Mr. Roosevelt dines with Mr. Washington. Teddy Roosevelt, Part 3.

Teddy Roosevelt was born in 1858, just before the start of the Civil War. Men the age of his father fought in that War. Teddy's own father paid someone to take his place, a common practice at that time. Although the Civil War put an official end to slavery, it did not end discrimination in America. When Teddy became President at the beginning of the 20th century, the equal rights of black Americans was a very sensitive issue.

TR seemed to be making a bold statement when, only a month into his Presidency, he invited Booker T. Washington to have dinner with him at the White House.


Booker T. Washington was the most famous black man in America at the time. Born a slave, he had spent years involved in education, first his own and then encouraging others. He created the Tuskegee Institute where black Americans could earn a degree in a technical field. His approach was not supported by all members of the black community, but he did have influence with many politicans.

When Mr. Washington dined with President Roosevelt at the White House in October, 1901, he was the first black man to do so.



Immediately there was a strong backlash against the President, especially from Southerners. TR was upset by the response but said he would have dinner with whomever he liked, "just as often as I please."
Despite his strong words, President Roosevelt never did invite Mr. Washington again.

All About Alice. Teddy Roosevelt, Part 2.

Before there were movie stars or rock stars or TV celebrities, there was Alice. For a time, Alice was the most famous woman in America. And she didn't have to do anything but be herself.

As the beautiful teenage daughter of the President, newspaper reporters followed her around and wrote about her daily. She never disappointed them.

Everything that Alice did got attention--and not always the good kind. She smoked cigarettes when few women did and often walked around the White House with her pet snake wrapped around her neck. And she even named the snake: Emily Spinach.

Everyone wanted to know all about Alice. She liked to wear a light shade of blue that matched her eyes. "Alice Blue" became the must have color of the season.

Alice loved to be the center of attention. Just like her father, she was a wonderful storyteller. Alice was at her best in a small crowd of people, as they gathered around her, laughing in all of the right places.


Alice outlived all of her younger brothers and sisters. She lived happily in Washington until her death at age 96. By 1980, she had met every President along the way since her own father became President in 1901. She was said to have charmed them all.

Teddy. The First Roosevelt President

Teddy was the first,and perhaps slightly less known, Roosevelt to become President in 1901. When he was Vice President, and off on a "bully" hike as he liked to say, leading the "strenous life" that he so enjoyed, he was told that President McKinley had been shot. Teddy Roosevelt was President for eight years. During this time he showed himself to be a complicated man who enjoyed going into battle as much as a long walk in the woods.

Teddy Roosevelt was, indeed, related to the other Roosevelt President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. They were distant cousins. But TR, as many people called him, had an even closer connection to Franklin's wife, Eleanor Roosevelt.


Growing up, TR had two sisters and a brother. He was very close with his brother, Elliot. They both married and each had a daughter. Teddy's daughter, Alice, was born in February, 1884 and Elliot's daughter Eleanor was born in October of the same year. Elliot had a difficult life and died fairly young. Eleanor was always close with her Uncle despite being much shyer and more soft spoken than her cousin Alice.



Alice Roosevelt, the oldest of TR's six children, was a character in her own right. She deserves a full post of her own.



If you are in New York City, you can learn a lot more about Teddy Roosevelt's life by visiting the home he lived in as a child. Along with a taking an interesting tour of the house, you can see his exercise bicycle, the bloody shirt he was wearing when he was shot while giving a speech (he kept talking for another hour), and a real elephant foot that he used as a garbage can.
Teddy Roosevelt Birthplace







You can also visit the home he shared with his wife and six children on Long Island called Sagamore Hill. Inside the house you'll see the first telephone used by a President, many animal heads TR shot while on safari, and the room and bed which he died in. Outside you can stroll down to the water to where the family went swimming or take a look at the unusual pet cemetary where the kids favorite pets are buried.
Sagamore Hill

Leading By Example. Jackie Robinson Part 3

Jackie Robinson led by example. He showed his teammates that, despite all of the distractions, he could play well and be an important member of the team.

The captain of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Pee Wee Reese, also led by example. He was the first to go over and shake Jackie's hand his first day in the clubhouse, even though it was the first time the Kentucky native had ever shaken hands with a black man.

Jackie and Pee Wee had a mutual respect for each other. Pee Wee saw what Jackie was going through and tried to support him as much as he could. He would joke with him, offer to be his warm up partner, and let his actions show that Jackie should be treated just like any other teammate.

One day in Cinncinatti, near Pee Wee's home town, the crowd was being especially mean in hurling insults at Jackie. Pee Wee walked over to Jackie on first base and quietly put his arm around his shoulder. With this simple gesture, Pee Wee had shown everyone how he would stand up for Jackie.

There is a very good book about this moment in history called Teammates, written by Peter Golenbock. (See the Recommended Book List on the right to link to it.)

A statue of Jackie and Pee Wee was created which captures that moment. You can see it in front of the stadium where the minor league Brooklyn Cyclones now play in Coney Island. It is just a few miles from where Jackie and Pee Wee once played together.

How bad was it for Jackie Robinson? Jackie Robinson Part 2

As one of his teammates put it, "most men would have cracked." Daily abuse included everything from name calling, to purposeful spiking, to death threats. Several of his white teammates were honest enough to say that, had they been in Jackie's shoes, they didn't think they would have been able to do it.

His teammates saw and heard how other players abused him. There were always some insults hurled at opposing players, but with Jackie this "bench jockeying" could get out of control.

One of the most abusive teams was the Philadelphia Phillies, led by their manager Ben Chapman. He was so verbally abusive to Jackie that it shocked the other players who heard him. When Chapman started to get negative attention, he asked to have a photo taken with Jackie to show there were no hard feelings. Jackie agreed, only because he was determined not to make things worse.

When they stood together for the photo, Chapman refused to shake the hand of a black man. So they both held on to a bat. Jackie later wrote that posing for that photo was one of the hardest things he ever had to do.

Jackie Robinson. Part 1

Sixty years ago, Jackie Robinson played his first game for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

When he stepped onto the field a lot of people still didn't think that a black man should be allowed to play professional baseball. So they called him names, shouted insults, and spit on him.

Jackie played through it all. He had agreed not to fight back, not because he didn't want to but because he thought it was the most effective way to change baseball.

Jackie's primary concern was for black Americans to be given the equal rights they deserved. He was willing to take all the abuse in order to establish equality on the baseball field.

Jackie said, "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives."

Jackie wore #42 and today players throughout the major league baseball will honor Jackie Robinson's tremendous impact on baseball and American society by wearing his number on their uniforms. Jackie would be surely be happy to see that among those wearing his number is Willie Randolph, the first black manager of a New York team.