Speakers Bureau Speaker
Brooks D. Simpson, Gilbert
Brooks D. Simpson is professor of history at Arizona State University. He has written and spoken extensively on the Civil War and Reconstruction, the American Presidency, and American political and military history. His Ulysses S. Grant: Triumph Over Adversity, 1822-1865 was named a New York Times Notable Book for 2000. He has also appeared on PBS’s The American Experience and for various C-SPAN programs, including Booknotes.
Abraham Lincoln at 200
February 12, 2009, will mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. The sixteenth president remains more than the face on the penny or the five-dollar bill, but why exactly was Lincoln important? Why do most Americans continue to celebrate him (while a vocal minority continues to despise him)? Is there such a thing as a Lincoln legacy? And who exactly was the man himself, long before he was encased in marble in the memorial that bears his name? This presentation looks at why it’s worth recalling who he was and why Americans remain fascinated by him two centuries after his birth.
American Presidential Elections in Historical Perspective
Americans will elect a new president in 2008, the fifty-fourth time they have done so. How has the selection and election process evolved throughout the period since the first election in 1789? Moreover, what characteristics have remained largely unchanged? How do candidates and parties appeal to voters? What role do issues play? By setting the answers to these and other questions in historical perspective, this presentation gives audiences a greater understanding of the American political process and the degree to which the more things change, the more they remain the same.
Emancipation and the Destruction of Slavery, 1861-1865
The American Civil War resulted in the destruction of slavery in the United States, yet it is not always evident how this came about. People argue over who – or what – freed the slaves, the impact of the Emancipation Proclamation in setting slavery upon the road to ultimate extinction, and how the war itself contributed to the destruction of slavery. Perhaps it may be better to ask a simple question: how did freedom come? There were many paths to emancipation, and many reasons why the war resulted in the erosion of slavery and its ultimate demise, all of which are highlighted in this presentation.
Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life
For most people, Theodore Roosevelt remains best known as the 26th president of the United States, a face carved upon Mt. Rushmore. In truth, however, he was far more than that, a public intellectual and man of all trades who outdistanced even Thomas Jefferson in the breadth and depth of his varied activities. He combined a commitment to the democratic principles of reform with an advocacy of an active government directed by an energetic chief executive who was aware of the nature of political pragmatism; he did much to establish the foundation for the United States in the 20th century. Had he simply confined his activities to being a naturalist, writer, and historian, he would have been interesting enough, but as a public servant, soldier, and president, he left his mark on the American landscape in ways only hinted at by Mt. Rushmore. This presentation seeks to define the unifying themes and consistent principles that guided Roosevelt through his public life while tracing the evolution of the private individual who became something of a self-made man.
