The three “good Republican” presidents were all flukes, who were cordially detested by the “party regulars.” Abraham Lincoln got the nomination in 1860 because they realized they didn’t have anyone else with a national reputation, which he had gained in the debates with Stephen Douglas in 1858. Theodore Roosevelt was specifically sidelined by Mark Hanna and the rest of the Republican “king makers” to get rid of him and his radical ideas of republican democracy; the assassination of McKinley was seen by those men as a great disaster for “loosing Roosevelt on us.” Dwight Eisenhower was courted by the pragmatists to run against the isolationist anti-New Deal Senator Robert Taft, because they were so desperate to get back into power after 20 years in the wilderness they figured all the GIs would vote for their former Supreme Commander.
Excellent selection (thanks also to Stephen Schmidt) and excellent timing! Thank You! On this Labor Day, though, it reminds me of the mysogynist world I was born into, where my place clearly was in the home reproducing, and where the current Republican party would most certainly return me. Vote Blue!
As I read these inspiring words, I had a fantastic vision that a most suitable bit of Karma for tfg, would be a loop of this speech being played 24/7, and piped into his cell.
I admire the sentiment, but not even an endless loop would penetrate. essentially, there's nothing there to penetrate.
I'm not being metaphorical...the dominant "theme" in his consciousness is that bottomless emptiness that needs to be filled all the time by as much attention, praise, admiration, fear...fill in as many traits as you can think of. and, being bottomless (and being empty), it's never ever going to be sated.
never. ever. as long as he lives.
this is hardly news, but just the fact that this person could even be a major party candidate for president (let alone "win") says terrible things about where we were at in 2016. and much worse things about where we're at NOW.
Oh, I SO agree with you, David! Call it my cynicism, but knowing that it wouldn't penetrate the emptiness, I harbored a secret desire to drive him even further over the edge, much like the torture of drops of water!
In describing the causes of the loss of democratic power in republics in the past, Roosevelt described our current predicament precisely when he said "in no way has this loss of power been so often and so clearly shown as in the tendency to turn the government into a government primarily for the benefit of one class instead of the government for the benefit of the people as a whole." Today's GOP clearly intends to form a government that benefits the 1% class, leaving the rest of the people in a state of precarious economic limbo, forced to serve the interests of a global economy driven by greed and exploitation. We have coined a name for this class of slaves to corporate power--the Precariat, the insecure mass of workers consigned to make precarious livings in the gig economy. Biden has taken initiatives to alter that arrangement, but nothing has fundamentally changed. The U.S. has the greatest economic inequality in the world right now and if it continues, as Roosevelt noted in his reference to failed republics throughout history, the American experiment in democracy is toast. Justice Loud D. Brandeis said it best: "We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both."
“The reason why our future is assured lies in the fact that our people are genuinely skilled in and fitted for self-government and therefore will spurn the leadership of those who seek to excite this ferocious and foolish class antagonism.”
Fine speech by Theodore Roosevelt, and he is a noble example compared to the leaders of today's 'Republican Party'. He was a great regulator, He was a fine negotiator on behalf of a Square Deal for the workers. He was the country's first conservationist President. He had a good relationships with the Muckrakers, now known as investigative journalists.
It is in the final portion of Theodore Roosevelt's speech, which you presented for our perusal, that a major weakness of his lies. His words do not match his actions as president of the United States of America.
‘Finally, we must keep ever in mind that a republic such as ours can exist only by virtue of the orderly liberty which comes through the equal domination of the law over all men alike, and through its administration in such resolute and fearless fashion as shall teach all that no man is above it and no man below it.’
'On Race and Civil Rights'
'Theodore Roosevelt reflected the racial attitudes of his time, and his domestic record on race and civil rights was a mixed bag. He did little to preserve black suffrage in the South as those states increasingly disenfranchised blacks. He believed that African Americans as a race were inferior to whites, but he thought many black individuals were superior to white individuals and should be able to prove their merit.... Although he appointed blacks to some patronage positions in the South, he was generally unwilling to fight the political battles necessary to win their appointment. One incident in particular taints Roosevelt's reputation on racial issues. In 1906, a small group of black soldiers was accused of going on a shooting spree in Brownsville, Texas, killing one white man and wounding another. Despite conflicting accounts and the lack of physical evidence, the Army assumed the guilt of the black soldiers. When not one of them admitted responsibility, an irritated Roosevelt ordered the dishonorable discharge of three companies of black soldiers (160 men) without a trial. Roosevelt and the white establishment had assumed the soldiers were guilty without affording them the opportunity for a trial to confront their accusers or prove their innocence.' (UVA,MillerCenter, by SidneyMilkis, Professor of Politics, UVA) See link below.
TR's cousin had the same problem. It only became possible for a US president to act differently when a popular political movement created the conditions where the president could act. This has been the case with every political/social change.
Are there no other unpopular decisions by presidents that come to mind, TC? To start early in the country's life, there is John Adam's opposition to war with France, for which he lost reelection to the presidency. More to the point, a reading of Theodore Roosevelt does not encourage the idea that at root he was a champion for the rights of Black people in the US.
You're right. Neither was Eisenhower, but by 1957 there was a sufficient political movement in favor of civil rights in the wake of Brown that he had to act in Little Rock like it or not. Presidents are weather vanes. As FDR said to his advisors in 1932 following his election (before his inauguration) regarding their suggestions for action: "No go out and convince the country to convince me to do these things."
I have answered you twice. As I pointed out, the existence of a viable political movement has to precede the kind of action you are talking about. It's still the case.
I did not read your answer concerning Theodore Roosevelt's personal commitment in his mind, heart and gut to the rights and equality of Blacks. You mentioned common political practice and slogans not what motivates a leader to do what he believes in even with unfavorable odds. The equality of Blacks was not on Theodore Roosevelt's agenda.
How committed have most Democrats and liberals been to Civil Rights? Might a major factor in the position of Blacks in this country have to do the level of engagement on the part of White America? That may change with the participation of young American voters.
What a sophisticated historically detailed conversation.
Thank you for that, as well as TLC posting Theodore Roosevelt’s speech, which I admit to skimming through. I know too well my attention span is that of a flea.
Thank you for this excellent and timely post on Labor Day. The red states are modifying or getting rid of child labor laws. I’m sure in the works, is going back to unlimited hour work days and weeks. The billionaire oligarchs ( Leonard Leo, Harlan Crow, the Koch’s and more in the Heritage Foundation) funding the 2025 project are very busy trying to cement their idea of an American oligarch. They have already taken over the Supreme Court. The only way to defeat them is at the polls. Please spread the word to become involved in our elections. Democracy is on the ballot. So many young people can’t see the forest for the trees. Yes, Joe Biden is 80years old! And yes he is our only option to hold on to our democracy. He still makes sound decisions and has the best interest of our country in mind. He has done more to boost our economy and infrastructure than anyone has in over 40 years .
My hero is Bob Moore of Bob's Red Mill products sold in grocery stores across the nation. When he retired he handed his business over to his employees because he said they had made him a wealthy man. That's my Labor Day hero.
'As the American Museum of Natural History prepares to remove the equestrian statue of former President Theodore Roosevelt, dueling interpretations of the legacy of the nation's 26th president stir admiration as well as contempt.'
'This contradiction in values, according to military historian David Silbey, points to Americans' complicated history regarding race.'
“I think both Theodore Roosevelts are true,” said Silbey, a professor at Cornell. “I think that he was
certainly the kind of progressive politician of the early 20th century who started moving the United States forward on environmental and other issues. But he was also the racist who viewed other peoples around the world as distinctly inferior to Americans.”
“Race is really America’s original sin,” he told NBC News, “And our whole history is really suffused with a perspective about race that shapes what we do and how we are thinking. And that contradiction is always at the forefront of what is going on.”
'On June 21, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the museum asked to remove the imposing 10-foot bronze statue in front of the building because it “depicts Blacks and Indigenous people as subjugated and racially inferior.”
'Critics of the statue say this monument represents a racial hierarchy that favors whites over other races.'
'Pressure to remove the monument resurfaced when nationwide protests calling for racial justice broke out in May after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer; he has since been charged with murder.'
'On May 23, two days before Floyd's death, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo praised Roosevelt as a symbol of New York toughness—someone who found strength in unity and inclusivity. But on June 5, a man on a bike threw paint at the statue.'
'While the museum stated that the way Blacks and indigenous people are depicted by Roosevelt's statue is "racist" to many, including them, they announced that they will name their Hall of Biodiversity after Roosevelt, in recognition of his commitment to conservation.'
'Racism, 'Rough Riders' and the Spanish-American War'
'Historians say that Roosevelt’s ideas about progress and attitudes on race can be traced back to the mainstream culture of manifest destiny in 19th century America. This popular belief defended the idea that American settlers, who were primarily white, had the right and duty to expand their territory across the North American continent from the founding 13 colonies to California.'
'In 1845, journalist John O’Sullivan described an “army of Anglo-Saxon emigration” pouring into California with ploughs and rifles, and marking the territory with schools, colleges, courts, and meeting places. He would coin in that same article the term “manifest destiny” to defend the occupation of two other territories—Texas and Oregon.'
'Roosevelt would similarly champion these early trailblazers as the ultimate conquerors who shaped America’s frontier character.'
“Thus the thirteen colonies, at the outset of their struggle for independence, saw themselves surrounded north, south, and west, by lands where the rulers and the ruled were of different races, but where rulers and ruled alike were hostile to the new people that was destined in the end to master them all,” Roosevelt wrote in his book, “The Winning of the West: From the Alleghenies to the Mississippi."
'Silbey says that Roosevelt and other U.S. elites later applied that white settler perspective of manifest destiny to defend America’s interests as a global power—as they sought to control the Caribbean and other parts of the world. The Cornell professor sees in the Spanish-American War of 1898 an example of the politics and racial attitudes that would influence U.S. policy.'
“The Spanish-American War is really the U.S. stepping out on a global stage for the first time, and trying to figure out what to do as a global power,” Silbey said. “But the other part of this is that it brings with it all of its domestic attitudes about race and other people, and it starts to view other powers through this racial lens.”
'Roosevelt and Black veterans'
'When it came to Blacks who served with Roosevelt in the Spanish-American War, “not only was Roosevelt unenthusiastic about their participation, but he also was not going to try to get the American public to think of African American soldiers as being heroic,” Silbey said.'
'Historians have pointed out that Black soldiers from the 10th Cavalry beat out Roosevelt’s famous Rough Riders volunteer cavalry to the top of one of the major hills in the Battle of San Juan. That wasn’t a story that Roosevelt wanted to tell, Silbey says. In fact, Roosevelt describes a white-dominant hierarchy that underplays the accomplishments of black soldiers.'
“No troops could have behaved better than the colored soldiers had behaved so far; but they are, of course peculiarly dependent upon their white officers,” Roosevelt wrote in his war memoir “Rough Riders.”
'And when those white officers had been wounded, killed in action, or gone missing, he noted how black soldiers could not withstand the pressure of war.'
“None of the white regulars or Rough Riders showed the slightest sign of weakening; but under the strain the colored infantrymen (who had none of their officers) began to get a little uneasy and to drift to the rear, either helping wounded men, or saying that they wished to find their own regiments,” Roosevelt wrote. He said he had to draw his revolver to stop black soldiers from retreating.'
'Over a century after Roosevelt published his Rough Riders memoir in 1899, his great-grandson, Mark Roosevelt, recently told viewers in a CBS interview that he agreed with the museum's decision.'
“If we wish to live in harmony and equality with people of other races, we should not maintain paternalistic statues that depict Native Americans and African Americans in subordinate roles,” he said. “The statue of Theodore Roosevelt, my great-grandfather, in front of New York's Museum of Natural History, does so, and it is good that it is being taken down.”
'As Americans debate the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and other historical figures, Silbey said that the country needs to address the footprint of racism on our past. This begins by understanding the ways different people connect with our history.'
“One of the perils of being a historian is that there aren’t any good people in history,” he said. “But I think, like with all historic figures, who Roosevelt is depends on who you are, and how he fit you into his world view.” (NBCNews) See link below.
Are you suggesting we ignore TR’s significance in defending labor and challenging the Robber Barons? Are you suggesting that we don’t face similar challenges, the rise of a self aggrandizing and self appointed oligarchy determined to rule the country for their benefit alone?
Perhaps we need to be reminded of the contradictions which compromise and complicate our history. Writing out those contradictions and complications from the public square whitewash that history as much as erasing lynching and the leveling of Tulsa.
Please read my initial comment. In no post did I suggest shrinking TR accomplishments. Are you suggesting that we ignore his racism? I found your post to me offensive.
PS Excerpts and a link to the article I posted was a report about differing views concerning a statue of TR in front of The Museum of Natural History. The reporter covered opposing opinions about TR and how they reflect the contradictions and complications within our society. My posts in no way suggested 'whitewashing' our history, and there was no basis for you to imply that I have a blinkered vision of our country's history, of TR or that I recommended such on this thread.
Did I recommend removing the statue, Ken Taylor? I posted an article about it because it provided various views about the statue itself and TR. It was his grandson who thought it sensible to remove the statue. You have a determination to impute positions to me, for which there is no evidence. I suggest that you reflect on this about yourself. Unfortunately my effort to communicate with you has not been successful. Salud.
Excellent selection (thanks also to Stephen Schmidt) and excellent timing! Thank You! On this Labor Day, though, it reminds me of the mysogynist world I was born into, where my place clearly was in the home reproducing, and where the current Republican party would most certainly return me. Vote Blue!
As I read these inspiring words, I had a fantastic vision that a most suitable bit of Karma for tfg, would be a loop of this speech being played 24/7, and piped into his cell.
I admire the sentiment, but not even an endless loop would penetrate. essentially, there's nothing there to penetrate.
I'm not being metaphorical...the dominant "theme" in his consciousness is that bottomless emptiness that needs to be filled all the time by as much attention, praise, admiration, fear...fill in as many traits as you can think of. and, being bottomless (and being empty), it's never ever going to be sated.
never. ever. as long as he lives.
this is hardly news, but just the fact that this person could even be a major party candidate for president (let alone "win") says terrible things about where we were at in 2016. and much worse things about where we're at NOW.
Oh, I SO agree with you, David! Call it my cynicism, but knowing that it wouldn't penetrate the emptiness, I harbored a secret desire to drive him even further over the edge, much like the torture of drops of water!
In describing the causes of the loss of democratic power in republics in the past, Roosevelt described our current predicament precisely when he said "in no way has this loss of power been so often and so clearly shown as in the tendency to turn the government into a government primarily for the benefit of one class instead of the government for the benefit of the people as a whole." Today's GOP clearly intends to form a government that benefits the 1% class, leaving the rest of the people in a state of precarious economic limbo, forced to serve the interests of a global economy driven by greed and exploitation. We have coined a name for this class of slaves to corporate power--the Precariat, the insecure mass of workers consigned to make precarious livings in the gig economy. Biden has taken initiatives to alter that arrangement, but nothing has fundamentally changed. The U.S. has the greatest economic inequality in the world right now and if it continues, as Roosevelt noted in his reference to failed republics throughout history, the American experiment in democracy is toast. Justice Loud D. Brandeis said it best: "We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both."
Louis was not "Loud" by all accounts. Sorry for that typo.
“The reason why our future is assured lies in the fact that our people are genuinely skilled in and fitted for self-government and therefore will spurn the leadership of those who seek to excite this ferocious and foolish class antagonism.”
This no longer applies to our people. Sad.
Fine speech by Theodore Roosevelt, and he is a noble example compared to the leaders of today's 'Republican Party'. He was a great regulator, He was a fine negotiator on behalf of a Square Deal for the workers. He was the country's first conservationist President. He had a good relationships with the Muckrakers, now known as investigative journalists.
It is in the final portion of Theodore Roosevelt's speech, which you presented for our perusal, that a major weakness of his lies. His words do not match his actions as president of the United States of America.
‘Finally, we must keep ever in mind that a republic such as ours can exist only by virtue of the orderly liberty which comes through the equal domination of the law over all men alike, and through its administration in such resolute and fearless fashion as shall teach all that no man is above it and no man below it.’
'On Race and Civil Rights'
'Theodore Roosevelt reflected the racial attitudes of his time, and his domestic record on race and civil rights was a mixed bag. He did little to preserve black suffrage in the South as those states increasingly disenfranchised blacks. He believed that African Americans as a race were inferior to whites, but he thought many black individuals were superior to white individuals and should be able to prove their merit.... Although he appointed blacks to some patronage positions in the South, he was generally unwilling to fight the political battles necessary to win their appointment. One incident in particular taints Roosevelt's reputation on racial issues. In 1906, a small group of black soldiers was accused of going on a shooting spree in Brownsville, Texas, killing one white man and wounding another. Despite conflicting accounts and the lack of physical evidence, the Army assumed the guilt of the black soldiers. When not one of them admitted responsibility, an irritated Roosevelt ordered the dishonorable discharge of three companies of black soldiers (160 men) without a trial. Roosevelt and the white establishment had assumed the soldiers were guilty without affording them the opportunity for a trial to confront their accusers or prove their innocence.' (UVA,MillerCenter, by SidneyMilkis, Professor of Politics, UVA) See link below.
https://millercenter.org/president/roosevelt/domestic-affairs
TR's cousin had the same problem. It only became possible for a US president to act differently when a popular political movement created the conditions where the president could act. This has been the case with every political/social change.
Are there no other unpopular decisions by presidents that come to mind, TC? To start early in the country's life, there is John Adam's opposition to war with France, for which he lost reelection to the presidency. More to the point, a reading of Theodore Roosevelt does not encourage the idea that at root he was a champion for the rights of Black people in the US.
You're right. Neither was Eisenhower, but by 1957 there was a sufficient political movement in favor of civil rights in the wake of Brown that he had to act in Little Rock like it or not. Presidents are weather vanes. As FDR said to his advisors in 1932 following his election (before his inauguration) regarding their suggestions for action: "No go out and convince the country to convince me to do these things."
You have not answered with reference to Theodore's level of determination to secure the rights and equality of Blacks in the USA. Cheers!
I have answered you twice. As I pointed out, the existence of a viable political movement has to precede the kind of action you are talking about. It's still the case.
I did not read your answer concerning Theodore Roosevelt's personal commitment in his mind, heart and gut to the rights and equality of Blacks. You mentioned common political practice and slogans not what motivates a leader to do what he believes in even with unfavorable odds. The equality of Blacks was not on Theodore Roosevelt's agenda.
How committed have most Democrats and liberals been to Civil Rights? Might a major factor in the position of Blacks in this country have to do the level of engagement on the part of White America? That may change with the participation of young American voters.
What a sophisticated historically detailed conversation.
Thank you for that, as well as TLC posting Theodore Roosevelt’s speech, which I admit to skimming through. I know too well my attention span is that of a flea.
Thank you, Samm. It's fine to do some work on Labor Day wrote one flea to another!
Thank you for this excellent and timely post on Labor Day. The red states are modifying or getting rid of child labor laws. I’m sure in the works, is going back to unlimited hour work days and weeks. The billionaire oligarchs ( Leonard Leo, Harlan Crow, the Koch’s and more in the Heritage Foundation) funding the 2025 project are very busy trying to cement their idea of an American oligarch. They have already taken over the Supreme Court. The only way to defeat them is at the polls. Please spread the word to become involved in our elections. Democracy is on the ballot. So many young people can’t see the forest for the trees. Yes, Joe Biden is 80years old! And yes he is our only option to hold on to our democracy. He still makes sound decisions and has the best interest of our country in mind. He has done more to boost our economy and infrastructure than anyone has in over 40 years .
Thank you for posting that. I would argue Grant should be in the “good Republican” club.
Certainly for trying - and being knifed by his party.
When I learned of what Sumner and his faction did to Grant, I was extremely disappointed to say the least.
My hero is Bob Moore of Bob's Red Mill products sold in grocery stores across the nation. When he retired he handed his business over to his employees because he said they had made him a wealthy man. That's my Labor Day hero.
Then there’s hope for me!
'As the American Museum of Natural History prepares to remove the equestrian statue of former President Theodore Roosevelt, dueling interpretations of the legacy of the nation's 26th president stir admiration as well as contempt.'
'This contradiction in values, according to military historian David Silbey, points to Americans' complicated history regarding race.'
“I think both Theodore Roosevelts are true,” said Silbey, a professor at Cornell. “I think that he was
certainly the kind of progressive politician of the early 20th century who started moving the United States forward on environmental and other issues. But he was also the racist who viewed other peoples around the world as distinctly inferior to Americans.”
“Race is really America’s original sin,” he told NBC News, “And our whole history is really suffused with a perspective about race that shapes what we do and how we are thinking. And that contradiction is always at the forefront of what is going on.”
'On June 21, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the museum asked to remove the imposing 10-foot bronze statue in front of the building because it “depicts Blacks and Indigenous people as subjugated and racially inferior.”
'Critics of the statue say this monument represents a racial hierarchy that favors whites over other races.'
'Pressure to remove the monument resurfaced when nationwide protests calling for racial justice broke out in May after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer; he has since been charged with murder.'
'On May 23, two days before Floyd's death, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo praised Roosevelt as a symbol of New York toughness—someone who found strength in unity and inclusivity. But on June 5, a man on a bike threw paint at the statue.'
'While the museum stated that the way Blacks and indigenous people are depicted by Roosevelt's statue is "racist" to many, including them, they announced that they will name their Hall of Biodiversity after Roosevelt, in recognition of his commitment to conservation.'
'Racism, 'Rough Riders' and the Spanish-American War'
'Historians say that Roosevelt’s ideas about progress and attitudes on race can be traced back to the mainstream culture of manifest destiny in 19th century America. This popular belief defended the idea that American settlers, who were primarily white, had the right and duty to expand their territory across the North American continent from the founding 13 colonies to California.'
'In 1845, journalist John O’Sullivan described an “army of Anglo-Saxon emigration” pouring into California with ploughs and rifles, and marking the territory with schools, colleges, courts, and meeting places. He would coin in that same article the term “manifest destiny” to defend the occupation of two other territories—Texas and Oregon.'
'Roosevelt would similarly champion these early trailblazers as the ultimate conquerors who shaped America’s frontier character.'
“Thus the thirteen colonies, at the outset of their struggle for independence, saw themselves surrounded north, south, and west, by lands where the rulers and the ruled were of different races, but where rulers and ruled alike were hostile to the new people that was destined in the end to master them all,” Roosevelt wrote in his book, “The Winning of the West: From the Alleghenies to the Mississippi."
'Silbey says that Roosevelt and other U.S. elites later applied that white settler perspective of manifest destiny to defend America’s interests as a global power—as they sought to control the Caribbean and other parts of the world. The Cornell professor sees in the Spanish-American War of 1898 an example of the politics and racial attitudes that would influence U.S. policy.'
“The Spanish-American War is really the U.S. stepping out on a global stage for the first time, and trying to figure out what to do as a global power,” Silbey said. “But the other part of this is that it brings with it all of its domestic attitudes about race and other people, and it starts to view other powers through this racial lens.”
'Roosevelt and Black veterans'
'When it came to Blacks who served with Roosevelt in the Spanish-American War, “not only was Roosevelt unenthusiastic about their participation, but he also was not going to try to get the American public to think of African American soldiers as being heroic,” Silbey said.'
'Historians have pointed out that Black soldiers from the 10th Cavalry beat out Roosevelt’s famous Rough Riders volunteer cavalry to the top of one of the major hills in the Battle of San Juan. That wasn’t a story that Roosevelt wanted to tell, Silbey says. In fact, Roosevelt describes a white-dominant hierarchy that underplays the accomplishments of black soldiers.'
“No troops could have behaved better than the colored soldiers had behaved so far; but they are, of course peculiarly dependent upon their white officers,” Roosevelt wrote in his war memoir “Rough Riders.”
'And when those white officers had been wounded, killed in action, or gone missing, he noted how black soldiers could not withstand the pressure of war.'
“None of the white regulars or Rough Riders showed the slightest sign of weakening; but under the strain the colored infantrymen (who had none of their officers) began to get a little uneasy and to drift to the rear, either helping wounded men, or saying that they wished to find their own regiments,” Roosevelt wrote. He said he had to draw his revolver to stop black soldiers from retreating.'
'Over a century after Roosevelt published his Rough Riders memoir in 1899, his great-grandson, Mark Roosevelt, recently told viewers in a CBS interview that he agreed with the museum's decision.'
“If we wish to live in harmony and equality with people of other races, we should not maintain paternalistic statues that depict Native Americans and African Americans in subordinate roles,” he said. “The statue of Theodore Roosevelt, my great-grandfather, in front of New York's Museum of Natural History, does so, and it is good that it is being taken down.”
'As Americans debate the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and other historical figures, Silbey said that the country needs to address the footprint of racism on our past. This begins by understanding the ways different people connect with our history.'
“One of the perils of being a historian is that there aren’t any good people in history,” he said. “But I think, like with all historic figures, who Roosevelt is depends on who you are, and how he fit you into his world view.” (NBCNews) See link below.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/teddy-roosevelt-s-racist-progressive-legacy-historian-says-part-monument-n1234163
Are you suggesting we ignore TR’s significance in defending labor and challenging the Robber Barons? Are you suggesting that we don’t face similar challenges, the rise of a self aggrandizing and self appointed oligarchy determined to rule the country for their benefit alone?
Perhaps we need to be reminded of the contradictions which compromise and complicate our history. Writing out those contradictions and complications from the public square whitewash that history as much as erasing lynching and the leveling of Tulsa.
Please read my initial comment. In no post did I suggest shrinking TR accomplishments. Are you suggesting that we ignore his racism? I found your post to me offensive.
PS Excerpts and a link to the article I posted was a report about differing views concerning a statue of TR in front of The Museum of Natural History. The reporter covered opposing opinions about TR and how they reflect the contradictions and complications within our society. My posts in no way suggested 'whitewashing' our history, and there was no basis for you to imply that I have a blinkered vision of our country's history, of TR or that I recommended such on this thread.
Understand that I too have issues with TR. But, removing a statue is not what I consider to be a productive way of dealing with those issues.
TR’s statue is not an equivalent to the “Confederate Monuments “ that were raised in the 50s and 60s.
Did I recommend removing the statue, Ken Taylor? I posted an article about it because it provided various views about the statue itself and TR. It was his grandson who thought it sensible to remove the statue. You have a determination to impute positions to me, for which there is no evidence. I suggest that you reflect on this about yourself. Unfortunately my effort to communicate with you has not been successful. Salud.
Funny, I was thinking the same thing.
I'm amused as well. If you must have the last word, Ken Taylor, be my guest!