Theodore Roosevelt's Legacy
His Face Is Carved Into a Mountain. His Name Is Stitched Onto a Toy.
Carved in Stone
Sculptor Gutzon Borglum chose four presidents to tell America’s story — Washington its founding, Jefferson its expansion, Lincoln its preservation, and Roosevelt its development into a modern world power.
A Moment of Mercy
On a 1902 Mississippi hunt, Roosevelt refused to shoot a captive bear. A Berryman cartoon captured the moment, a Brooklyn toymaker asked to borrow his name, and the world’s most beloved toy was born.
Where Vision Becomes Place
Rising from the Badlands that remade him, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opens in Medora, North Dakota, on July 4, 2026 — a Snøhetta-designed building that grows out of the landscape Roosevelt loved.
Key Facts
| Mount Rushmore begun | 1927, by sculptor Gutzon Borglum |
|---|---|
| The four faces | Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt |
| TR’s theme on the mountain | Development — conservation and a modern America |
| Land he protected | About 230 million acres |
| Teddy bear origin | A November 1902 Mississippi bear hunt |
| The famous cartoon | “Drawing the Line in Mississippi” by Clifford Berryman |
| First “Teddy’s Bear” | Morris Michtom’s Brooklyn shop, 1903 |
| Presidential rankings | Consistently top five (C-SPAN, Siena surveys) |
| Phrases he gave us | “Bully pulpit,” “muckraker,” “square deal” |
| The Library opens | July 4, 2026, in Medora, North Dakota |
| Library design | Snøhetta; 96,000 square feet |
| TR Triangle | The Library, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone |
A Consistent Top Tier
Survey after survey, historians place Roosevelt among the top five presidents — with any consistency, behind only Washington and Lincoln.
A Verbal Legacy
Bully pulpit. Muckraker. Lunatic fringe. Weasel words. Roosevelt’s vivid phrases still shape how Americans talk about politics.
Roosevelt on Screen
From Brian Keith to Robin Williams, actors have brought TR’s larger-than-life energy to film and television for generations.
The Hard Chapters, Told Straight
Race, empire, eugenics, Native policy: where Roosevelt's record is hardest to weigh — presented with the evidence, his own words, and the voices of his time.