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Primary sourceSpeech10 April 1899

The Strenuous Life

Theodore Roosevelt · 10 April 1899

Roosevelt's 1899 Chicago speech arguing for vigorous effort, hardship, and American imperial expansion, including in the Philippines.

Roosevelt delivered this speech himself, stating his personal philosophy and his defense of American imperialism.

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What it is

This is a speech delivered by Theodore Roosevelt, then governor of New York, in Chicago on April 10, 1899, during the Philippine-American War. It was later published as part of a book collection of his writings and speeches with the same title.

Why it matters

Roosevelt argued that comfort and ease led to decay, while hardship and struggle built strong individuals and strong nations. He used this idea to defend American rule over the Philippines, describing Filipinos as unfit for self-government, and dismissed critics of American empire as weak. The speech reflects Roosevelt's own life of overcoming childhood illness through exercise, and became a foundational statement of his political philosophy and of American imperial expansion in this period.

Look closer

  • How does Roosevelt connect personal toughness to national greatness?
  • What assumptions about other peoples and nations does Roosevelt reveal in defending American rule over the Philippines?
  • Why might Roosevelt's own health struggles as a child have shaped the ideas in this speech?

This speech is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Theodore Roosevelt on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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