The Roosevelts

H.W. Brands
Our favorite historian, H.W. Brands, will talk about the two President Roosevelts as only he can-bringing them to life with insight and anecdotes. Theodore Roosevelt unexpectedly became the 26th president of the United States in September 1901, after the assassination of William McKinley. Young and physically robust, he brought a new energy to the White House, and won a second term on his own merits in 1904. TR was also a dedicated conservationist and the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize recipient for having negotiated peace in the Russo-Japanese war in 1904-5.
FDR was elected as the nation’s 32nd president in 1932. With the country mired in the depths of the Great Depression, Roosevelt immediately acted to restore hope and security by speaking directly to the public in a series of radio broadcasts or “fireside chats.” His ambitious slate of New Deal programs and reforms redefined the role of the federal government in the lives of Americans. He also led us to victory on two fronts in World War II.