Nineteenth century America produced several important historians- George Bancroft, Francis Parkman, Henry Adams are prime examples. But a young student, naturalist, politician, hunter, and boxer from New York City might be considered to join that exhalted group.
The Naval War of 1812
Theodore Roosevelt, as a senior at Harvard, started work on his book The Naval War of 1812 on top of his school work. He continued the research while attending Columbia law school. He knew very little of naval matters at the start, but he meticulously studied every nuance of the subject, and in the process trained himself in historical research, according to historian David McCullough. He hunted down original documents and gathered large amounts of statistics on ships, crews, and armaments.
The published result in 1882 was a scholarly effort, interlaced with some vigorous prose, to correct the record shaped by the British, namely author William James, that British losses were due to bad luck. Roosevelt made a strong case that the British lost because of American courage and discipline. American ships were well handled by the officers and the gun crews were able to strike their targets through practice and professionalism. The book became a standard on the subject for several generations.
The Winning of the West
After moving to the Dakota Badlands to ranch, Roosevelt continued his historical work. He wrote biographies on Thomas Hart Benton (1887) and Gouverneur Morris (1888) for the American Statesmen series for Houghton Mifflin. Senator Benton was a champion of westward expansion and Roosevelt displayed his passion for that era of history by writing a stirring book. However, Roosevelt had a more ambitious project in mind.
Roosevelt's The Winning of the West came out in four volumes in 1889 through 1896. A reviewer in the Atlantic Monthly commended its "fresh and original thoughts" and picturesque style. One fresh thought was the "frontier thesis." A new American "race" was shaped by the savage frontier in the whites' efforts to bring civilization there. Roosevelt admitted this theory had been "floating around rather loosely" and historian Frederick Jackson Turner elaborated on the thesis in his essay, The Significance of the American Frontier, at the World's Fair of 1893.
American Historical Association
In the ensuing years Roosevelt concentrated on politics, attaining the Vice Presidency and then the Presidency of the United States. But in the winter of 1910-11, Roosevelt was also elected Vice President of the American Historical Association with the Presidency to follow in 1912. According to historian H.W. Brands, his historical vision was ratified by leading historians with this election.
On December 29, 1912, Roosevelt gave a keynote address at an AHA gathering to explain that vision. He downplayed the scientific approach to history which was prevalent at the time. The purpose of the historian, according to Roosevelt, was to be a "great moralist" and to "thrill the souls of men with stories of strength and craft and daring." Roosevelt wanted to restore romanticism to history.
The impact of the historian Theodore Roosevelt can be felt today. In 2006, three books on the War of 1812 still quoted from his naval history. Turner's frontier thesis, which Roosevelt helped to flesh out, continues to be a credible line in historical thought.
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