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The Theodore Roosevelt Center at Dickinson State University invites academics, scholars, students, and the general public to their fifth annual Theodore Roosevelt symposium, September 16-18, 2010, in Dickinson and Medora, North Dakota. This public humanities symposium entitled Theodore Roosevelt: The President in the Arena will examine TR as president and his impact on the post. Though he was an “accidental president,” coming into office on the assassination of William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt was nevertheless a president of pivotal importance to our understanding of the transition from the 19th to the 20th century and our understanding of the triumph of executive power in the 20th century. Thanks to his status as a war hero, his national reputation as a cowboy and rancher, and the immense colorfulness and purposefulness of his character, Roosevelt helped to transform the presidency and reset the balance of the separation of powers in the U.S. Constitution.
The event will consist of public lectures, panel discussions, a musical performance, and a field trip to sites important to TR in western North Dakota. Notre Dame political scientist Peri Arnold will speak on TR’s place in the creation of the modern presidency. Julie Greene, historian from the University of Maryland, will explore American foreign policy and labor relations in Latin America related to the building of the Panama Canal. Shippensburg University historian David Godshalk will address issues of race that were prominent in America during TR’s presidency. DSU faculty and other invited scholars will serve on panels examining other issues related to the foreign and domestic policies of the administration and a study of TR’s presidential legacy. DSU music department chair Tim Justus will lead a performance of popular music played at the White House for the Roosevelts. Symposium participants will also travel to historic Medora and TR’s Elkhorn Ranch to encounter TR’s North Dakota firsthand. Theodore Roosevelt Humanities Scholar Clay Jenkinson will serve as symposium moderator.
For more information, please visit http://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/Symposia_2010.asp or call DSU’s Office of Extended Learning at 866-496-8797.
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