Manliness and Civilization: A Cultural History of Gender and Race in the United States, 1880-1917

From his childhood Theodore Roosevelt was fascinated with animal biology, the natural world, and the stories of adventurers taming the Wild West. Born into significant privilege as the son of a prominent New York family, Roosevelt spent much of his childhood unwell, and when he was first elected as an assemblyman at age 23 he received criticism of his appearance and physical presence, which touched upon a soft and feminine impression. Sensitive to this critique, Roosevelt was determined to remake himself and his image to combat that characterization. Purchasing a ranch in South Dakota, Roosevelt immersed himself in the cowboy lifestyle and began penning a series of books about his experiences, extolling the virtues of this uniquely and intrinsically American way of life and the responsibilities he felt white Americans had toward civilizing the landscape and eradicating the threat of Indigenous peoples. Roosevelt simultaneously aligned his values with those of the emblematic rugged, adventurous, daring Indian fighter of the American West and those of his father. Like Theodore Sr., Roosevelt embraced Victorian ideals of civilized masculinity. In Hunting Trips of a Ranchman and Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail, Roosevelt autobiographically brought to life the exciting experiences of his life on the frontier, though his personal experiences were a bit exaggerated.