Theodore Roosevelt's “National Duties” speech calls for nationalism and unity, as he states that each individual must work hard and that individuals must work together. Furthermore, it works to motivate our nation by using two ideas: what a nation can leave behind and how it should behave. The speech itself, although delivered while he was vice president, accurately describes what his actions were as president, whether it was nationalism, personal matters, or foreign diplomacy. His ideology of how a nation should act, seen in the phrase “speak softly and carry a big stick” works to motivate many, including our current military, because it focuses on civilization supported by power. This idea of leadership style, combined with the analysis of what Theodore Roosevelt did during his presidency, is very similar to Trump's way of leading our nation, although they came into office with different political experience. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The speech above is very much focused on nationalism and foreign diplomacy, foreshadowing such a focus during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. His clear nationalist emphasis is seen when he states that all citizens have a duty and everyone must work hard, which is to his advantage in attracting the attention of the middle and working class and in positioning himself as a populist, as he says that "the our first duty is to our people” (Roosevelt, 1905). In doing so, he quickly gained media attention and public love, which is what allowed him to win another term after becoming president posthumously. by McKinley. After addressing nationalist ideals in his speech, he quickly moves on to the most important focus: foreign affairs and how a nation should behave regarding foreign policy that can motivate a nation towards greatness is the idea of what one leaves behind, seen when he mentions "while the nation that has done nothing leaves nothing behind, the nation that has done truly great work continues, though in modified form, to live forever” (Roosevelt, 1905). This idea of living eternally while leaving something behind not only motivates listeners and readers to want our nation to improve and do something great, but also makes them think about what they themselves will leave behind and how they can impact others. By adding such thinking to the population, citizens are more likely to want to have a positive impact on their communities by increasing nationalism, and will likely want the United States to be involved in foreign affairs to create such a lasting impression. perhaps more importantly, he begins to talk about the “big stick” ideology, known as “speak softly and carry a big stick: you will go far” (Roosevelt, 1905). The philosophy behind all this is that if a man lacks civility and the ability to be polite, having power or strength would be useless, just as if a man were civilized and spoke softly, but had no power or strength, probably will not be respected. . When translating this concept into a nation, the “big stick” ideology is that one should be civilian and negotiate when possible, but be supported by military forces if necessary. The reasoning behind the idea that this ideology would lead a nation to greatness is that it combines the perfect balance of negotiating and military powers. He says that one should not go directly to war or the use of power, but that one.
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