Editorial

A copy of an editorial written by Francis Warrington Dawson and published April 22, 1880, in the Charleston News and Courier. Dawson writes of the conditions on the Sea Islands of South Carolina as planters have been working to restore the lands. The people of the Sea Islands reportedly live peacefully and prosperously together, despite freed persons outnumbering white farmers. Dawson states that the “Southern problem” is solved.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1880-04-22

Among other editorial comments, The Clyde Enterprise reports that despite Theodore Roosevelt’s faults, the general population approves of him, and that if Sandusky county were to choose the president, Roosevelt would be elected by a large majority.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-11-23

William N. Tilchin reflects on his fifteen years as editor of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal (TRAJ). Tilchin acknowledges the work and collaboration of four journal designers whom he credits with helping craft the appearance of the TRAJ, and he stresses his commitment to issuing a journal of substance free from errors. Tilchin notes some of the highlights of his tenure, including the celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the TRAJ in 2015.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2021

William N. Tilchin recalls his friendship with William J. Vanden Heuvel. Tilchin quotes from their correspondence, and he notes that they shared a belief that Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt shared similar outlooks on domestic and foreign policies. Tilchin asserts that Vanden Heuvel devoted much of his work to linking the two presidents, as well as healing the rift between the two branches of the Roosevelt family.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2021

William N. Tilchin thanks Shirley Hudders and Marie Hewett for their many years of service in compiling indexes for the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal, and he notes that with their retirement he is in search of new indexers. Tilchin also comments on the death of former Secretary of State George P. Schultz, and he classifies Schultz as a “Rooseveltian statesman.” Tilchin recalls interviewing Schultz for a research project in 2000.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2021

William N. Tilchin compares Theodore Roosevelt’s 1904 election victory to that of Joseph R. Biden in 2020 and notes that the electoral count maps for the two elections are quite similar. Tilchin examines the history of the “solid South” and its dominance by Democratic and Republican candidates in two distinct periods, and he notes that Roosevelt and Biden both, in varying degrees, lost the former states of the Confederacy, with Biden enjoying some success while Roosevelt lost every state of the former Confederacy.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2020

William N. Tilchin examines the variety of people drawn to Theodore Roosevelt, and he notes that most embrace a particular aspect of his life or career while there are others, himself included, who he characterizes as “all-in Rooseveltians” who adopt Roosevelt’s thinking whole. Tilchin admits that he approaches each election and his voting choices from this position, and he asks which candidates meet the test of adhering to positions staked out by Roosevelt.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2020

William N. Tilchin extends his gratitude to Amy Krueger, designer of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal (TRAJ) from 2013 to 2019, for her years of service in designing the TRAJ and for her work in designing Spotlighting TR: Selections from the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal, 2007-2014. Tilchin also acknowledges the work of Krueger’s predecessor James H. Stroud and introduces the new designer Susanna Ludwig.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2020

William N. Tilchin presents an excerpt from a letter he wrote to members of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) upon the occasion of the end of his term as President of the TRA. Tilchin focuses on the work and legacy of John A. Gable, the long-time Executive Director of the TRA, and says that he remains focused on carrying out Gable’s work. On a separate matter, Tilchin notes that he erred in his characterization of a series of letters from Theodore Roosevelt to the Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park published in the Fall 2018 issue.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2019

William N. Tilchin charts his intellectual and professional journey with Theodore Roosevelt from his time as a graduate student at Michigan State University and Brown University to his tenure as editor of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Tilchin credits two of his graduate school professors and John A. Gable of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) for encouraging his study of Roosevelt.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2019

William N. Tilchin highlights some of the items in this issue of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal, including letters from two former presidents, George Bush and Theodore Roosevelt, and a focus on Michael Patrick Cullinane’s Theodore Roosevelt’s Ghost. Tilchin also notes how the Theodore Roosevelt Association is trying to negotiate the highly partisan political atmosphere in the nation and that it is a “nonpartisan” organization whose members are free to express their beliefs in a variety of forums.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2018

William N. Tilchin announces that this issue of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal features two new columns by Susan Sarna and Richard Marschall which focus on items from the collection at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site and on political cartoons depicting Theodore Roosevelt. Tilchin also notes that an upcoming issue will inaugurate an additional column by Nicole E. Goldstein centered on Theodore Roosevelt Island, and he notes that this issue focuses on Roosevelt, his son Quentin Roosevelt, and World War I.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2018

William N. Tilchin chronicles his friendship with John E. Willson who became a major benefactor of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal beginning in 2014. Tilchin notes his and Willson’s support of the Boston Red Sox, and he encourages readers to make contributions to the Dr. John A. Gable Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal Endowment Fund in Willson’s memory.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2017

William N. Tilchin discusses the long process of compiling, editing, and publishing Spotlighting TR: Selections from the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal, 2007-2014. Tilchin notes the obstacles presented by finances and finding enough time to work on the project. Tilchin acknowledges the support of Boston University for a sabbatical leave and Amy Krueger for her design and production work.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2017

William N. Tilchin gives an overview of the contents of this issue, praises the artwork by John Seerey-Lester found on the front and back covers, and reviews the three different types of advertisements, publisher, booster, and memorial, available for purchase and placement in the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2016

William N. Tilchin provides a very brief history of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) prior to the appointment in 1974 of John A. Gable as its executive director. Tilchin notes that Gable began publishing the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal (TRAJ) in 1975, and he believes that the TRAJ helped grow the membership of the TRA.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2016

William N. Tilchin reports that he has received favorable feedback regarding his review of Ken Burns’s documentary on the Roosevelt family which appeared in the Winter-Spring-Summer 2015 issue of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Tilchin quotes from email and letters he received, and he highlights letters received from William J. Vanden Heuvel of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute. Tilchin closes with commentary reflecting on the shared perspectives of Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2015

William N. Tilchin challenges the assertions of political scientist Justin S. Vaughn made on the editorial page of the New York Times regarding the best and worst former United States presidents. Tilchin contends that Herbert Hoover and Jimmy Carter do not meet the standard of the best category while Theodore Roosevelt does not belong in the worst category. Tilchin criticizes the field of political science for its lack of historical knowledge, and he chastises the New York Times for publishing a poor piece of scholarship.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

In an editorial in the “Faithfully yours” column, William N. Tilchin compares the appeasement of Nazi Germany by Great Britain in the late 1930s with the approach pursued by the administration of President Barack Obama towards Iran and its drive to produce nuclear weapons. Tilchin praises Boris Johnson’s biography of Winston Churchill, The Churchill Factor, and he highlights Theodore Roosevelt’s contributions to American foreign policy. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2014

In his “Faithfully yours” column, William N. Tilchin introduces and reprints a letter from President Theodore Roosevelt to the French writer Frederic Mistral. In the December 15, 1904, letter, Roosevelt asserts that while the accumulation of wealth and industrial power is important to a nation, attention should also be given to “the things of the spirit.” Roosevelt believes that virtues like courage, love, and appreciation for beauty must also be cultivated by a people. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2014