution, they came out in the form of McKinley’s murder. There was a situation of revolt in America as many within the society were discriminant or cruel to some level to the people. It was a situation that gave rise to a desperate mindset, a mindset that grew out of injustice and inequality. Using these solid reasons about what led to the President’s killing, Roosevelt framed his ideologies. 8 A debate following Leon Czolgosz- The Assassin Rauchway introduced the 28-year-old murderer Czolgosz as part of larger revolt that was taking place in America during the late 19th century (Rauchway 2007). Rauchway declared the murderer as an anarchist who was against the American capitalist regime and the anti-social system of politics. The murderer raised his voice by introducing the assassination of the 25th President William McKinley on September 6, 1901. He had this belief that American politicians took advantage of ordinary Americans by endorsing the acts that hurt the lower classes of the country. It was all to empower the rich, avoiding the rights of the poor that were in the common majority of the country.9 Reflecting on Roosevelt’s thought, Rauchway relates the President’s assassination to the unfair treatment of many across the country. He asserts that if the society was discriminant by any means or at any level, it would inevitably bring out madness among the people. The public would declare a sense of revenge if the public injustice was happening at any part of the State.10 Rauchway asserts about Czolgosz the murderer who had associations with the criminologists and alienist people of the country. Rauchway introduces the murderer as an intentional killer who kept the motives of foreign minds. Thus, the people who belonged to the symbolic anarchists waged the murderer. This is how finding the connections of the murderer, Rauchway talks about the issues of nativism and anarchism which were prevailing in America. It was understood that anarchists never wanted a capitalist rule in America as they desired for a communist control in the system of politics of the country. They always tried approaches that could lift up their thought and opinion, which were in the favor of a socialist country and economy.11 McKinleys murder questions about whether it was the alienist thought or the anarchist ideology that caused to the death of the President? Similarly, it was hard to decide of whether it was the situation of revolt or revolution that brought down the 25th president. Historians claim that it could be the fight of power and the fight of authority that established the president’s assassination. It has been the culture of American politics that one majority tries to ruin the other majority which is at the power or at the seat of governance. Maybe then, it could be the revival of that similar culture that brought McKinley’s downfall.12 Conclusion Who was Leon Czolgosz (The assassin of McKinley) is the central question, which according to Rauchway is the person most influenced by the anarchist ideology. Czolgosz was a Polish Catholic immigrant to America in 1860s when his ancestors came to America to find jobs and economic settlement. Czolgosz after going with an economic crash in 1893, after losing his job from a rolling mill company decided to join a radical group named Sila, which was most inspired him to take the anarchist ideology. This made Czolgosz become of what he became “the assassin of the President”. Historians assert that it was his alienist thought that made him prepare for the assassination of the President. People call it a state of revenge of which Czolgosz brought by murdering the President of the country. When society is unfair, it gives origin to people like Leon Czolgosz. It gives rise to the situation of revolt that could possibly lead to anarchism or violation. Czolgosz murdered the President to bring out his voice. He felt that what he was doing was right to correct the society and its cruel system. After all, it is the cruelty of the society that returns in the form of people like Leon Czolgosz. It is karma on the society, when society is unjust to its people. It was September 1912, when a gunman named John Shrank, a post psychotic killer, shot Roosevelt at the “bull moose” campaign. Fortunately, Roosevelt was saved by his doctor but the Shrank’s hit brought a lot of questions that what made Roosevelt become the target when he was totally a different man than McKinley. He was nobody a person to be victimized. Historians claim that it was the anarchist element that was still prevailing in America after McKinley’s time. May be this could be the possible reason of why Roosevelt was targeted. However, historians argue that Roosevelt failed to bring the change he promised and this could be one possible reason of why he became the victim. BIBLIOGRAPHY Rauchway, Eric. Murdering McKinley: The Making of Theodore Roosevelts America. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007. Read More