Film and the American Moral Vision of Nature: Theodore Roosevelt to Walt Disney

Theodore Roosevelt's multifaceted persona as a hunter, explorer, and naturalist reflects a deep connection between masculinity, power, and nature. His 1909 African safari documentary highlights aggressive themes of racial superiority and manifest destiny. Ronald Tobias examines how Roosevelt's legacy influenced American perceptions of nature, revealing a complex and conflicted relationship that persists today. Through Roosevelt and figures like Jesse "Buffalo" Jones and Walt Disney, the book explores the evolution of these attitudes intertwined with the American dream of empire.