ROOSEVELT VICTORIOUS!
EXHIBIT AND RELATED PROGRAMS EXPLORE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS 100 YEARS APART
Like today, Americans in 1904 were gearing up for a presidential election in November, and that election will be the focus of a new exhibit called Roosevelt Victorious!: TR and the Election of 1904, which is scheduled to open at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site in May. In conjunction with a public lecture series, school programs, and several special events, Roosevelt Victorious! will tell the story of the 1904 campaign and election, as well as the lavish 1905 inauguration, using a variety of images, objects, and period music. Many of the artifacts to be included in the exhibit are rarely seen objects from the Site's collection, with others on loan from the New York State Museum and Bren Price, a local collector and Site volunteer.
The exhibit and related programming will challenge visitors to consider the ways that presidential elections have changed...and stayed the same...over the past century. The process of nominating conventions, campaigning, election, and inauguration is largely unaltered, but many details from 1904 will nonetheless look strange to a modern audience. For instance, tradition barred incumbent presidents from hitting the campaign trail, so when his critics questioned the legitimacy of Roosevelt's presidency (he had not been elected to the office), TR could do little to respond. Similarly, the decision by Roosevelt's Democratic challenger, Alton Brooks Parker, to follow William McKinley's successful strategy and wage a "front porch campaign" is unthinkable in the twenty-first century! Anyone who is wondering when and why political campaigns changed so dramatically won't want to miss the lecture series.
The fact that Theodore Roosevelt eventually won the election of 1904 is certainly not a surprise, nor is the fact that, having scored an overwhelming victory, there was a huge celebration in the form of a very public inauguration followed by an official inaugural ball. To simulate the latter, the Site will be transforming part of the exhibit gallery to resemble the Pension Building, where the ball was held on the evening of March 4, 1905. An original letter written by a fifteen-year old girl from Buffalo will allow visitors to experience history through the eyes of an eyewitness who describes the scene and its participants with refreshing candor.
Visitors are invited to take a step back in time and discover what made Theodore Roosevelt's first and only successful bid for the presidency unique when Roosevelt Victorious! opens on Saturday, May 8th. Details regarding the lecture series and other related programs are being finalized as this newsletter goes to print and will be announced in the Site's spring newsletter. Additional information may be obtained by calling the Site at (716) 884-0095.