When analyzing "The Strenuous Life," one must consider the audience and the context. Theodore Roosevelt delivered the speech on April 10, 1899, to the Hamilton Club in Chicago. Roosevelt was a Republican and governor of New York. The Hamilton Club was a Republican social club, named after Alexander Hamilton, which sought to promote good government, patriotism, and Republican principles.
It is no accident that Roosevelt opened his speech by flattering the members of the club, calling them "men of the greatest city of the West...who pre-eminently and distinctly embody all that is most American in the American character." He closed the speech with the stated goal of the policies he was promoting—"true national greatness." The speech sent the message to these Republican men that, if they were truly patriotic, they would support his plan for increased control over Hawaii, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. If they didn't, they were lazy, lacking in manhood, and unpatriotic. In holding up hard work as a virtue, Roosevelt was also able to convey the idea that the correct path for America was not an easy one: it would require great effort and even "strife." He used the word "strife" multiple times.
An examination of Roosevelt's speech reveals some glaring biases: for example, he took as a given that the natives of the Philippines were uncivilized and incapable of ruling themselves. He extolled the virtues of the British imperial endeavors in Egypt and India and their success in "civilizing" those countries, turning a blind eye to the great loss of human life in the British colonies, whether from military action or economic exploitation.
Roosevelt was propagating the ideas of American imperialism and expansionism when isolationist sentiment was still strong. The speech can be seen as an attempt to chip away at that isolationism. As president from 1901 to 1909, Roosevelt pursued with vigor the policies that he outlined in the speech.
http://voicesofdemocracy.umd.edu/roosevelt-strenuous-life-1899-speech-text/
https://archive.org/details/hamiltonclubofch00hami
Teddy Roosevelt delivered this speech in Chicago in 1899. In the speech, he speaks about the virtues of living a life of effort and determination and says, "We admire the man who embodies victorious effort." He jumps from the idea that people should lead a vigorous life to the idea that the nation should pursue a vigorous future with the line at the beginning of the fourth paragraph, "As it is with the individual, so it is with the nation." He speaks of the valiant effort of the Union during the Civil War and then speaks about the responsibilities the United States has in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines following the Spanish-American War (which was fought in 1898).
His speech then becomes a defense of imperialism and a statement against isolationism. He speaks about the need to bolster the American military and speaks in detail about the problems in the Caribbean and in the Philippines that demand our attention. At the end of the speech, he describes peace as "ignoble" and speaks against the idea of "slothful ease."
Your impressions of this speech are up to you. How do you feel about Roosevelt's desire to turn the United States into an imperialist nation after the Spanish-American War? Do you think that the United States has the right to intervene in foreign nations? How do you feel about Roosevelt characterizing peace as "ignoble" or dishonorable? Do you feel this way about peace?
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