4. Theodore Roosevelt had served as President of the United States for two terms. He decided to try for a third term in 1912. This time he ran as a third party candidate and lost the election. In addition to losing the election, he no longer was respected as people felt like he had cost the Republican party the White House. After the election was over, Teddy was suffering from depression. He decided to travel to South America to speak at an event and visit his son, Kermit. While there, he was given the chance to go on a journey to explore and map out Brazil’s River of Doubt. It was a treacherous river with many rapids and waterfalls. Also, the river was located in the Amazon and that area was filled with deadly weather, reptiles and other perils.
Teddy quickly figured out that he and the entire group was ill-prepared for the journey. They lacked the proper equipment, food and other basic needs. Before the journey was over, Teddy became very ill with malaria and other infections. He always carried a vial of morphine with him and at a point in the journey he was going to quietly take the morphine and end his own life. He was going to do that to save his son because he did not want to be a burden to his son. However, Kermit let him know very quickly that he would not leave him in the Amazon dead or alive and that it would be easier for him to get his father out alive rather than dead.
Teddy and the group made it out of the Amazon. The river was eventually renamed the Rio Roosevelt. His health was never quite the same after the journey was over.
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