J Teddy's Bear W:8"XH:10" 175L CTP. by Juddi Morris. Cover. CD No.01

Transcription

1 C B M Y Teddy s Bear J Teddy's Bear W:8"XH:10" 175L CTP Teddy s Bear by Juddi Morris J Cover 3rd.indd 1 5/18/09 8:52:06 PM 3 3mm CD No.01 Cover

2 President Theodore Roosevelt was sick of being indoors. He was tired of holding meetings. Sitting still was not his style. Folks said the young president had so much energy he was like a steam engine in trousers. 5 The President playing football with family on the lawn of Sagamore Hill, his home in Oyster Bay, NY

3 6 It was November of Mississippi and Louisiana were arguing over a common wilderness area. This land belongs to us, claimed the people of Mississippi. No, the land is ours, said the folks from Louisiana. The two states could not agree. So they asked President Roosevelt to help them settle the boundary dispute. President Roosevelt met with officials from both states. They talked for hours. Then they talked some more. Finally, with the President s help, both sides agreed upon a fair solution.

4 This map of the United States highlights the locations involved in the story of the first teddy bear. Where do you live in relation to where the story took place? 7

5 With the matter resolved, Roosevelt was eager to get outdoors. Roaming the woods and hunting game were two of his favorite hobbies. So Teddy squeezed in a bear hunt along the Little Sunflower River in Mississippi. The President rode horseback all over the wilderness. He searched the mountains. He crossed deep ravines. He splashed through shallow streams. There was not a bear in sight. It s extremely exasperating... I never got a shot, Roosevelt told friends around the campfire one night. People all over the country were talking about the bear hunt. It even made the news. This New York Times article, published on November 14, 1902, describes President Roosevelt s arrival at the hunting camp.

6 9 But did he give up? Nevah, he would have declared in his high-pitched voice with its upper-class Eastern accent. So he continued to hunt. The hunting guides were eager to please the President. So they combed the woods. Finally they found a bear. Their hunting dogs chased the bear for miles and attacked it. The guides tied the wounded animal to a tree. Then they sent word to direct Roosevelt their way. Theodore Roosevelt rides horseback during the bear hunt. Roosevelt liked to name his animals. He had horses named Little Texas, Rain-in-the-Face, and Bliestein.

7 10 The President charged into the clearing where the poor creature was tied to a tree for an easy shot. Roosevelt s guides yelled, Shoot, Mr. President, shoot! But Teddy Roosevelt lowered his gun. He would not shoot the helpless bear. It was apparent the creature had been hurt. So the President ordered that the bear be put down to end its suffering. Back at camp, Teddy fumed, If I had shot that little fellow, I couldn t look my own sons in the face again. Teddy was a loving father. He always tried to set an example of good sportsmanship for his six children. Roosevelt was a great influence on his sons. Like their father they loved the outdoors, physical activity, and all served as soldiers.

8 After the hunting party broke camp in Mississippi, Roosevelt sped back to the capitol by train. However, the story was not over. Clifford K. Berryman, a political cartoonist, sketched the President refusing to shoot the wounded bear. The cartoon appeared in the Washington Post. People loved Berryman s illustration. The cartoonist showed Teddy dressed in his Rough Rider uniform, holding one hand up in a stop movement. In the background a man is about to tie the bear to a tree. Below the picture, Berryman wrote, Drawing the Line in Mississippi. He could have been referring to the changed boundary line between Mississippi and Louisiana. However, most people thought it referred to the President drawing the line at shooting a helpless bear. Either way, the public approved of Teddy s actions! In 1898, before his days as President, Theodore Roosevelt led the First United States Volunteer Cavalry Regiment in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. The press gave them the nickname Rough Riders, and it stuck! Roosevelt and the Rough Riders

9 Drawing the Line in Mississippi, the political cartoon by Clifford Berryman that inspired the creation of the teddy bear Theodore Roosevelt sent this letter to Clifford Berryman after more bear cartoons were published. 13

10 Author s Note Although Theodore Roosevelt enjoyed hunting, he was a nature lover and wanted to protect the environment for his children and all future children. By the time he became President in 1901, some species of American wildlife were already extinct. Factories were polluting rivers and streams. Big business was gobbling up acres of pristine wilderness. Greedy land speculation was spreading like a dark stain on the land. Through Roosevelt s far-sighted leadership, more than 230,000,000 acres of our finest natural resources were put under public protection. They include: 150 National Forests 5 National Parks* 51 Federal Bird Reserves 4 National Game Preserves 18 National Monuments 24 Reclamation Projects *Note: Theodore Roosevelt campaigned to make the Grand Canyon a National Park. However, his attempts were unsuccessful. 20

11 C M B Y On May 6, 1903, TR made a speech at the Grand Canyon. He said, Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it. What you can do is to keep it for your children, your children s children, and for all who come after you, as one of the great sights which every American if he can travel at all should see. J Teddy's Bear W:8"XH:10" 175L CTP In 1908 he declared the Grand Canyon a National Monument. Later, in 1919, the year TR died, the Grand Canyon was finally made a National Park under President Woodrow Wilson. 21 HI4849 Inter.indd 21 3/10/10 12:11:20 PM CD No.02 21