Past Symposia

Theodore Roosevelt and the Navy

September 25-27, 2025

From his first book, The Naval War of 1812, to his commissioning of the Great White Fleet, Theodore Roosevelt championed the Navy throughout his career. His study of history and of modern warfare led him to believe that the only way the United States could become one of the world’s great powers was by maintaining a powerful navy. “A great navy does not make for war, but for peace. It is the cheapest kind of insurance,” Roosevelt wrote to Secretary of the Navy John D. Long in 1897. At the 20th Annual TR Symposium, we will explore TR’s passion for naval power, his role in promoting and building up the US Navy, and the role of the Navy in the current world order.

Conservation and Sustainability

September 5-7, 2024

In the pages of The Outlook, in July 1900, Theodore Roosevelt famously wrote: “A man is worthless unless he has in him a lofty devotion to an ideal, and he is worthless also unless he strives to realize this ideal by practical methods.” In two great and related areas, the conserving and sustaining the land, he put his ideals into practice. Speaking to the National Editorial Association in June 1907, Roosevelt said “the conservation of our natural resources and their proper use constitute the fundamental problem which underlies almost every other problem of our national life.” In questions of land, law, water, and the national parks, among others, the 19th TR Symposium looks to conservation and sustainability as two of the most important themes of his time and ours.

The Athlete in the Arena: Theodore Roosevelt and the Development of Modern Sports

September 15-17, 2022

In its 17th public humanities symposium, the Theodore Roosevelt Center explores the athletic world in the age of Roosevelt: the beginnings of basketball, the taming of collegiate football, the search for the “strenuous life,” and TR’s life as a boxer, wrestler, stick fighter, point-to-point hiker, and judo aficionado.

Western Scenes, Western Friends

September 23-25, 2021

The theme of the 16th Annual Theodore Roosevelt Symposium at Dickinson State University was TR’s western “arena”—his western travels, western adventures, western friendships, and western conservation policies.

Allies in the Arena: Theodore Roosevelt’s Circle

September 17-19, 2020

Although Theodore Roosevelt was one of the strongest and most charismatic of American presidents, he could not have accomplished all that he did without his circle of friends and advisers. Join us as we explore Roosevelt’s relations with such friends as Leonard Wood, Booker T. Washington, and others.

Theodore Roosevelt in Retrospect: An American Legacy

September 12-14, 2019

Theodore Roosevelt died on January 6, 1919. He was just 60 years old. When he died, Vice President Thomas R. Marshall said, “Death had to take Roosevelt sleeping, for if he had been awake, there would have been a fight.”

We all know that Roosevelt was one of the most consequential presidents in American history.  Americans love to celebrate him and delight in his outsized personality, his adventures, his superb sense of humor, his capacity to attract admirers from every political party and persuasion. But Roosevelt’s  legacy is never simple. In this centennial year of his death, we will examine, assess, and explore his contributions to American life, as well as our perceptions of them over time.

Women in the Arena (and a bit of Roosevelt, too)

September 20-22, 2018

For a man whose whole life appears to embody a Cult of Masculinity, Theodore Roosevelt was surprisingly enlightened about the roles and rights of women. Beginning with his senior thesis at Harvard, and extending through his whole remarkable life, TR argued that women should have better protections and broader rights in American society. This symposium explored Roosevelt’s relations with the women in his life—and, more importantly, his broader understanding of the role of women in American politics and American life.

Theodore Roosevelt: The Naturalist in the Arena

September 14-16, 2017

When seven-year-old “Teedie” Roosevelt came upon a dead seal in front of a New York City shop, he measured it, gazed on it in wonder, and eventually obtained the skull for what would become the Roosevelt Museum of Natural History. His scientific curiosity, boyish enthusiasm, and love of the outdoors persisted through his hectic life as a public servant.

In this symposium we explored TR’s love of nature, his work to save the buffalo, his conservation friendships with John Muir and Gifford Pinchot, and his love of big game hunting.

Theodore Roosevelt: Candidate in the Arena

September 29-October 1, 2016

Theodore Roosevelt campaigned strenuously in 1900, when he was selected as William McKinley’s running mate. During that campaign, Roosevelt denounced Democratic candidate William Jennings Bryan as a socialist, an incendiary, and “a human trombone.”

The 1912 election involved the Republican establishment working—in some ways legitimately, in some ways corruptly—to deny the insurgent candidate Roosevelt the presidential nomination, even though he was without question the favorite of the majority of Republicans throughout the country.

Theodore Roosevelt: The Progressive in the Arena
September 20-22, 2012

Theodore Roosevelt: The Progressive in the Arena reviewed TR’s progressivism and his relationship to other figures and movements that represented progressive ideals.

Theodore Roosevelt: In The Arena of the West
October 27-30, 2011

Theodore Roosevelt: In the Arena of the West took a new look at Roosevelt’s time in the Dakota badlands and his fascination with the American West.

Theodore Roosevelt: The President in the Arena
September 16-18, 2010

Theodore Roosevelt: The President in the Arena, examined Theodore Roosevelt’s actions as president and his impact on the post.

Theodore Roosevelt: The Conservationist in the Arena 

October 9-11, 2008

The symposium examined TR’s contributions to the American conservation movement by considering his life and work in the American West, his reading in conservation literature, and the friendships he forged that influenced his conservation ethic and legislative program.

Theodore Roosevelt and America’s Place in the World Arena

September 13-15, 2007

This year’s symposium focused on the years 1880-1919, a period in which the United States increased the size of its armed forces, particularly the Navy, acquired its first off-shore colonies, and challenged the great powers of Europe in the world’s arena.

Theodore Roosevelt: The Adventurer 

October 12-14, 2006

The theme “Theodore Roosevelt: The Adventurer,” was chosen to take advantage of the release of Candice Millard’s “River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey,” an account of Roosevelt’s 1914 exploration of the River of Doubt in South America.