We cannot expect the refined virtues of a highly artificial civilization from frontiersmen who for generations have been roughened and hardened by the same kind of ferocious wilderness toil that once fell to the lot of their remote barbarian ancestors.
This quote illustrates Roosevelt's understanding of the rugged nature of frontiersmen and their historical context.
Share
More from Teddy Roosevelt
I absolutely agree with you that this matter is not one to be decided with any reference to the personal preferences or interests of any man, but purely from the standpoint of the interests of the people as a whole.
I want every labor man, every labor leader, every organized union man, to take the lead in denouncing crime or violence.
I care for the great deeds of the past chiefly as spurs to drive us onward in the present.
Other voices in this conversation
