The Strenuous Life

This article is part of a series about Theodore Roosevelt
Political positions Electoral history Early life Family The Naval War of 1812 Rough Riders Battle of San Juan Hill 1886 New York City mayoral election 33rd Governor of New York Governorship "The Strenuous Life" 25th Vice President of the United States 1900 McKinley-Roosevelt campaign "Speak softly and carry a big stick" 26th President of the United States Presidency Timeline First term McKinley assassination 1st inauguration Square Deal West Wing Coal strike Booker T. Washington dinner Venezuela crisis Roosevelt Corollary Second term 1904 campaign Election 2nd inauguration Conservation Antiquities Act Forest Service Pure Food and Drug Act FDA Swift & Co. v. United States Meat Inspection Act Treaty of Portsmouth Nobel Prize FBI Panama Canal Great White Fleet 1912 election Republican Convention Progressive Party Convention New Nationalism Assassination attempt Post Presidency African Expedition River of Doubt Expedition "Citizenship in a Republic" WWI volunteers Legacy Memorials Depictions
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"The Strenuous Life" is the name of a speech given by the then New York Governor, later the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt in Chicago, Illinois, on April 10, 1899. Based upon his personal experiences, he argued that strenuous effort and overcoming hardship were ideals to be embraced by Americans for the betterment of the nation and the world in the 20th century.