Theodore Roosevelt's Military Experience Research Paper

Theodore Roosevelt's Military Experience - Research Paper Example One can never undermine the naval reconstruction undertaken by Theodore Roosevelt. As the Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt was deeply influenced by naval officer and historian Alfred Thayer Mahan and he rendered remarkable services in establishing a modern navy that could protect the interests of the nation around the globe. In fact, Roosevelt strongly believed in expansionism and he held that â€Å"the United States should build up its navy and start asserting its global power† (Shmoop 9). Even though he served the navy as assistant secretary for only one year Roosevelt took special efforts to develop â€Å"contacts with noted naval strategists, planned future strategies for a naval war with Spain, and appointed George Dewey to command the Asiatic Squadron† (Crucible of Empire-PBS Online). All these efforts culminated in the emergence of Roosevelt as one of the most efficient and tactful of American military officers. Theodore Roosevelt’s war in Cuba ha s elaborately been documented by many authors of history. As the Assistant Secretary of the Navy he prepared the navy ready for any wars and he succeeded in convincing the army that intervention in Cuba is necessary. He convinced his navy men that â€Å"it was the moral duty of the United States to end Spanish misrule in Cuba and to stop at once and forever the despotic tyranny of the Spanish Governor-General, Weyler† (Lewis 120). In his autobiography Roosevelt himself confesses that the war in Cuba was inevitable and that it was motivated by humane motives rather than for political interests. In his autobiography he observes that â€Å"Spain attempted to govern her colonies on archaic principles which rendered her control of them incompatible with the advance of humanity and intolerable to the conscience of mankind† (Roosevelt 159). Thus, Roosevelt sought to wipe out the misery, degradation, devastation and destruction that the Cubans had to endure at the hands of the Spanish imperialists. In 1898 the explosion occurred on the USS Maine in Havana Harbor offered a golden opportunity for Roosevelt to prompt the American government to wage war in Cuba. Roosevelt also motivated his men to assist the Cubans who were waging a very important war to gain independence from Spain since 1895. Roosevelt played a pivotal role in the Spanish-American War, the Battle of Manila Bay and his able leadership at the helm of the First Volunteer Cavalry, nicknamed as the "Rough Riders" won him recognition as well as popularity. The voluntary cavalry men under Roosevelt supplemented the depleted U.S. Army in the war and tuned the war in favor of the US army. Roosevelt and his Rough Riders landed in Cuba on 22 June 1898 and by August the Rough Riders turned the war in favor of the American force. At the battle of San Juan Heights Roosevelt led the army from the forefront and the image of Roosevelt charging up the San Juan Hill in 1898 turned out to be a historical icon in the US history and very soon he assumed the status of a national hero. The question whether Theodore Roosevelt should be awarded the medal of honour evoked a lot of debates in the United States. While his own companions offered testimony for his courage and absolute fearlessness in the battlefield it is doubtful why he was not honoured with the Medal of Honor during his life time itself. There are many historians who hold that

Father Teilhard de Chardin, a Jesuit priest Research Paper

Father Teilhard de Chardin, a Jesuit priest - Research Paper Example Religion too opposes science, for example, by offering opposing explanations for occurrence. Despite this widely held view that science and religion oppose each other, there are scholars who believe that overall, science and religion have had a positive relationship between them(Sweet and Feist 2). According to this school of thought, the two complement each other. Promoters of this viewpoint claim that religion has made several contributions to science. They also point to the fact that, throughout history, several religious people have been involved in scientific research. One such person is Father Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a Jesuit priest. Many scholars regard Teilhard as a pioneer of integrating science and faith within the Catholic Church. This paper examines Teilhard’s thoughts and contribution toward getting the Catholic Church to embrace science. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was a French Jesuit priest who also doubled up as a scientist(Delio 155). As a paleontologist, T eilhard took part in the discovery of the â€Å"Peking Man†. They also had the concept of the â€Å"Omega Point†, the highest degree of complexity and awareness they believed the universes was evolving toward. The Catholic Church censored many of Teilhard’s writing primarily because of their views on the original sin. Today, Teilhard’s paleontological work is widely accepted among scientists. However, their theorizing on evolution is disparaged. Fr. Teilhard died in 1955 at the age of seventy-four years. Teilhard was among the very few leaders of thought to successfully marry pure scientific research with a religious calling. Teilhard believed that there was a need to reconstruct the doctrines of the Catholic Church from the viewpoints of science while at the same time, rebuilding science from the perspectives of science(Delio 157). In other words, they believed that the two spheres complemented each other.