T.R., Again: 2 Reviews

Posted on March 20, 2008
Filed Under 19th Century History, Gilded Age, Teddy Roosevelt | Leave a Comment

What is it about Teddy Roosevelt that is so entrancing to so many people?  Was it his masculinity?  Was it his devotion to the progressive cause?  Was it his America-first attitude?  Or was it just an effective P.R. machine?

Today, I want to review two books.  The first one you’ve read if you’re a fan of T.R.;  if not, go get it now.  David McCullough’s Mornings on Horseback is, in my mind, probably the most interesting account of T.R.’s life.  McCullough manages, in Mornings on Horseback, to bring T.R. and his day into focus for the modern reader.  Focusing on T.R.’s family and his childhood in New York, McCullough gives us a picture of a more vulnerable and more human Teddy Roosevelt. McCullough is a masterful storyteller, and his biographical works stand out among every other biography written in the last thirty years.  McCullough writes in such a way that the average reader can enjoy herself.  At the same time, Mornings on Horseback contains enough detailed research that the professional historian can learn something useful, as well.

I mention Mornings on Horseback, mainly, because I think you need to have a good grasp on the narrative of T.R.’s life if you are to really understand the man.  The narrative, in T.R.’s case, isn’t enough, however.  Just as you can’t understand Reagan without listening to his speeches, you can’t truly understand T.R. without seeing pictures of him.  This is why I am delighted to tell you about Stacey A. Cordey’s latest compilation, Historic Photos of Theodore Roosevelt.  Part of a series of historic photo books on presidents from Turner Publishing, this volume has more than 200 photographs of T.R.  Here we see T.R. at his finest:  chopping wood, celebrating an elephant kill, leading the Rough Riders and giving speeches.

Yet, in Historic Photos of Theodore Roosevelt, Cordery gives us much more than the man’s man image of T.R.  She shows Roosevelt holding his children and grandchildren, visiting sewing factories where he advocated for workers’ rights, and many other real-life images.  She also brings out an image of T.R. that reminds us he was born of wealth and privilege, and was as comfortable in a tuxedo as he was in his Rough Rider uniform.  If nothing else, it is the juxtaposition of these contrasting elements of T.R.’s personality that makes Historic Photos of Theodore Roosevelt worth the read. 

It may well be this same juxtaposition that makes T.R. himself so interesting.  Certainly, it is the appeal of both of these volumes;  When you combine these two works you’re likely to walk away with a very different picture of T.R. than you came in with.

Toward Reformation

Posted on March 13, 2008
Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

It has occurred to me, in recent days, that the situation in U.S. academic history and historiography is not hopeless.

There is a new generation of historians who are ready to challenge the status quo.  These historians aren’t necessarily committed to the trinity of race, class and gender.  The ones that are have been much more intellectually egalitarian than their predecessors, recognizing that the house of sand that is academic history may soon be washed away.

I have even heard rumblings of conservative historians receiving tenure.  The scandal!

It has also occurred to me, in recent days, that there is no reason for me to hide behind a pen name.  I’m successful and comfortable in my career, and I don’t truly need to worry about repercussions from a dying elite.

To this end, I’d like to move forward in a more transparent manner.  Thomas Carlyle is being laid to rest, back in the days of yore.  Today, I’d like you to meet me.

The Founders

Posted on March 6, 2008
Filed Under historiography | Leave a Comment

I was talking with a friend of mine last evening about a book he’s reading.  Unfortunately, the title escapes me, but it is one of those books that tries to analyze the current political situation in the context of historical events.  Generally speaking I’m put off by this sort of anachronism, but it did get me thinking about something.

 While comparing the current state of affairs with the state of affairs in the past, we will almost always wind up projecting the spirit of our age onto the past, strangling it.  For example, it is difficult for us to understand how anyone could have accepted slavery, yet many of the founders did.  But the moment we attempt to judge them from within our own context, we do the past a disservice.  Our age and theirs is, in many ways, apples and oranges.

Still, I do think there is use in considering the current state of affairs in the context of the past.  For example, we can talk about how some of the founders railed against slavery.  But when we consider modern civil rights legislation, rather than trying to fit our views into the founders, we ought to look at what the founders did and follow the line from there to here.  In other words, we consider how we got to the place where we have a relative degree of racial equality, while recognizing that there are vast differences in the arguments that the founders made and our arguments today.

Do some principles remain timeless?  Certainly.  Can we connect the principles of our day with the principle of an earlier age?  We can, but we must be diligent about making sure we understand the whole argument that was made in the past, as well as how we got here from there.

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