Theodore Roosevelt
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In 1898, Roosevelt formed a military regiment—the Rough Riders—to fight against Spain in Cuba. He fashioned himself a "natural leader" of the regiment, a group that included, miners, cowboys, Native Americans, sons of Confederate veterans, and African-Americans. Fighting in Cuba for only a few months before Spain surrendered to the U.S., Roosevelt and his Rough Riders returned, revered as heroes. Roosevelt channeled his new military fame into a successful political career.