Who Were the Rough Riders? | Explorer

National Geographic2016-10-16

Explorer#What Would#Teddy Do?#history video#cuba#American history#U.S. history#Teddy Roosevelt#Theodore Roosevelt#military intervention#Remember the Maine#Havana#war fever#Rough Riders#Spanish-American War#Spanish American War#The Rough Riders

143K views|7 years ago

💫 Short Summary

In the late 19th century, Theodore Roosevelt found a cause to redeem his family's honor in Cuba, where there was an insurgency against the Spanish colonial empire. The explosion of the US warship Maine in Havana Harbor in 1898, similar to 9/11 in its impact, led to war fever in the US and gave Theodore Roosevelt the cause for war he desperately sought. He quit being assistant secretary of the Navy and got a commission as lieutenant colonel in the first United States volunteer cavalry regiment, the Rough Riders.

✨ Highlights

📊 Transcript

✦

In 1897, TR finds a cause to redeem his family's honor in Cuba, where there is an insurgency against the Spanish colonial empire.

00:00

TR believes it is America's duty to liberate its oppressed neighbors.

TR argues for military intervention in Cuba.

The explosion of the US warship Maine in Havana Harbor in 1898, similar to 9/11 in its impact, leads to war fever in the US and gives TR the cause for war he desperately sought.

✦

TR quits being assistant secretary of the Navy and gets a commission as lieutenant colonel in the first United States volunteer cavalry regiment.

01:33

TR assembles a combination of Ivy League graduates and cowboys, known as the Rough Riders.

00:00 a century has passed since Washington

00:03 wrote to be prepared for war is the most

00:07 effectual means of promoting the peace

00:09 in 1897 as assistant secretary of the

00:13 Navy TR finds a cause that can help him

00:16 redeem his family's honor in Cuba a long

00:19 simmering insurgency against the Spanish

00:21 colonial empire is coming to a head

00:24 TR clamors for military intervention

00:27 they're arguing that it's America's duty

00:29 to liberate its oppressed neighbors it

00:32 was Theodore Roosevelt that was the

00:34 first one to say we have a

00:36 responsibility to go over and bring

00:38 people freedom our freedom and mess in

00:41 their affairs and quite honestly that's

00:43 the trouble that we have now in the

00:45 Middle East that's the trouble that we

00:46 have everywhere in the world is that we

00:48 were saying we're so great we're gonna

00:52 bring this to you that was an invention

00:54 of Theodore Roosevelt National Auto what

00:58 Teddy needs is a persuasive cause for

01:00 attacking Cuba a weapons of mass

01:03 destruction argument and he's about to

01:06 get one

01:07 remember the main probably not most

01:11 Americans don't but that's the US

01:13 warship that exploded in Havana Harbor

01:15 in February 1898 taking 254 American

01:20 sailors to their watery graves like 9/11

01:24 a century later the tragedy roused

01:26 America into vengeful fury and gave

01:29 Teddy the cause for war he so

01:31 desperately sought even though it wasn't

01:33 clear who was the blame created

01:36 tremendous war fever in the country and

01:38 outrage on the part of TR what this

01:41 hideous act against us was needed to be

01:44 dealt with immediately Theodore

01:47 Roosevelt simply quits being assistant

01:50 secretary Naveen says I'm going to warn

01:52 TR uses every bit of his political

01:55 influence to get a commission as

01:57 lieutenant colonel in the first United

01:59 States volunteer cavalry regiment

02:04 that's cool

02:08 he assembled a combination and only

02:11 Teddy Roosevelt could have done this a

02:12 combination of Ivy League graduates and

02:15 cowboys that he had met in the West and

02:17 of course they were called the Rough

02:19 Riders

💫 FAQs about This YouTube Video

1. What was the cause that helped Theodore Roosevelt redeem his family's honor?

In 1897, Theodore Roosevelt found a cause to redeem his family's honor in Cuba, where there was a long-simmering insurgency against the Spanish colonial empire.

2. How did the explosion of the US warship Maine in Havana Harbor contribute to the war fever in the United States?

The explosion of the US warship Maine in Havana Harbor in 1898, similar to 9/11 in its impact, led to war fever in the US and gave Theodore Roosevelt the cause for war he desperately sought.

3. What did Theodore Roosevelt believe was America's duty in the situation in Cuba?

Theodore Roosevelt believed that it was America's duty to liberate its oppressed neighbors in Cuba.

4. What did Theodore Roosevelt do after the explosion of the US warship Maine in Havana Harbor?

Theodore Roosevelt quit being assistant secretary of the Navy and used his political influence to get a commission as lieutenant colonel in the first United States volunteer cavalry regiment.

5. Who were the Rough Riders and how were they assembled?

The Rough Riders were a combination of Ivy League graduates and cowboys assembled by Theodore Roosevelt, with the belief that only he could have done so.

🎥 Related Videos