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It's much clearer why the bears became known as teddies. In 1902, US President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt went on a hunting trip. Roosevelt's associates trapped and harmed a black bear and tied it to a tree so that the president could "hunt" the animal more easily. Roosevelt refused to shoot the captive bear, claiming that this was not true sportsmanlike hunting. Although the bear did not ultimately survive this encounter, Teddy Roosevelt's refusal to kill the bear became the subject of cartoons that inspired Morris Michtom to name his new bear toy after the president.

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Final answer:

The term 'teddy bears' originated from an incident in 1902 when President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a captive bear, demonstrating his sportsmanlike ethics, which also influenced his presidency and conservation policies.

Step-by-step explanation:

The story behind the origination of the term 'teddy bears' is deeply entwined with the 26th President of the United States, Theodore 'Teddy' Roosevelt. In 1902, during a hunting trip, Roosevelt's refusal to shoot a captive bear was immortalized in a cartoon, which later inspired Morris Michtom to create the first 'teddy bear' in honor of the president.

The event underscored Roosevelt's image as a sportsman with a code of ethics, which also reflected in his conservation policies as president. Roosevelt's presidency was a vibrant period that combined progressive reforms with a dynamic foreign policy, punctuated by his work in the conservation movement, advocacy for arbitration in labor disputes, and limitation of corporate power.

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