Theodore Roosevelt’s Progressive Vision and Presidential Power with David Brown | BRI Scholar Talk
In this episode of BRI Scholar Talks, historian David Brown, professor at Elizabethtown College, joins host Tony Williams to explore the life, ideas, and presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. Drawing on his book In the Arena: Theodore Roosevelt in War, Peace, and Revolution, Brown examines how Roosevelt’s upbringing, sense of civic duty, and belief in public service shaped his political career and leadership.
The conversation explores Roosevelt’s rise from New York reformer to a dynamic Progressive president who expanded the power of the executive office. Brown discusses Roosevelt’s belief in civic virtue, the “strenuous life,” and his efforts to balance competing forces during an era of industrialization, reform movements, and growing American global influence. The discussion also considers Roosevelt’s foreign policy leadership, progressive reforms, and his lasting impact on American government as the United States moved toward becoming a major world power in the twentieth century.
