2012 TR Symposium

Theodore Roosevelt: The Progressive in the Arena

Panelists discuss North Dakota and the 1912 primary election, women and progressivism, the NPL, Bill Langer, and prairie protest.

Theodore Roosevelt ran for an unprecedented third term as President in 1912, as the candidate of the Progressive (Bull Moose) Party. He lost the election, but he earned the largest third party vote in American history. In this symposium we “placed” Roosevelt in the larger context of progressivism and the Progressive Movement. We also explored Roosevelt’s relationship with the various threads of prairie discontentment between 1880 and 1919, including North Dakota’s Nonpartisan League.

For more information, see the symposium’s brochure and explore the information in the tabs on this page.

“Every man who fights fearlessly and effectively against special privilege in any form is to that extent a Progressive. Every man who, directly or indirectly, upholds privilege and favors the special interests, whether he acts from evil motives or merely because he is puzzle-headed or dull of mental vision, or lacking in social sympathy, or whether he simply lacks interest in the subject, is a reactionary.“

Theodore Roosevelt, speaking in Louisville, Kentucky, April 3, 1912

Speakers

KATHLEEN DALTON

Title: “Roosevelt at Osawatomie, 1910: A Reformer’s Political Evolution”

Biography: Kathleen Dalton is Cecil F. P. Bancroft Instructor of History at Phillips Academy Andover as well as an external fellow of Boston University’s International History Institute. Author of Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life and A Portrait of a School: Coeducation at Andover, she has spoken widely about Theodore Roosevelt, including appearances on C-SPAN’s Book TV, the History Channel, A&E, and public television.

NANCY UNGER
Title: “The ‘Inconsequential Playboy’ versus the ‘Self-seeking Demagogue’: Theodore Roosevelt, Robert La Follette, and the Progressive Coalition That Wasn’t”

Biography: Nancy C. Unger is an Associate Professor of History at Santa Clara University and author of the just-published Beyond Nature’s Housekeepers: American Women in Environmental History and the prize-winning biography Fighting Bob La Follette: The Righteous Reformer. Her op-eds apply the progressive tradition to today and appear in newspapers including the Chicago Sun-Times, Miami Herald, San Francisco Chronicle, and Kansas City Star. Her radio appearances include Voice of America, Wisconsin Public Radio, Talking History, and AIR AMERICA, and she has served as a consultant for PBS.

JEFFREY OSTLER
Title: “The Power and Problem of Prairie Populism”

Biography: Jeffrey Ostler is Beekman Professor of Northwest and Pacific History at the University of Oregon, where he has taught since 1990. After publishing his first book, Prairie Populism, Ostler became increasingly interested in the history of Plains Indians. His publications in that area include The Plains Sioux and U.S. Colonialism from Lewis and Clark to Wounded Knee, winner of the Caughey Prize from the Western History Association. He is currently working on a book about the question of genocide in U.S. history.

KIMBERLY PORTER

Biography: Kimberly K. Porter is a professor of history at the University of North Dakota, teaching U.S. history in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, as well as the New Era and the New Deal. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, studying under the direction of Dr. Ellis Hawley. An expert in rural and agricultural history as well as oral history, she served as editor of The Oral History Review, the journal of record for the English-speaking oral history community, for six years. Dr. Porter is writing a biography of Henry Field, an Iowa businessman and ardent supporter of the agrarian way of life, whose legacy provides insight into the changes occurring in American agriculture in the 1920s and 1930s.

FRANK VARNEY

Title: “William Jennings Bryan: so Near and Yet so Far”

Biography: Frank Varney is the Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Honors Leadership Program and Assistant Professor of History at Dickinson State University. Specializing in the era of the American Civil War, he regularly takes student groups to historic sites – especially Civil War battlefields – and makes frequent speaking appearances before Civil War roundtables, historical societies, and other interested groups. Varney earned his undergraduate degree at William Paterson University and his M.A. and Ph.D. at Cornell University. His first book, General Grant and the Rewriting of History, will be published in November.

Schedule

Thursday, September 20, 2012

6:00 p.m.	Registration – May Hall
7:00 p.m.	Welcome and Introductions
7:30 p.m.	Keynote Address: Jeffrey Ostler – “The Power and Problem of Prairie Populism”

Friday, September 21, 2012

8:00 a.m.	Registration/Breakfast – May Hall
9:00 a.m.	Opening Remarks
9:15 a.m.	Kathleen Dalton – “Roosevelt at Osawatomie, 1910: A Reformer’s Political Evolution”
9:45 a.m.	Q & A with Kathleen Dalton
10:00 a.m.	Break
10:15 a.m..	Nancy Unger – “The ‘Inconsequential Playboy’ versus the “Self-seeking Demagogue’: Theodore Roosevelt, Robert La Follette, and the Progressive Coalition that Wasn’t”
10:45 a.m.	Q & A with Nancy Unger
11:00 a.m.	Panel: Jeffrey Ostler, Kimberly Porter, Nancy Unger, Clay Jenkinson (moderator) – “North Dakota and the 1912 Primary Election, Women and Progressivism, NPL, Bill Langer and Prairie Protest”
11:45 a.m.	Lunch
1:00 p.m.	Frank Varney – “William Jennings Bryan: so Near and Yet so Far”
1:30 p.m.	Q & A with Frank Varney
1:45 p.m.	Break
2:00 p.m.	Clay Jenkinson – “A.C. Townley and the Nonpartisan League”
2:40 p.m.	Q & A with Clay Jenkinson
3:00 p.m.	Multimedia Presentation – “The Assassination Attempt on Theodore Roosevelt in October 1912”
5:00 p.m.	Social – Alumni and Foundation House
5:30 p.m.	Dinner – TBD
7:00 p.m.	A Chautauqua Revue

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Field trip to Medora and Beach, ND

7:30 a.m.	Registration for Field Trip/Breakfast – Student Center
8:15 a.m.	Buses leave for Medora/Beach
9:00 a.m.	Panel: Kathleen Dalton, Jeffrey Ostler, Nancy Unger, Frank Varney – A wide-ranging discussion and synthesis of symposium themes.
11:30 a.m.	Lunch – La Playa Restaurant, Beach
12:30 p.m.	Film Screening and Discussion of Northern Lights (Docudrama)
4:30 p.m.	Closing Reception – North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame

Photos

Dr. D. C. Coston welcomes the audience on the first night of the Symposium.	Jeffrey Ostler delivers his keynote address, “The Power and Problem of Prairie Populism.”
Jeffrey Ostler signs a book for a participant.	Participants enjoy refreshments after the keynote address on Thursday night.
Nancy Unger delivers her lecture, “The ‘Inconsequential Playboy’ versus the ‘Self-seeking Demagogue’”.	Frank Varney delivers his lecture, “William Jennings Bryan: So Near and Yet So Far.”
Panelists discuss North Dakota and the 1912 primary election, women and progressivism, the NPL, Bill Langer, and prairie protest.	Participants ruminate on the day’s events on Friday, September 21st.
A member of DSU’s Form and Fusion group dances at the Chautauqua Revue.	A barbershop quartet performs at Friday evening’s Chautauqua Revue.
Dr. David Solheim reads a poem at Friday evening’s Chautauqua Revue.	Panelists take questions from the audience about any of the themes of the Symposium on Saturday in Medora.
On Saturday, participants visited the site of A. C. Townley’s flax farm outside of Beach, ND.	After visiting Townley’s flax farm, participants enjoyed lunch at the La Playa Mexican Restaurant in Beach, ND.
Also in Beach, the Bijou Theatre offered a private showing of the film, “Northern Lights.”	Clay Jenkinson led a discussion of the film, “Northern Lights,” inside the Bijou Theatre in Beach, ND.
Back in Medora, Valerie Naylor leads a discussion about the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.	Participants at the visitor’s center of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Participants view the Maltese Cross cabin.	The Maltese Cross cabin at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Videos

Dr. D. C. Coston and Clay Jenkinson welcome participants to the Theodore Roosevelt Symposium.

Jeffrey Ostler delivers his keynote address, “The Power and Problem of Prairie Populism.”

Question and answer session with Jeffrey Ostler.

Opening remarks on September 21, 2012.

Kathleen Dalton discusses “Roosevelt at Osawatomie, 1910: a Reformer’s Political Evolution.”

Question and answer session with Kathleen Dalton.

Nancy Unger delivers her lecture, “The ‘Inconsequential Playboy’ versus the ‘Self-Seeking Demagogue’: Theodore Roosevelt, Robert LaFollette, and the Progressive Coalition that Wasn’t.”

Question and answer session with Nancy Unger.

Kimberly Porter shares insights regarding Theodore Roosevelt’s reaction to the NPL

“North Dakota and the Primary Election, Women and Progressivism, NPL, Bill Langer and Prairie Protest” panel with Jeffrey Ostler, Kimberly Porter, and Nancy Unger, moderated by Clay Jenkinson.

Frank Varney discusses “William Jennings Bryan: So Near and Yet So Far.”

Question and answer session with Frank Varney.

Clay Jenkinson delivers his lecture, “A. C. Townley and the Nonpartisan League.”

Question and answer session with Clay Jenkinson.

The Theodore Roosevelt Center offers a multimedia presentation, “The Assassination Attempt on Theodore Roosevelt in October 1912.”

Dickinson State University presents an old-fashioned Chautauqua Revue.

The closing panel with Kathleen Dalton, Jeffrey Ostler, Nancy Unger, and Frank Varney, moderated by Clay Jenkinson in Medora, North Dakota.